Noncompliance; just the word makes me shudder. So many connotations, so much negativity connected to this word, particularly in a classroom setting and yet you hear it whispered in the hallways, “noncompliance…” This word means: The failure or refusal to comply, meaning someone who is not following directions whether intentional or not. It is a mantra that we repeat, we must have students that comply in order to be successful. Without compliance our classrooms would simply fall apart.
Think about your day; you expect certain things out of the students for the classroom to work. Perhaps these expectations are simple such as signing in, getting to work, hanging your backpack, and handing in your homework. Or perhaps these expectations are ones that have been taught, such as raising your hand, not interrupting, working hard and trying your best. Whatever your expectations, sometimes there are kids that do not comply. I once had a student that didn’t comply, it was a tough year, everything was a battle. And yet, it was not because of a refusal to do so, he simply failed in the act of complying. He had too many demons to battle that there simply was not enough life energy left over to focus on all of my expectations and demands. So he was, indeed, noncompliant.
Think about the heaviness that comes with that word, though, when we label our students. Is it really because they are truly refusing or is it because of failure in communications or expectations? Perhaps a child becomes noncompliant because we set up perimeters in which they cannot succeed. Think of the child that fiddles, that child will not perform as expected if we set them up with nothing to fiddle with. Or the child that learns kinestethically rather than orally; if we continue to just talk rather than do, they might also not conform or do what we expect.
So when you set up your classroom expectations, think about what you are asking every student to do. Does every rule need to apply to ever student? How many rules or expectations does there really need to be? Don’t forget about your hidden assumptions that you have to communicate as well. What in your learning environment can you change to to give the biggest percent of kids a chance to be compliant? We often assume that students defy us on purpose, rather than figuring out the reason. And yet, sometimes the real reasons for students behavior may be something we would have never guessed. Instead of battling later, don’t set your room up for battle instead set up your room for freedom so that students may have choices. Offer them an opportunity to be successful, to be compliant, to want to learn, after all, most ids do really like school. Let’s not take that away from them.
Category: being a teacher
Start Asking Questions
You know the kid, usually a boy, tap, tap, tapping his foot. Gets up, gets something, sits down and then taps taps taps some more. Then whatever he is tapping breaks so he falls out of his chair trying to get something out of his desk. By this time, you are not talking anymore, simply staring as this child as he continues to fiddle,stare out the window, and tap, tap, tap.
So you go to your team and whisper ADHD, not for sure, but someone better check. Has this been a prior concern? Are there records? How would parents react? Never once do we stop to ask the kid why he taps, or rarely anyway. We don’t ask “Why do you blurt? Why do you interrupt? Why are you so exhausted and exhausting?” Instead, we assume. We know, after all, we have seen them before. We are the experts, we know kids, this is our job.
But what if we did ask? What if that boy said that I don’t like my chair because it is uncomfortable? Or how about, when the teacher talks too much, I lose interest because I want to do, to touch, to experience, and not just listen and regurgitate information.
Is your classroom set up for tap, tap, tapping? Is it set up for kids getting out of their seats? For the boy fiddling? For the girl staring out the window? Or for those kids we label because maybe some meds will probably do the trick? When do we stop assuming and start asking questions? When will we realize that we do not have all of the answers and some times we have to ask the students? I think that time has come.
So What’s My Problem with Homework?
I just read a frightening and excellent post by Mark Hansen discussing homework in a real-life example with his son and immediately I wanted to comment on it. But then I realized that would be rather lengthy, so instead I offer this post. What is my problem with homework?
I never use to hate homework until last year. Something hit me when I told my husband that I knew exactly which kid would hand in the homework with “some” help from the parents, which kid would hand in something half-finished, and which kid would never hand it in but instead take my punishment. And punish I did. Oh, I used to be the queen of taking away privileges. It was awful. There we were, staring at each other every recess trying to figure out just how much help was needed versus how much effort needed to be exerted. It was exhausting for me and the kids.
And guess what, I was right!
I knew exactly which kids would not be able to complete the homework no matter how much help I gave them in school; they simply did not have the skills or resources needed to finish it at home. Over the summer, this was the point I kept returning to, wondering if I could be “radical” and get rid of homework almost altogether? And so I did. This year, there is very little homework in my room and here is why, in no particular order:
- Homework is an excuse for the stuff we didn’t get to. I stated this in my parent/student orientation and most parents nodded their heads. We always have one more thing we just need to get to when the bell rings. Well guess what? Then we need to restructure our day and get to it, rather then slip it in to the backpack for the kids to deal with. I know there is pressure with curriculum but if you know what your goal is for the lesson, then get to it!
