Wonderful Wednesday

What a beautiful day.

I was pretty down on Monday after having survived a day from Hell in Nuova Lazio High.
Actually it wasn't a day from Hell but just one hour.
One of my Year 10 classes became impossible to control. There were a variety of factors involved.

• It was spell 5, the last spell of the day
  
  
• It was a Monday, when the kids are still a bit unsettled after a weekend of fun and freedom.
  
  
• Many of the kids had just come back after a week away at national Kapa Haka (they did really well)
  
  
• A small group just didn't want to work.
  

No matter what strategy I used, which techniques I employed, even with over 12 years teaching experience, I could not get the little darlings to settle down and do some work.
It ended with me:
Putting 3 kids out of class (first time in 6 years), and handing out 4 detentions.
Calling a DP after one little spoilt sweetheart told me to "f*ck off", and go and "f*ck myself" after I had picked up her phone (banned from school, especially in classrooms)
I was really down that evening, didn't want to go back to school next day, but I'm old and experienced enough to know that a good sleep puts things in perspective.
So I had a good sleep.



On Tuesday I went in with a plan. A seating plan.
The class who had been a problem on Monday spell 5 were my first class on Tuesday.
They were met with:
Wait outside please until I am ready.
Then (after 2 or 3 minutes) allowed into the class.
Every computer had been switched off by me.
They were told (nicely) not to turn the computers on.
They were then given a quiet little talk about the events of yesterday, and an explanation of my fear that no Learning took place.
So there would have to be changes.
I also apologised for losing my temper and shouting at them yesterday (I have been in the Army, and can still project a parade ground bellow), as many of them had been trying to work, it was just a small minority.
I gave them a seating plan, worked out with their individual personalities and characteristics in mind, and with the objective of altering the class dynamic.

Two pupils refused to abide by the plan and when I refused quietly to alter my room's seating to their satisfaction, they grew upset.

I gave them the choice. Accept it or leave. They both left in a real hissy fit, slamming the door behind them.

The rest of the class sat where I asked, and we then got down to a good 35 minutes of teaching and learning, in quite a subdued atmosphere.
It was a successful lesson, and informal assessment via questions and answers seemed to indicate that the main points had got across to most. Some revision and re-statement need for next spell, in the area of Intranet, Extranet and Internet definitions and usage.

Two of the girls came to their detentions, did the exercises I set, but 1 boy and 1 girl didn't. Never mind I'll get them on Thursday.

So today is a good day.

Major problem sorted (for now)
And I've only got two spells of teaching today, both with my senior classes, both on assessments, so only have to circulate and supervise.

So today is a wonderful day.