Trying out new tricks

I finished reading Children Who Are Not Yet Peaceful over the weekend, and while it kind of freaks me out (optimal class size 28-35 students?!), there was much in it to inspire me. I have decided to give some of it a go. I don't know how much of it I can implement right away, and in a perfect world and all that . . .

But at least I'm trying.

Today I tried (key word: TRIED) to establish proximity before talking to anyone. I taught the pronoun KE without requiring a lot of writing. I gave a very open-ended morning task (which ended up being far too advanced for some of the students, but it was that way on purpose. I needed to learn what they know and don't know so I can focus.) I tried to harness the power of the community to help students who came to me with questions. I don't know how many times I called out, "Children! One of your classmates is struggling with __________! Who will help?" Every time several children jumped at the chance to help.

I also talked with the students about challenges and how we as a community will help anyone in our group overcome our challenges. Specifically we talked about CB. He seems to get picked on and singled out because he is an energetic boy who needs to move and make noise with is body and his mouth. It seems as though children (and myself, honestly) are forever calling him out and telling him to be quiet. There's one boy in particular who seems to be bothered by the very existence of CB - even though they appear to be great friends. I wonder how come that is? Anyway, BF sat next to CB on line and with an exasperated and annoyed tone whispered to CB to stop this and stop that and now he's raising his hand to complain that he can't hear the lesson because CB is drawing in his notebook and the sound of his pencil is distracting??? It seems so unreasonable and over the top. Same boy later complained that it was too loud during a DVD viewing when the group had been *very quiet* and again during the discussion afterward when there were the softest of side conversations. He has recently been seen by an audiologist who indicated to the parents that he may have an auditory processing disorder, but C'MON! Expecting perfect silence because one kid can't calm his brain enough to listen is unreasonable, but I don't know what to do. Also I get the feeling that the parents must have told the boy what the doctor said, because his final complaint this afternoon sounded like parroted medical-ese.

I need to talk to his mom.

ANYWAY. With CB I brought up the fact that this is his struggle. He has a powerful need to be noisy with his body and his mouth, and he needs to be in motion. The community then brainstormed ways we could help CB overcome his challenge. Is it possible he doesn't even *know* when he's making noise with his mouth? Might a simple touch on the shoulder and a kind mention bring it to his awareness so that he can control it? Might there be times when he so much needs to make noise that he could go outside or somewhere where the noise would be less distracting? It was a good community discussion, and I hope it is the first of many to come. I also hope to see some fruits from this effort.

Another child, RB (redhead) came in late, and I made the effort to smile and greet her - to Behold. She has her own way of being. She drifts through her days as though nothing is worth doing and repeatedly has revelations - real or feigned - about the most basic of expectations. Me: "Please remember to sign out when you leave the room so we know where you are," (a rule that has been in force all year). RB: "Oh yeah!" She completed one work and got halfway through another before disappearing into the hall because "her brain hurt." Kati told her she could take a few minutes to practice her calligraphy, but that same moment was when cleanup started. Every day I fight the urge to take her and shake her and holler in her face that she MUST WORK! That school is work and she cannot sit around doing nothing forever. One and a half works in a full school day IS NOT ENOUGH! Sigh. I know that would be counterproductive, so I don't, but yeesh. Maybe eventually the time will come when I won't even feel the urge anymore. I'm so not there.

_____

Case Study

JS struggled mightily with the morning task and repeatedly forgot to ask her classmates for help and kept coming to me. I called students to her aid on several occasions, but she still finished the day with only three works completed (I think). She did her green reading phonics without being prompted, though, and wrote the pronouns lesson without drama - both great achievements. During a lesson she wanted to lie down so she could write better but in so doing she was kicking people behind her. The solution, to me, was obvious - she could move to the edge of the circle and ask the rest of the students to shift over. To her there seemed to be no solution. She has a tendency to slip into a very narrow way of thinking and has a hard time seeing past the barriers she sets up for herself.