Student Discipline

I think I have taught long enough that I can recognize when I need to correct students' behavior and when I don't.

Take the "don't" part, for example. I have one elementary class, 4th and 5th graders, who like to sing. One student will start in, humming a popular pop song, and the others will take it up, and, just like that, the whole group is singing along as they do their workbook or write in their notebooks. As long as it is in English, I usually don't mind, though I sometimes I tell them to zip it and focus on the lesson. It's really quite entertaining.

Now for the "do" part. My 6th grade/middle school class. I have been warning them for weeks now that I don't want to even see a cell phone in class, but they--the girls--persist. So last night I confiscated a phone. Enough is enough.

The student in question was quite contrite. She assured me, and I give her a lot of credit for being able and willing to do it in English (though not enough to return her phone, as she might have hoped), that her 'sister' constantly called her. In the last five minutes, deprived of her life link (it was visible, and sometimes audible, on my desk at the front of the classroom), she said, "My phone is sad."

Ha ha:) Double points to her.

I'm interested to see what next week brings, singing and cell phones and all.