When I was in the classroom I without fail noticed that if a class was too 'heavy'--too many girls or too many boys--things went off the rails easily. Balance was best. It also took me years to find a simple, effective solution to the nightmare of moving a problem student's seat in class. If you only move him or her, there was drama...from that student and the one who would be displaced. So, instead of switching individuals I would switch whole rows...one row would get up, then another row and they would all switch places. They knew what was up but the drama element was eliminated.
I feel like you would deal with drama with whatever grade. Yes, it is more in 4th and up. But, you will always have to deal with the drama mamas no matter what grade you teach.
One thing I did in my 4th grade classroom was have Lunch bunch where three or four students would come eat lunch with me once a week. A lot of problem behaviors stoped after that because they had more respect for me as their teacher. Yes, I cared about them, but they also realized it was special to eat lunch in the classroom and they were definitely on their best behavior during our lunch with the teacher.
You and I are in similar situations. I’m a substitute teacher but I recently accepted a long term assignment for a kinder class that turned out to have a lot of issues and had no stability. I was the 7th teacher they had this school year and they are behind. With the quarter ending, the principal called me in the office and asked me if I was returning in January and I have several issues with behavior and disabilities. I love children but i don’t know if I would really be comfortable coming back with these issues. You want to stay for the children but leave because of them too and the way administration handles their individual situations and your well-being.
I am surprised that teachers are allowed to air what’s going on in the classroom. That was definitely a no😮 Also, try to make your class a place where the students want to be every day! Make it exciting/ fun! Be energetic and show them that you are excited about helping them learn. 😊 Teaching requires a lot of patience. Drama is at every level. Get with it! Teaching can be so rewarding 😊
Oh trust me, my students love me and I love them. The drama is something that teachers everywhere are aware of and I wanted to make it known because it came as a surprise to me. I am not saying anything that I couldn’t say to the principal, superintendent, and so on. Like you mentioned, drama is at every level so how is that “airing” what’s going on in the classroom?!
What grade do you currently teach? This is my first year in 4th grade and I really like. I did two years in third grade and that was amazing but I think I prefer 4th.
