How in the world do you re-engage kids who have been out for almost an entire week? They are off the wall today. And I was lucky enough to get to teach the second half of the day. I had some severe disrespect issues with one girl (she is the stereotype of a attitude filled middle school girl). She is bright but completely disengaged. I was so taken aback by it, that I failed to deal with it immediately and therefore lost my ability to deal with it at all. I’m prepared for next week though. I have a feeling she could be my first detention. Julie and I went over some strategies for how to handle it next time. Such as, simply handing her a detention in the moment and making the class aware I’m not a marshmallow (which, I am). Afterwards, I will have a private talk with her about her behavior and potential, which she has a ton of. She has an A intellect and a C average performance. I plan on challenging her in the next five weeks, poor thing. I just think she needs engaged at a higher level. And she needs a little bit of being put in her place by me. Otherwise, no matter what lesson I throw at her, she’ll never respect me.
Also, I’m trying to plan for my grammar/poetry unit and I am feeling completely overwhelmed. How do you make Grammar engaging for kids as a standalone unit! I tend to want to make everything connected and this is not how Julie teaches. This is good for me though, my big picture thinking can lead to details being dropped, by being forced to become an all detail person, I am flexing and developing muscle that has been sadly neglected.