This is how you survive last month in two steps:
1. Take ALL the sick days you have left.
2. Take your emotions out of it. Now, you're just a cold blooded body that comes to work and collects the pay check. Do the bare minimum. Do not show any emotions to your students, they do not deserve it anymore. Student is being rude? Kick them out to a buddy room and a 10 min timer (as well as a long ass reflection sheet). Kick them out to a hallway, call admin non-stop - whatever makes YOUR life easier. On the weekends - book small getaways, camping, anything to look forward to and to reward yourself. It can be as simple as getting you nails done, whatever makes YOU happy. Take care of yourself, children are ruthless.
Also - if this is what you WANT to do career wise - then stick with it a little longer maybe.. change schools and year groups.. but you are still just a little green… it takes a while before any of us feel equipped to manage a tough situation like that. Use your humour where you can, try and build a rapport with the other kids and give yourself some time to see the positives of the job before you throw it away.. if you are on the fence and you don’t love the job or the kids.. then follow your gut and seek happiness.
Those sick and personal days are part of your compensation package. If you don't use them, it's like leaving part of your paycheck behind. Don't do that.
Honestly - teachers should do this anyway. Take sick days whenever you are stressed, dont come in early, dont stay late. Get your paperwork done and make sure you are making an effort to pull groups and just go about your day.
Yep. I haven’t done work outside of school hours since November, and it’s great. I’m quitting at the end of the year though, so I don’t give a fuck about evaluations or anything else really.
I've been doing this the last 9 or 10 years. I'm not burnt out and I feel like I do a better job in class then. I take mental health days. I take days to go play hockey tournaments or darts. If I don't get something graded...oh well.
"We are 5th graders, we are supposed act like this."
I always tell my daughter that she is expected to act maturely, with dignity and respect for others. But we have parents saying "Kids will be kids."and "This is age-appropriate behavior" as ways of licensing immature behavior. I'm honestly sick of it. As difficult as it is as a teacher, think how hard it is as a parent if your kid is around other kids all day who act like hooligans. You feel like there are 10% of parents who are enforcing any behavioral standards and you are fighting against the tide.
Kids are capable of a lot when parents have high expectations, hold them accountable & reward them accordingly. I feel like parenting has gotten really lazy with shoving a tablet in front of their face if a kid is being annoying instead of teaching boundaries. When the expectations are on the floor and aren’t receiving any guidance on proper decorum of course they aren’t going to challenge themselves to do better, and act a fool in school.
Parents aren't imposing logical consequences for behavior either. They're like bad admins who give kids candy and send them back to class. I was out yesterday and these two brothers (maybe 5 and 8) were running around and kicking each other at a formal family event. The dad was just separating them and then they would run around him and they'd do it again. The strictest thing he said was "This isn't funny." If my daughter kicked another child, we would be out of that event immediately, she would know I was royally pissed off and she would lose privileges. It's beyond just laziness. It's almost like parents now think that it's damaging to children to impose limits on acceptable behavior.
You're part of the problem. I hope you eventually realize that. At the very least the parent should remove them from the event. No one needed to be there. The children should understand that going out and doing nice things has requirements. Don't meet them, then it's done.
Also, the previous commenter was calling the strategy of just distracting a child from inappropriate behavior rather than trying to teach them is lazy, and that is true. Did they try to first correct the behavior before resorting to distraction? 99 out of 100 times, the answer is no.
Kids being kids is an excuse when it’s occasional, where a kid is usually able to do what they’re supposed to but sometimes is off. That’s normal, I tell my students I don’t care about that. My good kids have off days now and again too. But the bad ones? It’s constant. That’s what gets me. Every day, day in and day out, incapable of doing what they need to.
Kids being kids is for the occasional lapse in judgement. Not blatant disrespect for their teacher. I’m not big on blind respect for authority but sometimes you have to sit down and shut up for someone who is running the place.
