I want every parent to know that I believe I am a very fair teacher. I have given the children 2 weeks to practice our rules/routines/procedures before changing their colors this week. I was even giving them examples last week of when I would have changed a color (hoping that they would be ready to go this week). I was surprised on Monday when I was correcting behaviors as much as I was but I continued to “give them a chance”. YES, it is true, Tuesday I began to change colors. I always give the kids a warning. If they choose to continue those behaviors, I change their color. There is a lot of talking, a lot of students having difficulty listening and following directions (I am repeating myself many times…soon I won’t be), some kids cannot remained focused and there are some silly behaviors. All of this leads to distraction. It either distracts the kids from doing their work or it distracts them when I am trying to teach. This is the time I have to “train” my class so that in the upcoming months I won’t have to think about it. Our class will run like a smooth oiled machine. Right now, we are a little like a Model T…working out the kinks. The kids know that just because you get a card flip, that doesn’t mean you are a “bad” kid. It means they made a mistake and mistakes are something we can learn from. Repeated card flips are a concern. That tells me a student is not learning from previous mistakes.
All I ask is that you, as parents, be supportive. In the past, I have had many students go home to tell their parents one thing, parents get very upset, parents come to the school only to find out something completely different. I would not change a color unless I felt it was necessary. We are here to work together as a team. I have high expectations for academics and behavior…I wouldn’t think you would want otherwise!
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