Middle school is challenging-even for vets! I was in my 11th year last year and my 5th graders were HORRIBLE!!! i mean freakin nightmarish!!!

My first job out of college was middle school art and it was by far the worst behaviorally-compared to HS and Elem.

I have a discipline system that I use(d) with really bad classes that works. Its very visual-and can punish the whole class if necessary and can reward individuals as well.

Its called the Strike System.....basically the class gets 3 chances. It seems very elementary, but I think any age responds to it.

i made a little pocket chart for this that could be used over and over again

they start out with 3 green cards. when problems arise (you make the call) you turn a card over-to a strike. one strike is a warning, two strikes for my class meant no talking for the rest of class , and 3 strikes meant clean up supplies, class is over, im done with you.
art is different than math, so you would need to come up with appropriate consequences for each level (no working with partners, homework on fridays, ???, something that they wont like!)

if all cards remain green, the class is rewarded......working with partners, 5 min of free time, or whatever.  my school had these stupid tickets so i was able to give those out. I also had these stupid giant 100 dollar bills that they loved, so i gave those away as prizes too.

The way I did it was with a giant dice (die) I made out of cardboard. the class had 6 tables.....and id roll it-if it landed on your # you got the reward. ive also done it where each seat has a number and i had a stack of cards and pulled a card. if it was your number, you were rewarded . (with something math appropriate in your case)

the way to reward individuals even if theres 3 strikes would be to pass out numbers (mine were little paws for our mascot) then you could still roll at the end of class or pull cards, and only number holders could be rewarded. (bonus points, home work freebee, choose one question to not answer on the test, etc....)  your prizes could be cool looking money that you design and then they can "buy" certain privileges with the $ later.....they have to have a certain amount to get the stuff. have em all make/design  a "wallet" to keep their bucks in. they will love saving it up!

you could also throw in some lessons about probability while you are rolling the dice-i always did!

my last school had THE WORST admin ever and i had NO support, so i had to have something to help or i would have been driven crazy!

this really seemed to help,,,you could also keep track of which classes had the most strike free days, and the one who is the best gets a cookie party at the end where you bring in your vegan cookies! just dont tell em theyre vegan!!!

maybe this sounds too elementary or systematic, but when you are at your wits end and have tried everything else, sometimes you need something like this-so they are punished/rewarded immediately for their choices.

PM me if you want to know more about this or if it doesnt make sense!

First of all, hello everybody!

Secondly... Aww KMK! Sorry to hear some of your classes aren't going so well. I student taught all last year in a preschool, a kindergarten, and then a second grade classroom (and I am currently working in a toddler classroom as I search tirelessly for a public school position!). I know it is quite a bit different from middle school, but I can totally relate to the whole soul being ground into a bloody pulp feeling.

I definitely think it gets better! Everybody sucks at least a little at first. I know I was a total mess. I had no classroom management skills. The kids didn't listen to anything I said! Half the time, I could barely make it through my lessons without my cooperating teacher helping me out. BUT by the end of my last placement, I was a zillion times better! My cooperating teacher actually went on medical leave for 2 weeks and I had the whole second grade class to myself. It went really smoothly, really!

My students were really motivated by positive reinforcement. They sat in groups at different tables and every time I caught a table doing something awesome (ex. I like the way that everybody at green table is reading quietly!), their table would get a check on the board. At the end of the week, we tallied up the checks and the winning table would get a prize (erasers, pencils, stickers, etc.). That definitely helped me in getting the kids to do what I needed them to. Planning something for every minute of the day was also something important that I learned because when kids get bored, things can get crazy!

Hope that helps a little...

