For
those of you who don't know, I am a mother of five. I have been a teacher
for 20+ years and have homeschooled my children. I have taught in
private and public schools. I am currently teaching for a hybrid
school. We use the "University School Model." Students come to
a regular classroom setting twice a week. On the other three days of
school, students do the assignments that I have given them. Students turn in
their assignments twice a week. With parental support and teaching on the
other three days, students are supported and encouraged. This brings
together the best of two worlds in education! Accountability is provided
through assignments and a classroom teacher. Love, support, and
encouragement from parents brings about stability and allows a student to
thrive.
Hi
HeiDee-
So,
I thought of a specific question for you. I want to encourage my
students/children to listen attentively through positive reinforcement, yet I'm
not always sure how. The older ones have been getting better at this but it's
getting the younger two on the same page. A session can look something like
this: All sitting around the table and I start to teach. Someone
blurts out so I stop to explain that we need to raise our hands and wait to be called
upon. This sometimes follows with silliness ('ok, ok, ok') moving around,
tapping. I've tried simply tapping a bell to regain order. This works for some,
while others think it's a game and make comments about my bell use. While I am
trying to explain
that the response is disrespectful I'm starting to loose
another. Meanwhile the 2 year old is dropping
his project and calling, 'mom, mom, mom.' I
really just want to get back to the lesson but feel I need to
stop for the
distractions. I feel like I'm going to loose it and shamefully do sometimes. Not sure how
to
reestablish 'order.' How do I share my expectations (listening quietly
without fidgeting) and hold them
to it? Thank you for any advice you have!!
PS-
they really are good boys, but I feel the more orderly we can be, the more
productive and the more
peaceful the environment.
“Teacher and Mom”
Hello “Teacher and Mom”
Home schooling
multiple ages and grades is always a challenge. For the most seasoned teacher
the
task is looked upon as daunting for two reasons. First, teaching multiple grades requires more of a
teacher in lesson planning, but also in time
management. Planning lessons for multiple grades and
being creative becomes a
challenge as you strive to meet the needs of everyone. Secondly and most
challenging
is the classroom management aspect. It is difficult to keep some busy, while
addressing
the needs of others.
To be honest, the latter is always the toughest! Whether you
have been homeschooling for one or ten
years, keeping a handle on the
management aspect of the classroom is often difficult in teaching a
variety
of ages. I will tell you that the scenario above is all to common in homeschooling
classrooms. It
sounds like you work at being organized, and that is always a
huge plus! I remember many "silly"
episodes with my kids. Some
days, I was extremely patient and was able to quickly redirect their
behavior back to
a lesson. Other days proved itself to be quite difficult. Sometimes, my patience
was
lacking. I will tell you this. When I am patient and in control of my
classroom, my students follow with
respect and are quick to respond to my expectations.
Now, I am able to have complete control of my
classroom when I am teaching
other children. Somehow, during the days of just teaching my own, it
was far
more difficult. As a Mom, that is their teacher also, we play so many roles. It is
difficult for our
children to always separate them. There is never a break for us
and our kids, so I think I learned to be
more patient. I was a stricter teacher
with my kids, than I was as just their mommy. If the silliness
became out of control
and too often, Dad was included very quickly in the discipline. When they knew
that they had my discipline, as well as Dad's discipline to deal with,
behavior quickly changed.
I also looked for ways to separate my kids during serious
subjects like math or english. When it came
time for art, science, or history, we did
things all together in a more relaxed atmosphere. I would set a
timer next to the
little ones and give them an activity, usually in 30 minute increments. They
were
nearby, but in a different area of the room. This helped me focus on the big
kids and more difficult
lessons. I would do this 2-4 times a day. I would also
break up the mini lessons by doing two in the
morning and two in the afternoon.
Another great way to help with management issues is to teach in
small groups. Choose other families,
with like views on teaching and child
rearing, to teach with. When you can switch off or teach together,
it helps with
your kids' behavior and it gives your children variety. For some reason,
learning with
other kids seems to help with behavior issues. The desire to do well
and encourage some "healthy
competition" is sometimes very good for
boys and learning.
We
also employed behavior charts for our kids to show Dad at the end of the day. A
great day would start with 5 happy faces. If someone didn't respond to
correction quickly and with a happy heart, a happy face would have to be turned
in. My boys would work diligently to have all five at the end of the day.
Here is my last suggestion for today. I always have instrumental worship/classical music in the
background. There is always a
steady dose of "noise" in the classroom. For some reason, I think
having
a steady amount of background sound helps cut back on silly behavior, because the
brain is always
engaged in a positive way at all times. I have done this for
years. Also, studies show that music in the
classroom keeps the brain engaged in a
learning mode, thus reducing classroom discipline problems.
I hope some of these ideas were helpful.
I was thinking of posting your question to my blog, anonymously,
of course, with my answer. I would
only do this if you gave me approval. I
work with homeschooling families that deal with similar
situations and I
know it would be helpful to get some answers to great questions like yours.
By the way, I know that your boys are good boys. I dealt with
the same types of issues with my kids. I
can tell from your blog posts and your
overall Facebook posts that you are a great mom with a great
family!
Hugs,
HeiDee
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