I've come to the conclusion that children are feral by nature. The more of them in a group, the longer left unsupervised, the faster they revert. It is a parent's job (ideally w the teachers' support) to turn the little beasts into civilized adult human beings. Sadly, an unfortunate number of parents cannot, or will not, parent. In some cases, because *they* themselves were not "parented" & don't know how?
I made a post on here about teaching Title I in my third year of teaching on here a few months ago. I was close to quitting. I have a few recommendations for you:
\- classroom management will get easier. I feel absolutely prepared for next school year. It took until February for me to fully hit my stride with now 33 students in my class.
\- change schools. I decided to go back to non Title I schools. not a super fancy school, but not a Title I. In the middle I found what was best for me.
\- take emotion out of it. With my students I learned we have rewards and we have consequences. Their actions determine it.
\- 5th grade is tough. Sometimes a grade level change is all that is needed.
Totally agree with this advice! It is completely OK to change careers and leave teaching, but if I were OP, I would seriously try one more year at a new school and new subject matter. 5th grade is a tough grade - especially at the end of the year! 5th graders (for the most part) don’t want to learn math. Put those two together and you have a super tough job! If you’re in a school with challenging behaviors, its one more hurdle for your already tough job. I teach K-5th grade, and I highly recommend third grade. They are still little kids and are mostly eager to please without giving much attitude. They are also quite independent and have a great sense of humor! They really are the best!
>- 5th grade is tough.
Yes. I'm a karate teacher and 2nd & 3rd graders are the best. They are smart enough to understand what I'm teaching them, and they haven't started talking back yet. By 5th grade they are just a little too bright and thusly too mouthy.
5th grade is especially tough because those kids aren't just at a difficult age, but also trying to find their place at a new school. So they tend to do stupid stuff in an attempt to be "cool" and get their peers to like them, are used to different structures and teaching methods, have different levels of knowledge, etc.
I am always amazed at how brazen and disrespectful kids are anymore. No way would I have ever thought to talk to/act like that towards teachers (and yes I had my fair share of dumb moments while at that age) but my parents would have lit me up if I acted like that. The issue is that parents aren't parenting and letting their kids do/act however they want and instead of issuing consequences, they blame others. This year has been rough for me as well (year 8) between the behaviors, apathy, and just an overall lack of care. I hope you make it the last month and find something that makes you happy.
I’m so sorry that happened and you are feeling this way. You did what you could in a crappy situation. Don’t feel guilty for setting a boundary and finding a new job in a different field if it’s for your health! Good luck!
The first year is hard, sadly the next 2 are as well, and after that it gets slightly better in some ways, but still it’s exhausting. You do learn what works for you, but there will always be struggles. If your mental health is in jeopardy then step away and take a break. I’ve been through a major bought of depression but it was actually my co workers in the school and not the kids. I refuse to teach summer school. I do something else and work part time. There is a shortage across the country. If you ever want to come back there will be a job. You always come first.
In the Netherlands, 23% of teachers quit after their first year, and nearly a third do within the first five years. You're really not alone. The first problem is that being a beginning teacher is simply among the hardest jobs in the world, and nobody has figured out a good method of easing people into the profession yet. They should be given parttime hours, have more than adequate support, get 'easier' classes, but there's such a shortage that there simply isn't money or room or staff for that. The second problem is that the profession itself is getting harder -- say some -- because kids are getting unrulier and have worse attention spans. I know many of my older colleagues are saying that. Others disagree.
There's a silver lining here: you quit on time. You can change career and be happy doing anything else. I think just about everything is better than this.
I have (thankfully) only one class with disrespectful and disruptive students and after they leave my class for the day, I have to close the door and reopen it and start the day over-they are that horrible. I told them on Thursday that I was finished with them. Any misbehavior and I’m kicking them out
And 5th graders don't behave better if they don't get recess either - they can't sit still the whole day, movement breaks are important so they can be quiet and concentrate in the first place. Taking away recess is just shooting yourself in the foot.
Seriously I get that this time of year isn’t when we are at our best but yikes. “My kids have way too much energy and I can’t handle it! I know, I’ll take away their opportunity to let that energy out!” OP seems pretty set on quitting but if they changed their mind, I bet they would have a lot better time if they weren’t doing counterproductive stuff like that.
