I haven't had a lot of time to write, which has essentially been on my mind as the topic of my next post which I hope to be a reflection about entering a new community. That said, when I received this email yesterday I wondered where I would save it. This felt right.
As part of my adaptation to a larger class size this year I had to work some new structures into my classes. What wasn't working was 3 redirects leading the boys into a disciplinary slip. I literally started feeling like I was getting played and that every other word out of my mouth was "redirect". 7th graders in particular are quite good about playing the line and moving right through the gray area and then halting at the right moment.
Let's just say, this was getting annoying! So I switched the policy to having the boys write an email home to parents reflecting on their behavior if they got two redirects. If they opted out of this, they earn the disciplinary slip. The premise was that if they are able to reflect and accept responsibility for their actions they can stay out of real "trouble".
Most boys who end up writing are short and to the point. They try to represent themselves in a way that won't get them in trouble at home. Yesterday, a boy that NEVER gets redirects was having a goofy kind of day. His reflection made me laugh. Perhaps you will giggle too!
Dear Mother,
As you well know, I was not a well behaved child in maths today. I not only sat with my chair legs in the air, I did a distracting swinging motion with my arms most commonly known as dancing. After this brief spurt of unlawful behavior, I received a redirect. Later on I was told off for talking with a classmate and causing a short argument about me stepping on a peer's shoes. For neither of these offenses did I receive a second redirect and therefore left class with one redirect. This does not matter because my unacceptable behavior briefly distracted the class and therefore it is important for me to tell you.