- Homework is practice – for some kids. Some kids will take 5 minutes to do homework because they already get it, some will take 30 minutes because they need parent help, others will never finish. This is not fair. If we do not equip students with the correct knowledge to complete the homework then we should not assign it.
- Homework is not fair. You know which kids will ace it and which kids will spend hours trying to solve a math page. One sheet/assignment/report does not fit all. If you already know how a kid will do on something then why are you bothering with the assignment, seems to me they have already shown you where their skills lie.
- Homework steals away childhood. Every minute of homework that you assign is an infringement of your students’ time spent experiencing the real world. We say we want well-rounded students, but then have them spend an hour or more practicing school skills. We already asked for 7+ hours of their time, let them have some free time to do the things that exposes them to the big world and in turn helps them become better people and students. You will end up with kids that might just be excited about school, rather than exhausted.
- Homework does not always fit the learning. Worksheets are on the way out in many classrooms, and yet, we fall back on them all the time to check for understanding. However, not all skills that we teach transfer onto paper very well. I agree that math lends itself nicely to paper pages of problems, but why assign 3 pages if you can get away with just a couple of problems? Before you assign think of the purpose of your homework; does it really give the students a way to show off their knowledge or will you just help you assign a percentage better?
- Homework is maybe not just done by the student. There are many helpful parents out there that really want their child to succeed. As parents nothing gets us more than our child not understanding something. How often do parents tell us that they had to help their child finish their work? How often do we get projects turned in that required hours of craft work way outside of the range of your grade level? The parents have already been to school, stop asking them to do work or in some cases, stop giving them a way to relive their school days through projects.
I know that there are times and situations where homework becomes a good extension such as sending kids out into the community to interview elders for heritage days, or continuing research on their own.
I am not against all homework, what I am against, though, is the homework just for the sake of assigning homework. I used to tell my parents to expect about 40 minutes of homework every night in 4th grade because I had been told it is about 10 minutes times the grade level. 40 minutes! And then we ask students to read their books and do projects on top of that. No wonder our students are exhausted when they come back the next day rather than eager to learn.
Think of what the purpose of homework is in your room, look really hard at your reasoning; why do you assign it? Is it a meaningful learning experience that will help students become smarter, more knowledgeable, better people? If yes, excellent. But if no, not always, then stop, re-evaluate, clean it out, and then tell your students. You will marvel at their response.
I was petrified to stop, worried that people would think I was skimping out on my job duties. Almost all of my parents now rejoice in this year of calmness. They know that if I assign something, there is a valid reason for it. They also know that their child is learning as much as any other student in the 4th grade. Stop the homework insanity and let these kids be kids. We can accomplish the learning without the extra work. You just have to believe in your own capabilities as en educate, so educate, don’t assign.
So What Did People Read – Top 5 of 2010
As the year winds down and I look back upon it, I realize just how incredible this year has been. Not only has a lot of happiness occurred in my life, such as falling even more in love with my incredible soulmate, being in awe of our miracle daughter, and having the best job in the whole wide world, but I have also built an incredible network of professionals throughout the world. Thank you so much for all of your comments, links, supports and even bothering reading my rants in the first place. I blog to keep myself honest, and boy, has it been an honest year!
Here are the top 5 posts of 2010, as picked by you, the readers:
1. Dear First Year Pernille
– A letter written to myself about the things I wish I knew when I started, ahh wisdom.
2. What I Won’t Do on the First Day of School
– Pushing myself into a student-centered classroom from the very first day.
3. Each Day is Special – Nancy’s Aha Moment
– An incredible post reminding us to find the wonder in the every day.
4. So You Want to Use Kidblog?
– Students blogging has been an incredible experience, here are tools for teachers to get started.
5. Who Wants to Teach “Those” Students?
– As we become more test obsessed, a rededication to “those” students, I will always step up to teach
them.
Did you have a favorite? If you do, thank you, if not, stick with me and help me learn.
Merry Christmas from Me
Today, There were Tears
Today, there were tears, good ones, not the sad ones of saying goodbye to the kids as they left me for winter break. Great tears of welcome, of happiness, of rejoice in knowing that this job is the one for me. That these kids might just be the most magical kids I have ever encountered (alright, I think that every year). That this year, we have something so fantastic going on in room 310 that I simply cannot wait to get back to work with them. That this year, we will move mountains, change the world, and have a lot of fun in the process. And you know what? They feel the same way.
Teaching is magic.
Pernille Ripp 