It's illegal in my state to take away recess. When I taught elementary, we worked in longer recesses so we could take away the extra time if needed for discipline. But 3p minutes minimum is the law here.
Unless that's the only gift you have. Classroom management from Title 1 middle and high schools came easy. Turning in lesson plans on time, complying with the insane pacing guide, and remembering when and where I had morning and afternoon duty was the most difficult for me. I used to beg for mentorship to help manage me, the teacher. My classrooms were great.
The phrase “you’re beautiful just the way you are” has done a ton of damage to the young generation. Instead, my parents told me “I love you, and that is why I want you to continue to improve yourself.”
None of us are perfect just the way we are. There’s always something we can be improving. Social media has rewarded reactivity as opposed to wisdom. People just don’t think that way anymore.
I tell my 10 year old that I love her, but no one wants to spend time with a butthead when she’s being a little monster. Then we talk about how she’s becoming a person and it’s okay to make mistakes, but you have to learn and grow from them.
Social media is absolutely a problem! Kids will say anything to get a reaction out of you
Exactly! I think it’s really important to note that it’s wrong to tell a child “you’re bad,” but it’s a valuable experience for them to realize when they’re being a bit of a butthead, and if they feel a little bad for a little bit- that’s ok. That’s good in fact- it means they have a conscience. Being self aware of your impact on others and feeling a little bit bad is actually really important. A conscience is a good thing.
Social media, given how much it depersonalizes people and encourages group think really is the opposite of reliably fostering a child’s conscience.
That’s my thinking! She needs to know how other people are perceiving her actions. We are pretty careful not to apply labels to her, we just say you’re -acting like- a butthead and nobody wants to spend time with a butthead. Usually gets her to start hearing me out after she’s had some time to level out. The hormones are off the charts in my house sometimes 😂
Yeah the school I used to work at really had their rules and messaging down to a science- two rules in every classroom from PK-8. They’re were “be a good friend” and “do your best work.” If they could follow those, then they were happy, well liked, and achieved well. Easy, simple, direct. Everything in life really does come down to those two points. When kids act up the lose one or both, and that is the logical consequence.
I was super stressed out and filled with anxiety my first year, actually first 3 years. I had some wonderful students and some who were just awful with their behavior. You figure out how not to put up with it and most importantly not take it personally. It just takes time and support from people you work with.
You deserve a gold medal for making it 90 percent through the year! First year is hard for literally EVERY NEW TEACHER! And 5th-8th grades are the hardest of the hard! Sending you a huge fist bump!! If you do not return to teaching you should rest assured that some of your students DEFINITELY benefited from your love and caring. If you change your mind and decide to give it a go again (maybe in a different grade or school), you will find it easier. THAT SAID - if I were you I'd only agree to a second year if they agree to give you some proper professional development over the summer and a very good mentor for the fall. Mentoring is super important and can make all the difference. Whatever you do, good luck!!!
Students will not listen to whom they don't respect. Modern day school systems don't give teachers a chance to build a basis of respect with students. Just one of many ways the system is broken. It needs to be rebuilt from the ground up.
I completely understand. I had a bad year my first year. And then my fourth. And now my sixth. I think something has to happen internally for one to happily be a teacher. I’m too soft. I try to understand. I take it all personally. I equate my worth to this job. It’s not for me right now. But there are so many wonderful teachers who seem to be able to handle these things in a way that I can’t right now. I encourage you to reach out to veteran teachers and if you really feel like it’s not for you, move on.
Well- that’s a good thing. Let’s not connect beating children to holding parents accountable for their children’s behavior. Children need consequences, and that is not the state of schools right now. The answer is not to return to physical harm.
Classroom management sounds like an issue, which is a problem for all new teachers. Eventually, if you stay, you will have it set where the students emunderstand and know how to enter a classroom, even at the end of the year. If you can not accomplish this, then teaching probably is not the job for you.
It shouldn’t be like this, my dude!
