No doubt the fact that education hasn’t changed appreciably in 150 years while the rest of the world, um, has, is disturbing. But I don’t know if I’ll go to a movie in which six students are cherrypicked from around the world to underline that point over and over again.

If you see it and I’m wrong about it, please lemme know.

To the rest, may I direct your attention to Important Ratio #2, which has nowhere near the pageviews of her tech-minded predecessor but which runs through my head fifty times more per day.

In that first video you’ve got a student whistling.

Whistling. And the teacher flies off the handle.

Effort From The Student To Piss Off Teacher, Ranked From 1 To 10: 3.

Teacher’s Reaction, Ranked From 1 To 10: 8

Whenever the teacher’s ranking exceeds the student’s, the student wins and the behavior is reinforced.

Through creativity and patience, a teacher can always keep her ranking beneath the student’s, in which case, the teacher wins, and the student’s behavior is one step closer to extermination.

I hope that the lessons learned (especially for the new teachers in this crowd) are to have good lessons and engage your students to avoid these types of scenarios. If the students see that you care about the students and the subject matter you will have no problems like these in the classroom…ever.

For thsoe people saying its the students fault, I have to disagree. The teacher sets the atmosphere in the class not the students. (Sorry to get back on the classroom management discussion again)

Comments on Litmus: I watched the videos and won’t judge because I don’t have all the facts. For example, were any staged or were any of the adults substitutes? Were any of the teachers “set up?” What about administrative support and collaboration?

Classroom management begins with direct instruction of expectations and need not include contrived color charts, classroom rules, or reward systems. Teaching and using the basic “ate” life skill words (Cooperate, Communicate, Negotiate, Mediate) apply to any situation or age group and when practiced could save students and teachers a lot of money in therapy. Of course, teachers must be comfortable enough in their own skin to also “ate.”

I have mediated student/teacher relationships but I have also been told by a teacher that she would not participate in any form of mediation- hmmm, think that might be part of the problem? Our profession, as in any, have the good and the bad.

What Great Teachers Do Differently: http://www.eyeoneducation.com/prodinfo.asp?number=669-1

Glad I found your blog- almost done reading your archive.

My middle school music teacher used the “I’ll wait” method. After my mother requested it, I was allowed to go to the library to do “independent” work (aka worksheets), so at least I was spared 40 minutes of sitting around watching a teacher “waiting” for kids who had not intention of quieting down while he just sat there.

If you can figure out a way to litigate or legislate education’s way to great, great teachers, you’d better start writing that acceptance speech for your Nobel Prize.

http://awaitingtenure.wordpress.com/