A Time to Change and Rearrange
By DW Davis
@DWDavis (25805)
United States
February 20, 2017 3:57pm CST
Today we implemented Step 2 of our Principal’s plan for improving overall behavior and reducing discipline referrals from our teaching team. After we took roll, the Principal and Assistant Principal came to the hall and called out the students who were changing homerooms.
The students had been forewarned about the changes on Friday, and a letter was sent home to parents explaining what was being done. The letter also explained why it was being done.
Some of the students didn’t believe the moves were really going to take place until they were called into the hall and sent to their new homerooms. There were some muted complaints, and even some tears. In the end, the change was done with a minimum of fuss and classes went on.
Accompanying the home room changes were new seating charts for each class. I arranged my room into centers of 4 desks each. My Science colleague and I decided to seat students in the same groups. Our hope is this will facilitate cross curricular projects during the 4th quarter.
The real proof of the effectiveness of this change will come in the next few days. Wish us luck.
"The Brady Bunch perform the song "Time To Change." Check local listings! http://www.tvland.com/tv-schedule Subscribe to TV Land: http://goo.gl/mBhVmm TV Lan...
11 people like this
13 responses
@PatZAnthony (14749)
• Charlotte, North Carolina
20 Feb 17
You might be able to see some real results with these efforts. Does your school offer a 'quiet room' for students who are acting out and just need to go somewhere, anywhere but where you are for your sake and the sake of your students?
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25805)
• United States
20 Feb 17
@PatZAnthony The idea harkens back to when I was in junior high. If I acted out in class I didn't get umpteen chances before something was done. I got sent to the office, they called my parents, and I got suspended from school, and disciplined at home. Well, I never did. I knew better. We had very few students who ever got suspended back then. The consequences, at school and at home, were deterrent enough to keep us from going to far off the straight and narrow.
@PatZAnthony (14749)
• Charlotte, North Carolina
20 Feb 17
@DWDavis That sounds like a really good idea.
1 person likes this
@KrauseHome (36447)
• United States
18 Mar 17
Change is never easy. This does sound like a difficult task to accept and master, and hope it does turn out well like the school has planned.
1 person likes this
@much2say (55912)
• Los Angeles, California
20 Feb 17
Change can be a good thing ...hopefully this wakes up all the kids! I guess some knew the ropes with the old routine actions ...it wasn't effective anymore ...it was necessary for this to happen. Hopefully the plan works out for everyone 
.
.1 person likes this
@much2say (55912)
• Los Angeles, California
21 Feb 17
@DWDavis I know, it's not easy handling the difficult ones - but at least this sounds hopeful. It's better than not doing anything at all and letting the bad things continue (that's what seems to be happening at many of the schools . . . too many things are allowed to slide). If it lifted the morale of the better behaved students, then it certainly helped.
1 person likes this
@TiarasOceanView (70022)
• United States
20 Feb 17
I wish you luck DW.
Is the idea to switch the environment up to lessen incidents?
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29413)
• Eugene, Oregon
21 Feb 17
Well, here's hoping for the best!
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25805)
• United States
23 Feb 17
Thanks. So far it seems to be working. Instead of one half-way decent class, and three bad classes, we have two good classes and two bad classes. Some of the students in the good classes have even commented on how much better things are now. One even asked me if his class now was like school in the old days when kids had respect for teachers and knew how to behave.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43418)
• Denver, Colorado
20 Feb 17
That's a good idea sitting them together in both classes.
1 person likes this