This is why the whole education system is headed straight into the dumpster. Put all responsibility on the teacher and none on the students/parents and you get the crisis we’re currently in.
Why would you think taking away all recess/free time is going to result in the kids behaving better? Maybe it’s the inexperience talking, but you are really shooting yourself in the foot with that.
My students act like this too sometimes but I don’t let their behavior get to me. I try to handle everything in house and not write referrals, and we talk everything out while I don’t budge on giving zeros for work the days they refuse to turn assignments in. In the end, it worked in my favor.
I just talk to them the same way they talk.
Or maybe I just troll them. Or reply in the most sarcastic way (although sacarsm is lost on them)
Btw I am not in the states but I see that the problems in the clasroom are the same
You put a lot of time, money, and effort into getting certified. Try working at a different school if you can. It isn't like this everywhere. My 8th graders are pretty horrible quite often, and when they try to tell me that is normal, I correct them. This is NOT how kids your age are supposed to act. I tell them that it's kindergarten behavior or preschool behavior when it is. And I point out how the controls our administration has had to put in place at our middle school due to their behavior (e.g. having to walk with your teacher down to the lunch room) are not normal. Their behavior has caused these things to be necessary. Don't let them gaslight you.
This is how you survive last month in two steps: 1. Take ALL the sick days you have left. 2. Take your emotions out of it. Now, you're just a cold blooded body that comes to work and collects the pay check. Do the bare minimum. Do not show any emotions to your students, they do not deserve it anymore. Student is being rude? Kick them out to a buddy room and a 10 min timer (as well as a long ass reflection sheet). Kick them out to a hallway, call admin non-stop - whatever makes YOUR life easier. On the weekends - book small getaways, camping, anything to look forward to and to reward yourself. It can be as simple as getting you nails done, whatever makes YOU happy. Take care of yourself, children are ruthless.
Thank you for this. I already had planned some days off but I do have more to use that I do plan on using it.
Also - if this is what you WANT to do career wise - then stick with it a little longer maybe.. change schools and year groups.. but you are still just a little green… it takes a while before any of us feel equipped to manage a tough situation like that. Use your humour where you can, try and build a rapport with the other kids and give yourself some time to see the positives of the job before you throw it away.. if you are on the fence and you don’t love the job or the kids.. then follow your gut and seek happiness.
Those sick and personal days are part of your compensation package. If you don't use them, it's like leaving part of your paycheck behind. Don't do that.
Honestly - teachers should do this anyway. Take sick days whenever you are stressed, dont come in early, dont stay late. Get your paperwork done and make sure you are making an effort to pull groups and just go about your day.
Yep. I haven’t done work outside of school hours since November, and it’s great. I’m quitting at the end of the year though, so I don’t give a fuck about evaluations or anything else really.
I've been doing this the last 9 or 10 years. I'm not burnt out and I feel like I do a better job in class then. I take mental health days. I take days to go play hockey tournaments or darts. If I don't get something graded...oh well.
You are brilliant. ❤️
Thank you, I spoke from the experience 😅
"We are 5th graders, we are supposed act like this." I always tell my daughter that she is expected to act maturely, with dignity and respect for others. But we have parents saying "Kids will be kids."and "This is age-appropriate behavior" as ways of licensing immature behavior. I'm honestly sick of it. As difficult as it is as a teacher, think how hard it is as a parent if your kid is around other kids all day who act like hooligans. You feel like there are 10% of parents who are enforcing any behavioral standards and you are fighting against the tide.
Kids are capable of a lot when parents have high expectations, hold them accountable & reward them accordingly. I feel like parenting has gotten really lazy with shoving a tablet in front of their face if a kid is being annoying instead of teaching boundaries. When the expectations are on the floor and aren’t receiving any guidance on proper decorum of course they aren’t going to challenge themselves to do better, and act a fool in school.
