Keeping
Order in a Three-Ring Circus or Managing the 7th Grade Class
Rebecca Hollander
It's last period on a Friday and my seventh graders have been contained
in small spaces for six hours. It's time for theatre class and I
know they’re going to be, what’s the word? Hyper doesn't
encapsulate the feeling of 25-30 hormone filled pre-teens who just
want to get out of school for the weekend. They are young lions
who've been caged and are about to be set free. It's mealtime, and
if I'm not careful, I'll be on the menu. Don’t get me wrong.
I love their energy and the joy they bring with them when they enter
my room. It's just that I know that I am responsible for teaching
them, and that before I can do that, I need to find a way to organize
them! I (one adult) must somehow reign in their natural enthusiasm
and joy for life and socializing and redirect it towards learning.
How do I get them to listen? When they are working in groups and
their enthusiasm grows beyond the levels of normal “inside
voices,” how do I get their attention without raising my voice,
without allowing their mania to influence my mood. How do I keep
that feeling of enjoying school and loving learning?
I have many strategies for keeping focus. These strategies have
developed over the years. They change from class to class and age
group to age group. But they tend to work for me. There is one rule
that is constant. I never deviate from it. That rule: I don’t
allow myself to raise my voice, no matter what. No matter how frustrated
I get, I keep my voice even; I keep myself calm.
How do I do this? I start out slow. At the beginning of the year,
I promise my students that I won’t ever yell to get their
attention. I explain my reasons to them and list my “yelling
alternatives.” I get them accustomed to watching for the signs
when I want to move on. We begin with what I call the, “repeat
after me training.” I do or say something and the students
have to repeat it. It might be a simple clapping rhythm. It might
be a “miming action” that they have to copy (like patting
my head or jumping up and down). We practice this a lot. I might
try to catch them off guard and time them to see how quickly they
respond! Eventually we get it to run pretty smoothly. Once they
get good at one strategy, I move on to another.
Sometimes, if they are too involved with their group work or too
excited about something that has happened in their day, they don’t
respond. Then I have to get more direct with them. I might actually
say, “If you can hear my voice, repeat after me,” or
issue a direct command, “If you can hear my voice clap three
times.” This usually gets their attention, and sometimes,
just for fun, I even say, “If you can her my voice, repeat
after (a chosen student).” Usually the chosen student makes
a funny noise or just says, “Stop copying me.” In general,
it works. The strategies keep the class lively and focused.
Sometimes I am tired. Sometimes the thought of entertaining the
students makes me want to scream! So I try different strategies.
I might wait patiently, looking first at one student and then another.
Or maybe I just look at the kid who is disrupting the class. And
eventually (a minute or so later) they all say, “Shhhhhhh!
She’s mad. Stop talking!” Sometimes I sing a little
song and look at my watch, or talk about puppies frolicking through
fields. Again the response is (a minute or so later), “Shhhhhh!
She’s mad. Stop talking!” and eventually they settle
down. I have, at times, had to remind them, “Just because
I’m not yelling, it doesn’t mean you’re not in
trouble.” But I have never had to raise my voice. And I think
that makes all my efforts worthwhile. The class exists with a kind
of trust necessary for theatre and for learning. The students know
I respect them and they behave (usually) in kind.
So I come back to my original question: It’s last period
on a Friday and my seventh graders have been contained in small
spaces for six hours. How do I get them to listen? I guess I’ll
just start singing and see what they do!
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