I am blessed beyond words with the most clever and funny class. Unfortunately they are also the most chatty. This has affected their behavior in class, specials and at lunch. While they know and can repeat classroom expectations and school rules, they do not always follow them.
In October we sat down as a class to discuss this problem. The kids suggested losing recess minutes in addition to losing Class Dojo points (actually their suggestions were Harsh! 5 minutes at a time). Since then, after a student has been reminded of a rule, when they repeat the behavior, they lose a minute of recess walking the track. This didn't change the frequency of disruptions in the class.
Some students got reminder notes on desks, desks were moved the the teacher went a little crazy.
Beginning in 2018, we are experimenting with a different consequence. If a student is reminded that they are breaking a classroom or school expectation and they do it again, they have "extra homework". That homework is to rewrite a paragraph about the importance of following procedures. This should be signed by a parent. It is my dearest hope that the time invested rewriting and the explanation for parents will be enough of a deterrent.
If you read my post two weeks ago, this nine-weeks is just too busy to be redirecting students who really do know the rules, they are just absent minded about following them.
If your child gets this old-school penalty and can't tell you why they got it, please feel free to email me. As I told the children, there are consequences for not following rules; it's not personal. Thank you in advance for your support in this matter.
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