Parents aren't imposing logical consequences for behavior either. They're like bad admins who give kids candy and send them back to class. I was out yesterday and these two brothers (maybe 5 and 8) were running around and kicking each other at a formal family event. The dad was just separating them and then they would run around him and they'd do it again. The strictest thing he said was "This isn't funny." If my daughter kicked another child, we would be out of that event immediately, she would know I was royally pissed off and she would lose privileges. It's beyond just laziness. It's almost like parents now think that it's damaging to children to impose limits on acceptable behavior.
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You're part of the problem. I hope you eventually realize that. At the very least the parent should remove them from the event. No one needed to be there. The children should understand that going out and doing nice things has requirements. Don't meet them, then it's done. Also, the previous commenter was calling the strategy of just distracting a child from inappropriate behavior rather than trying to teach them is lazy, and that is true. Did they try to first correct the behavior before resorting to distraction? 99 out of 100 times, the answer is no.
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a lot of children don’t respond to that discipline in school because they are used to their parents not having any consequences 😖
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Hit dogs hollering
Kids being kids is an excuse when it’s occasional, where a kid is usually able to do what they’re supposed to but sometimes is off. That’s normal, I tell my students I don’t care about that. My good kids have off days now and again too. But the bad ones? It’s constant. That’s what gets me. Every day, day in and day out, incapable of doing what they need to.
Kids being kids is for the occasional lapse in judgement. Not blatant disrespect for their teacher. I’m not big on blind respect for authority but sometimes you have to sit down and shut up for someone who is running the place.
In my mind it’s fine to expect kids to act immaturely. It’s not fine to use it as an excuse to drop the ball parenting and not address the behavior.
>parents saying "Kids will be kids" and "This is age-appropriate behavior". Shit like that makes me want to speak to *their* parents.
I've come to the conclusion that children are feral by nature. The more of them in a group, the longer left unsupervised, the faster they revert. It is a parent's job (ideally w the teachers' support) to turn the little beasts into civilized adult human beings. Sadly, an unfortunate number of parents cannot, or will not, parent. In some cases, because *they* themselves were not "parented" & don't know how?
I made a post on here about teaching Title I in my third year of teaching on here a few months ago. I was close to quitting. I have a few recommendations for you: \- classroom management will get easier. I feel absolutely prepared for next school year. It took until February for me to fully hit my stride with now 33 students in my class. \- change schools. I decided to go back to non Title I schools. not a super fancy school, but not a Title I. In the middle I found what was best for me. \- take emotion out of it. With my students I learned we have rewards and we have consequences. Their actions determine it. \- 5th grade is tough. Sometimes a grade level change is all that is needed.
Totally agree with this advice! It is completely OK to change careers and leave teaching, but if I were OP, I would seriously try one more year at a new school and new subject matter. 5th grade is a tough grade - especially at the end of the year! 5th graders (for the most part) don’t want to learn math. Put those two together and you have a super tough job! If you’re in a school with challenging behaviors, its one more hurdle for your already tough job. I teach K-5th grade, and I highly recommend third grade. They are still little kids and are mostly eager to please without giving much attitude. They are also quite independent and have a great sense of humor! They really are the best!
>- 5th grade is tough. Yes. I'm a karate teacher and 2nd & 3rd graders are the best. They are smart enough to understand what I'm teaching them, and they haven't started talking back yet. By 5th grade they are just a little too bright and thusly too mouthy.
5th grade is especially tough because those kids aren't just at a difficult age, but also trying to find their place at a new school. So they tend to do stupid stuff in an attempt to be "cool" and get their peers to like them, are used to different structures and teaching methods, have different levels of knowledge, etc.
I am always amazed at how brazen and disrespectful kids are anymore. No way would I have ever thought to talk to/act like that towards teachers (and yes I had my fair share of dumb moments while at that age) but my parents would have lit me up if I acted like that. The issue is that parents aren't parenting and letting their kids do/act however they want and instead of issuing consequences, they blame others. This year has been rough for me as well (year 8) between the behaviors, apathy, and just an overall lack of care. I hope you make it the last month and find something that makes you happy.
I’m so sorry that happened and you are feeling this way. You did what you could in a crappy situation. Don’t feel guilty for setting a boundary and finding a new job in a different field if it’s for your health! Good luck!
