"Outside the Box" Teacher

Needless to say, as a 4th year teacher, I've come to realize quickly that I'm not a "normal" teacher. I'm quite unusual and.....unique. Especially when it comes to discipline or management within my classroom. When it comes to discipline, I usually prefer that the consequence aligns with what choice they made.

For example, I have this amazing boy who loves to sing and dance but has occasional major behavior issues. One day, he decided he didn't want to walk in line with the rest of the class. Our principal is specific (and I already agreed with him about this) if a student/class can't walk in line, then they do it all over again. Even if that means we're late for PE, Lunch, or class. On that day, this boy, we'll call him Jack, stayed out of line on purpose even when his classmates signaled to him to get back in line. Since it was just this one student and the classmates did their job of signaling, I sent Jack back to do it all over again. He went back but defiantly ignored the line and decided to shout "I'm Mexican" in front of many other kids even though he is not of Mexican heritage (just his way of trying to get attention in a negative form). So, instead of wasting our class' precious time, I had him come in and we called Mom to inform her that her son would be practicing walking in line after-school because he apparently doesn't want to do what he's supposed to. I know this seems ridiculous but I knew  if he got away with it this time, it would escalate into more immature behavior and could potentially lead to suspention from other bad choices. I think his mom was weirded out with the consequence but she went with it trusting my decision. When after-school arrived, Mr. D (my husband) so kindly had Jack walk on a line for about 10 minutes. Ever since then, Jack has done much better in line and hasn't given me problems with that.

Another example of me teaching "outside the box" is literally making a box, using tape, on the floor to help a certain student visualize his boundaries within the classroom. Each year, there seems to be one or two students that don't understand how to remain near their own desk and they wonder around the room without permission therefore getting other students off task. Often with parent/guardian permission, this tape boundary is placed on the floor and every time this student leaves their boundary he/she gets an extra homework (which usually keeps them in their zone after a few times of getting homework).

Lately I've been doing a lot of researching and educating myself on best practices for teaching. Some awesome resources I've found led me to www.wholebrainteaching.com. I was impressed with the structure and it makes complete sense to me as to why it works. In addition, my research has led me into finding ways to make my classroom more organized and learner friendly. I'm definitely not a decorator or design. I'm not a crafty person. In past school years, my classrooms have always left more to be desired in order to appeal to the eye. I want a classroom that feels and looks welcoming. Thanks to Pinterest and Teacher blogs, the possibilities are endless.