Sitting on behaviour

[phlebasconsidered]

How long? How long should it take? I've forgotten.
I've had my new class two weeks now.The Ta says they are improving. She says she doesn't dread coming to work now. We've had PSHE circle time and they've identified what they are improving on ( neatness in work, amount of work) and what they need to improve ( listening) and so on.

But, they listen fairly well, but never fully, and I wait until everyone is ready. No fiddling, no talking, death stares. Sometimes takes minutes. Eats into every lesson. 10 minutes upwards.
Am using behaviour chart assidously. Children don't care.
Am marking work every night to give feedback and NS, children don't care.
Speaking to children individually, setting individual behaviour targets, children don't care.

Tried contacting parents. Only a few care.
I have wandering, talking, arguing, answering back, fights at playtime that spill over into class, and many social issues. 3 SEN kids who really need one on one but don't have it. 3 others in need. Kids who throw furniture, who punch.

Today I identified 2 hungry children.

I would say that 2/3 of the class are really trying for me now, but don't have the discipline to do it full time, and that last third are making me cry. What can I do with a child who is literally headbanging?

I've been a bit weepy this week.

In circle time they said "we are getting better at having teachers". They've had 3 since Sept. I welled up.

Hints, tips, i'm in work at 7 leaving at 5 and my own kids hate me.

Sorry for length. Friday download.

Oh God please let the tide be turning...

Well, I've just finished doing my IEP's. 8 of them. And marked 60 books.

And had 2 people pop in unannouced today. And dealt with increasingly odd behaviour from one child. And started to get REALLY NARKED at the fact that they still take 3-4 minutes to be quiet when i've rung the bell and said "class". Even with the mind-control style teaching and waiting for silence.

There are 4 key shouters out( by which I mean random things, work-related things, crazy stream of consciousness things, even today: "Miss, I've got a urinary tract infection"), and 1 key trouble maker, in that she will wait for quiet and people to be settled, then do something like shout out, sing, or get up and wander over to a quiet working group and start an argument.

We have rules: no getting out of your seat, no shouting out, etc. We've circle timed them. We've explained why they are needed. I'd say 26 of them are doing it, but those that are not are NOT.

I've got 5 individual stamp charts going. I've got 5 sets of parents not supporting. I've got no other sanction as we can't keep them in for break or lunchtime, and we have no golden or play time to take minutes from. I'm toothless. And even the smelly stickers are not working.

I'm knackered from it today. I do feel that the class is turning for me, but those key kids just are not, and while I can't keep them down, I can't work with targeted groups without them disrupting things. I'm doing all the stuff the behaviour lady suggested, was doing it anyway, it just doesn't work with this lot!

It would help If I had extra bodies in the class, apart from just me, but there are none.

You still sound awesome!

Did the class suggest any sanctions in circle time? Could you arrange a 'fun' (ish!) activity for Friday afternoon, but they have to get x amount of stickers throughout the week to be allowed to do it?

Do you have full-time TA support?

Sorry just seen no TA. Oh my God, this class are crying out for it. Do you have any parent helpers? Anybody?

Can I just say, I think you sound like a hero. (And in my previous life I was an educational psychologist and used to advise teachers on how to deal with "challenging" classes.)

Your experience reminded me of a book I read a while back called Behaviour and discipline in school by Peter Galvin. It talked about particularly challenging classes and it recommended thinking about the class as four separate groups that each needed a slightly different approach. (I've cut and pasted from notes I took.)
Group 1 - The lovelies (probably about 5 kids). These kids need at least one positive comment each lesson re their performance. It’s easy to overlook their needs.

Group 2 - The OKs (about 15 kids). These are the average run of the mill kids. Try to keep praise to reprimand ratio of 3 positives to every negative. Keep this group feeling involved and motivated but don’t invest too much time or effort into giving specific praise. Just aim for a warm, positive glow.
Group 3 - The not so OKs (lower middle 8). These should be your key target group, so aim for them first. If you don’t get them on board they will become the "desperate 10" (see below). They are often the target audience for the desperate two. Remove their potential to reinforce misbehaviour of the desperate 2. You need to get to know them at every opportunity. Listen to them, then match feedback to their interests ideas. E.g. if they support a particular football team say things like “If X put that sort of effort into their remaining games they’ll definitely avoid relegation”. If they respect another pupil, tell them that’s just how B would have done it.

Group 4 - The Desperate 2. They may need IEPs, outside support, referral to HOYI.e. need a whole-school approach. Don’t judge your skills by these 2.

It sounds like you have lots of desperates at the moment.

In fact, just re-reading the notes I took, it looks like a brilliant book. It has lots of ideas about managing difficult groups. It suggests how to really think about what might be going on in a group, check out your hypothesis and then suggests relevant solutions.

Oh that sounds AWESOME! I am Amazoning it now!
I got threatened by the worst ones parent today. Heigh ho....
We have no TA as the kid who had the TA on hours has been excluded.
I'm keeping a big fat log book.
I could break donw my class exactly like that: Oh, I love my lovelies! How lovely they are. I am trying to give them and the Ok's lots of mega praise in their books so they've got written evidence of care. I've started photocopying good work and sending it home with them so they can show their mums.
Tried something new today, make a "Great Work" wall and stuck some photocopied stuff on, with post-ts on the wall and invited them to write something great about the work and figure out why i'd put it up. Didn't tell them it was up there but by the end of the day I had one post-it saying "This is a complex sentence". I'm HAPPY about that one thing.....

Niiiice! I can't get some of my GCSE students to recognise a complex sentence!

Me again!
Over the hols I spent hours justifying stats and lack of peogress (luckily for me I have oodles of evidence showing they were all overlevelled). I moved gr groups, made a whole new book corner and did all the displays as I STILL don't have a TA. I marked everything, even the ns and peermarking.

3 days in and everything they had learnt about behaviour has gone! Even though we have had some brilliant lessons, where they have produced poetry and art, i'm very aware that they are still too noisy, too keen to get out of their seats, and shout. They also constantly say they can't do it when they can. This stems from lack of confidence and is lessening, but it's still there.
I'm anxious as in 2weeks i have an obs. I have given notice for July as I want 3-4 days per week and not this school ever! My concern is that i am.bound to get a ri due to the behaviour and sheer level of sen without support. The child who refuses work and walks out or punches another will be my fault, even though i have butt covered by noting down everything.

I think i will be used as a stool pigeon for their results. Even though i only had them in Feb. I'm worried for my rreference. They are an academy chain. Staff leaving in droves.

That said, one child brought in a fantastic model they had made over the break based on our topic. I'm getting through. But i'm still going to be ri! Question is, should i care? Can i go to supply and be damned?

Apologies for long post and typos, am still in class sorting for monday, doing this on phone.

I think you are being weigh tooooooo hard on yourself, and instead SLT in your school need to take a good long hard look at themselves.
Don't give up on teaching, maybe give up on this school.