in trouble with the principal

I don't usually do posts like this, but today I will. It will be thoughtful, not really very funny, and possibly boring. But my thoughts will be written down, and you'll know a bit of the other side of supply teaching.

Yes, I was sent to the office today. I was in the class across from "the worst class in the school". It was grade five and they were horrible. The day started off rough, and knowing that the vp and principal encouraged me to make use of them, I called the vp into our class. She gave them a little lecture and they calmed down. After the break I made a deal with them, involving losing and earning gym time. That was incredibly effective and they were as good as gold for those 30 minutes. After second break things just fell apart. We watched a Bill Nye video (for those of you who think that was just a part of your childhood, think again. Teachers love Bill Nye the Science Guy!!), and then were supposed to be doing math. It was a disaster. I sent one kid to the office and then had the principal come in and she stayed for the last 20 minutes of the day. I was really disappointed because I thought the kids were going to be able to hold it together. No such luck.

So, as she was leaving the classroom, she asked me to come to her office before I leave. Yikes. So I did, and I was in trouble. She told me that we'd had this conversation before (which we had) - I need to be more strict. And it's so weird because I never thought I'd have this problem. I have never had trouble telling kids what to do or to be quiet or anything. I always thought I was on the strict side. I think of working at a summer camp where it was good-cop bad-cop and I was always the bad cop. Obviously not bad enough. And I don't mean to say she was being mean or unreasonable. She's completely right. I have issues with classroom management. I am "hesitant" to draw the line and not let kids cross it. To say something and then follow through with it. And I never knew.

I think it has a lot to do with the whole being friends with the kids thing. Which again, I never thought I'd have a problem with. But seriously, when a kid comes up to me after school in tears, because he might miss track and field tomorrow because I might tell the principal he was bad, it breaks my heart. I live for the moments when I walk into a school and kids see me and light up, saying "Hey! What's up? How are you? Are you in our class today? Yessss!". It just makes me feel so good. But really, if I aim for that, if I try to give them the "you should know better than that, smarten up, come on" look after telling them to stop, instead of the "STOP THAT" yell with a trip to the office, they aren't going to like me any better. As the principal said, some of the regular supply teachers she has in are the most strict people you've ever met and the kids love them. And the behaviour kids especially. Which I know. It's not like I haven't always told people how much kids need boundaries and actually like them, and feel safe and comfortable when they know the rules, bla bla bla...

So, right now I am going online to order "The First 100 Days of School" and "Secrets of Discipline". I'm not 100% convinced that they are going to help me out, since I feel like I know what I need to do and I'm just not doing it. But at the very least, I will be able to say to the principal the next time I'm in that I've ordered the books she recommended, so she knows I'm taking this seriously. And so that in an interview when they ask me about my weaknesses, I can say classroom management. And when they ask me what I've done about it, I can say I've read these books...

Sigh. It's a bit tough when you think you're "a natural" and then you get in trouble with the principal.

But, on the bright side of all this, I am really encouraged by the fact that she took 20 minutes at the end of her day to talk to me about this, to let me ask her some questions, to recommend some books to me. To me this says that I'm not a write-off. That she is investing in making me a better teacher, because she thinks I have potential. So it can't be all bad.

So, next time it's no more Mrs. Nicewood. You look at me wrong and you are heading straight to the office. No ifs ands or buts.

Good luck with that.