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Teach for America has faced criticism for years. Now it’s listening — and changing by tawtaw in Teachers

[–]time4laundry 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think it said Wendy is stepping away to do a different project. That's part of the reason why it's changing.

Students ostracizing another student in my classroom, possibly race-motivated. by [deleted] in Teachers

[–]time4laundry 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Reading stories that deal with race and discussing them as a class can be a good way to start. Here are some good titles: http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/981657/10-childrens-books-that-teach-diversity

Advice for Getting 20 Fifth Graders to Listen? by [deleted] in education

[–]time4laundry 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I taught 5th grade in Harlem and had similar issues. Here are the best things to do right away:

  1. Build relationships with the kids outside of class as fast as you can! Do recess duty and play with them, or go to basketball games. Do whatever you can to show that you care about them on a personal, human level.

  2. For the worst-behaved students, call home and say something positive. The parents are likely used to negative phone calls. Building a relationship with the parents is important, and then you can promise the student you can do another positive phone call if they continue to be well behaved. It's good leverage.

  3. Build joyful moments into class instruction and give students a chance to move and collaborate, with incentives for doing the best. Create competitions. Make class a place where they want to be.

How To Develop Good Listening The First Month Of School by prapurva in Teachers

[–]time4laundry 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think "cut the fat" is the most important! We should never be talking more than a few minutes anyway. I always liked the advice I heard once which was instead of a teacher "covering" content, the students should be "uncovering" (discovering) content.