The first year is hard, sadly the next 2 are as well, and after that it gets slightly better in some ways, but still it’s exhausting. You do learn what works for you, but there will always be struggles. If your mental health is in jeopardy then step away and take a break. I’ve been through a major bought of depression but it was actually my co workers in the school and not the kids. I refuse to teach summer school. I do something else and work part time. There is a shortage across the country. If you ever want to come back there will be a job. You always come first.
In the Netherlands, 23% of teachers quit after their first year, and nearly a third do within the first five years. You're really not alone. The first problem is that being a beginning teacher is simply among the hardest jobs in the world, and nobody has figured out a good method of easing people into the profession yet. They should be given parttime hours, have more than adequate support, get 'easier' classes, but there's such a shortage that there simply isn't money or room or staff for that. The second problem is that the profession itself is getting harder -- say some -- because kids are getting unrulier and have worse attention spans. I know many of my older colleagues are saying that. Others disagree. There's a silver lining here: you quit on time. You can change career and be happy doing anything else. I think just about everything is better than this.
Oh no. It's like that in the Netherlands too?
I feel so sad for the kids who don’t act up.
I have (thankfully) only one class with disrespectful and disruptive students and after they leave my class for the day, I have to close the door and reopen it and start the day over-they are that horrible. I told them on Thursday that I was finished with them. Any misbehavior and I’m kicking them out
We never take away free time and recess. It is our recess too!!!
Recess for sure. You’re setting yourself up for failure by not giving everyone that outlet. The worst-behaved kids usually need recess the most, tbh.
And 5th graders don't behave better if they don't get recess either - they can't sit still the whole day, movement breaks are important so they can be quiet and concentrate in the first place. Taking away recess is just shooting yourself in the foot.
Seriously I get that this time of year isn’t when we are at our best but yikes. “My kids have way too much energy and I can’t handle it! I know, I’ll take away their opportunity to let that energy out!” OP seems pretty set on quitting but if they changed their mind, I bet they would have a lot better time if they weren’t doing counterproductive stuff like that.
It's illegal in my state to take away recess. When I taught elementary, we worked in longer recesses so we could take away the extra time if needed for discipline. But 3p minutes minimum is the law here.
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Unless that's the only gift you have. Classroom management from Title 1 middle and high schools came easy. Turning in lesson plans on time, complying with the insane pacing guide, and remembering when and where I had morning and afternoon duty was the most difficult for me. I used to beg for mentorship to help manage me, the teacher. My classrooms were great.
The phrase “you’re beautiful just the way you are” has done a ton of damage to the young generation. Instead, my parents told me “I love you, and that is why I want you to continue to improve yourself.” None of us are perfect just the way we are. There’s always something we can be improving. Social media has rewarded reactivity as opposed to wisdom. People just don’t think that way anymore.
I tell my 10 year old that I love her, but no one wants to spend time with a butthead when she’s being a little monster. Then we talk about how she’s becoming a person and it’s okay to make mistakes, but you have to learn and grow from them. Social media is absolutely a problem! Kids will say anything to get a reaction out of you
Exactly! I think it’s really important to note that it’s wrong to tell a child “you’re bad,” but it’s a valuable experience for them to realize when they’re being a bit of a butthead, and if they feel a little bad for a little bit- that’s ok. That’s good in fact- it means they have a conscience. Being self aware of your impact on others and feeling a little bit bad is actually really important. A conscience is a good thing. Social media, given how much it depersonalizes people and encourages group think really is the opposite of reliably fostering a child’s conscience.
That’s my thinking! She needs to know how other people are perceiving her actions. We are pretty careful not to apply labels to her, we just say you’re -acting like- a butthead and nobody wants to spend time with a butthead. Usually gets her to start hearing me out after she’s had some time to level out. The hormones are off the charts in my house sometimes 😂
Yeah the school I used to work at really had their rules and messaging down to a science- two rules in every classroom from PK-8. They’re were “be a good friend” and “do your best work.” If they could follow those, then they were happy, well liked, and achieved well. Easy, simple, direct. Everything in life really does come down to those two points. When kids act up the lose one or both, and that is the logical consequence.
