Children who try to engage you in conversation when teaching

[winterswan]

Hello. Does anybody have a student like this (year 9?)

She sits at the front and will try to talk to me as I start the lesson by telling me something she did at the weekend, what she's getting for Christmas, something her dog did ... These stories are inevitably long and involved and I try to cheerily divert her with 'ooh, sounds lovely, but finish telling me later!' but it is as if she is oblivious and just follows me around with 'miss, miss ...'

She also constantly cuts into and across other students - one boy was trying to tell me he wouldn't be in the next day due to a hospital appointment and she cut right across him to tell me that she had to go into hospital.

I get pinned down at the end of the lesson and on break duty too!

I don't want to get irritated with her but how can you tell a child to be quiet!

My son used to this in lesson and assembly. He is ASD. Does she show many other signs?

I don't think she has ASD but she is very vulnerable and has been a victim of bullying in the past.

Can you get ALS support.
She has signs social anxiety, that 'I have a hospital visit too' is like a cry of 'I need more attention', not possible for you to give unaided.

Yes, she's desperately in need of attention and has low self esteem. I don't of course wish to make this worse by telling her abruptly to be quiet!

I'm assuming 'ALS' is 'additional learning support' - one of the few acronyms in teaching I haven't previously encountered! - do you mean in the form of a TA? We have hardly any TAs at the moment and in a way I think it would be quite disruptive as she would talk constantly to the TA!

Mine try to do this midway through a piece of info that I am telling them - it is a common diversionary tactic...our methodology is to say 'is this anything to do with X [the lesson today] >shake of head< in that case tell me after the lesson is over.

Move her to the side.
Be firm about leaving on time - 'I have to go now, its break' and go out, locking the door.
Can she have a doodle sheet while she works? It will distract her from talking to you, hopefully.

I think it's the attention she wants, not the distraction I'm just going to have to be firmer about shutting her up! I want to keep her at the front, ideally, due to instances of bullying and much as I'd love to say it wouldn't happen in my classroom I know how subtle and underhand it can be sometimes.

Explain to her privately that the time you have in class is quite limited so it's not the right place to share stories. Say you're interested in what she has to say though, and set aside a time to talk to her for 10 mins a week, just before the end of lunch, so you know it won't go over. Then when she starts, say to her with a smile "share it with me on Tuesday!" or whenever it is.

If she doesn't come on Tuesday then that's up to her - you've offered the time. If she says she forgot can she come Wednesday just reiterate "Tuesday's the day, don't worry, I'll be able to catch up next Tuesday instead"

Hmm, I too am wondering if there are some additional needs at play here, as most children probably grow out of this at around Year 4.

Have taught plenty of kids in Year 8/9/10 who do this. Some are completely NT and genuinely just want to share stories with you and natter on, in a good natured way. A doodle sheet sounds like an excellent idea.

I have so many kids in year 7, 8 and 9 like this. I try different things for different kids. One has a stack of post its and she writes me a note. One I have a hand signal for, to remind her to get back to work.

Every single class I teach though gets 'downtime' which is really relationship building time, with me and each other. I don't care if they're 14, they still need help talking positively with each other.