What kinds of things did you do?  Seriously.  I might need this knowledge some day.

everything that i have read has been so awesome!!   i've been getting some awesome ideas too, like, l2a, i might try and use your 3 strike method if my classes start going balistic.  

about talking with parents.  i totally agree with PP.  when i began talking with parents of particular students, their behavior improved ten fold.  just remember, only tell them the facts.  if you go into what you "think" and 'feel" the parents can take it and turn it around back at you.  it happens at our school A LOT.  so if jonny was misbehaving in class instead of saying johnny seems to be having trouble concentrating and being respectful of me.  say: johnny has completed one assignment, and on two assignments, he only finished half.  He consistently talks while I am talking when our rules are to raise your hand.  stuff like that.  also, my mom got me a really great book called "how to handle difficult parents" by suzanne tingley.  maybe your library has a book about dealing with different parents.  some are just super supportive, and then others just back the child up, making excuses and belittle you.  so it helps to know how to talk with each different type.  but most of the parents i've talked to have really been great.  

one thing that i used for my really difficult class is I would think of something that they would really like to do, in your instance, like a 5 minute break at the end of class or no homework.  lets say 5 min. break.  you would write  _   _ _ _    _ _ _ _ _  on the board.  when they are acting really well, no talking, sitting in their seats the correct way, whatever you want them to do, you put a letter/number up.  then, if they fill up the saying, then they get that reward.    my principal gave me this suggestion and it worked for most classes.  It really worked when there wasnt just one or two people creating problems, its the whole class thats creating problems.  because they need to work together to fill in those letters.  the first day, make it easy on them, like if they pass back the papers without hitting anyone, you could say, i really liked how no one hit anyone while passing back those papers, i'm gonna give you a letter.  then they'll see how easy it is, then you can make it tougher, like the next week they have to pass back the papers while keeping their yapper shut and listening to instructions.  and if you make it easy, they'll see how awesome that reward is.  and then you could say, after meeting our reward 5 times, I'll let you vote on the reward and after 10 times i'll let you chose the reward.  give them something to strive for then and give them something to look forward to.

yayayay you can do it!  my first year (just last year) was difficult.  i remember litterally laying on the floor of my room (luckily i was in a portable, no one could see me) after school.  just laying there.  trying to not think about all of the times i wanted to scream during the day.    sometimes, i would do yoga with my classes, not for them, but mostly for me.  or i was gonna go crazy.  luckily, i think it really helped them calm down too.  but it gets better.  seriously.  it gets harder and harder up until christmas, then you have that break, the kids have a break, you have time to recollect yourself.  its much better after that break.  you can make it!!

ooo i just read your post.  i'm So glad classes went better today!!  way to go!  and i really like love and logic too!  thats our schools behavior plan.  not too shabby.

ALSO, I got IEP's today!  Yay!  Now I finally know which kids are special ed and how to help them!

You only just got IEP's? How long have you been in school? Definitely check out the adaptations and modifications section - if they are well written, they should have lots of ideas you can implement right away in the classroom. Also, looking at their goals and objectives maybe can help you individualize their work/your teaching. Definitely don't be afraid to ask the special ed teacher for work for them, help with what/how to teach, whatever. That is their job!!

And congratulations on your better day today. I am really proud of you for wanting to be the best you can be and figure it out. Everyone has great ideas. kelsi, I'm so stealing a version of that writing on the board thing! Maybe I will make mine a picture and uncover a piece at a time....hmm.....my teacher-wheels are a'turnin....

ALSO, I got IEP's today!  Yay!  Now I finally know which kids are special ed and how to help them!

You only just got IEP's? How long have you been in school?

Since last Monday.  I know.  Sucks.  It's because they came from all different elementary schools last year, some of them from the suburbs.  They're all a mess. 

Arghnmphgrrrrrrrrrrrrrmphphasdplkjkp!!!!
This is one of my hugest pet peeves on behalf of special education administrators. They should have taken care of that by the end of last school year!!!!!! There should be a MANDATORY collaboration period set aside to discuss IEP's before school even starts. Not only is it best practice, it is the law that that be in place on the first day of school. That is so not fair to you! Further, there should be a collaboration period built into every single week for special ed and general ed. Too often, special ed teachers are expected to be 15 places at once and general ed teachers are expected to read their minds. But that's a whole nother ball of wax. KMK, I am mad on your behalf!

End rant.

IEP?