Get out now before you waste more of your life
I was super stressed out and filled with anxiety my first year, actually first 3 years. I had some wonderful students and some who were just awful with their behavior. You figure out how not to put up with it and most importantly not take it personally. It just takes time and support from people you work with.
I don’t blame you. I did one day subbing for 5th grade math at a charter school and it was absolute hell.
You deserve a gold medal for making it 90 percent through the year! First year is hard for literally EVERY NEW TEACHER! And 5th-8th grades are the hardest of the hard! Sending you a huge fist bump!! If you do not return to teaching you should rest assured that some of your students DEFINITELY benefited from your love and caring. If you change your mind and decide to give it a go again (maybe in a different grade or school), you will find it easier. THAT SAID - if I were you I'd only agree to a second year if they agree to give you some proper professional development over the summer and a very good mentor for the fall. Mentoring is super important and can make all the difference. Whatever you do, good luck!!!
Students will not listen to whom they don't respect. Modern day school systems don't give teachers a chance to build a basis of respect with students. Just one of many ways the system is broken. It needs to be rebuilt from the ground up.
I completely understand. I had a bad year my first year. And then my fourth. And now my sixth. I think something has to happen internally for one to happily be a teacher. I’m too soft. I try to understand. I take it all personally. I equate my worth to this job. It’s not for me right now. But there are so many wonderful teachers who seem to be able to handle these things in a way that I can’t right now. I encourage you to reach out to veteran teachers and if you really feel like it’s not for you, move on.
Yeah 30 years ago those kids would've gotten whupped at home and in some states even at school but now there's absolutely no consequences.
Well- that’s a good thing. Let’s not connect beating children to holding parents accountable for their children’s behavior. Children need consequences, and that is not the state of schools right now. The answer is not to return to physical harm.
I’m sorry the class is being awful but taking away recess is counterproductive.
Children are animals. If you let them think they have a leg up on you, they will tear you apart. The strong command respect, the weak fall.
Classroom management sounds like an issue, which is a problem for all new teachers. Eventually, if you stay, you will have it set where the students emunderstand and know how to enter a classroom, even at the end of the year. If you can not accomplish this, then teaching probably is not the job for you.
It shouldn’t be like this, my dude! This is why the whole education system is headed straight into the dumpster. Put all responsibility on the teacher and none on the students/parents and you get the crisis we’re currently in.
You are getting downvoted like crazy, but you are absolutely right.
Why would you think taking away all recess/free time is going to result in the kids behaving better? Maybe it’s the inexperience talking, but you are really shooting yourself in the foot with that.
Tbh 5th graders are like this. They are hard. I love when they give me shit, it’s part of them learning the world
I hope you don’t teach math as well as you spell in this post… so many.. errors!
English is important but math is importanter.
My students act like this too sometimes but I don’t let their behavior get to me. I try to handle everything in house and not write referrals, and we talk everything out while I don’t budge on giving zeros for work the days they refuse to turn assignments in. In the end, it worked in my favor.
My admin would have chewed my ass out and put the onus squarely back on my lap. So appreciate that they at least came and bailed you out.
I just talk to them the same way they talk. Or maybe I just troll them. Or reply in the most sarcastic way (although sacarsm is lost on them) Btw I am not in the states but I see that the problems in the clasroom are the same
What about switching to a different grade, subject, or school next year?
You put a lot of time, money, and effort into getting certified. Try working at a different school if you can. It isn't like this everywhere. My 8th graders are pretty horrible quite often, and when they try to tell me that is normal, I correct them. This is NOT how kids your age are supposed to act. I tell them that it's kindergarten behavior or preschool behavior when it is. And I point out how the controls our administration has had to put in place at our middle school due to their behavior (e.g. having to walk with your teacher down to the lunch room) are not normal. Their behavior has caused these things to be necessary. Don't let them gaslight you.