DesertBlossom Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 I joke about the "classroom" part. But for reals. I have a degree in EE and took the classroom management classes. I only taught 2 years, but for a brand new teacher, I felt like I did a pretty good job with classroom management. Yet, some (most?) days I can't get my own kids to sit still for 10 minutes for a read aloud. And I'm not talking about the 1 year old or the 4 year old, whose behavior is expected. I'm talking about the 6, 8 and 9 year olds. Kids, who in a regular school and church setting, behave themselves just fine. Sometimes I wonder if the school setting provides a little more social pressure to behave oneself. You know? I think a lot of kids don't want to misbehave in front of their friends. Whereas, at home, the siblings aren't trying to impress each other. In fact, they rather delight in making one another squirm. I realize a lot of it is normal. But it's also incredibly frustrating to me. Our "morning meetings." which last all of 15-20 minutes, I find myself avoiding. And I try to engage the kids, let them pick the read aloud, sing songs, etc. But sometimes the silliness is just so draining. So... if you have kids like mine, what do you do to help with the "management" so you can actually get stuff done? How do you motivate them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Sometimes nothing works! I have twin boys (11) and we pretty much are doing classes, with me at the whiteboard teaching. I can now pretty much expect them to be still and take notes for about twenty minutes. They are also decent at being quiet while they are writing or while doing their work in math and Latin. To a point. What I think works best is expecting feedback. It's less easy to get into a clowning mode when I'm going to pop you over the head with a question, KWIM? It seems counter-intuitive, but it seems to help my guys work at impressing each other with their level of attention instead of impressing each other with who can make the loudest body function noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawna in North CA Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 I print a checklist for my kids weekly. It has a place to check off their daily independent schoolwork and chore tasks: 30 minutes piano practice, 30 minutes math fact practice, etc. A finished daily checklist is their ticket to freedom to do as the please the rest of the day. Its working great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lots of little ducklings Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Feeling your pain. I thought about starting a thread like this just yesterday (but the day was so rough I could barely function at all and just collapsed into bed). We have very few problems during morning meeting, where the kids are rewarded with chocolate chips for success on their work. (yeah, bribery). But I must do spelling and grammar and science and history as a group activity; there just aren't enough hours in the day to do those subjects individually, and they are all doing the same work (though with age-appropriate expectations). And "group" activity, lately, seems to equal "migraine" for me. Following for ideas... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiMi 4under3 Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 So... if you have kids like mine, what do you do to help with the "management" so you can actually get stuff done? How do you motivate them? While holding up a wooden spoon for all to see, I threaten them with a good ol' spanking! :lol: :lol: :lol: Just kidding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Whisper. I also start talking to something else in the room like my dog. "What is 9 x 5?, anyone.. anyone... yes puppy it is 45 how clever you are!" I also break out into song frequently; that embrasses my kids even if they are the only one in the room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 It's completely and utterly different with your own kids at home than in the classroom. None of my classroom management tricks work at home. They're absurd. You know what I learned in the classroom that's useful for my own kids? All the little IEP tricks for dealing with kids with ASD or sensory issues or ADHD. So... chewing gum, eating tic tacs or mints, keeping fidgets on hand, headphones with quiet music, setting timers to track work, isolating kids into different spaces and rooms, letting kids jump on the mini-tramp between everything, resistance bands tied to the chair legs for bouncing legs, etc. etc. Also, I think you just have to embrace that it's home. It's not a classroom and it will never feel like one and you'll never feel like a teacher they have to impress. You have to come up with completely different strategies and currencies for getting them to buy in, to not distract each other, want to learn, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertBlossom Posted January 30, 2015 Author Share Posted January 30, 2015 Well, I am totally going to add chocolate chips and tic tacs and mints to my shopping list. I will start with that kind of small bribery. It's something. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 It's not called classroom management in this case. It's called parenting. If it were a venn diagram these two would be in the middle. How you parent and set boundaries cannot be different for how you manage your lesson time. You cannot be two different people. It's not about the kids and how they behave but how you discipline (or don't) and manage your household. We have the same standards for respect during school time as we do any other time. Teaching your kids to have good boundaries with each other and with you will help manage how much you can get done in a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertBlossom Posted January 30, 2015 Author Share Posted January 30, 2015 It's completely and utterly different with your own kids at home than in the classroom. None of my classroom management tricks work at home. They're absurd. You know what I learned in the classroom that's useful for my own kids? All the little IEP tricks for dealing with kids with ASD or sensory issues or ADHD. So... chewing gum, eating tic tacs or mints, keeping fidgets on hand, headphones with quiet music, setting timers to track work, isolating kids into different spaces and rooms, letting kids jump on the mini-tramp between everything, resistance bands tied to the chair legs for bouncing legs, etc. etc. Also, I think you just have to embrace that it's home. It's not a classroom and it will never feel like one and you'll never feel like a teacher they have to impress. You have to come up with completely different strategies and currencies for getting them to buy in, to not distract each other, want to learn, etc. I'm glad to know that it's not just me. Once upon a time I could quiet an entire room full of 5th graders by saying, "Thank you so much (insert quiet child's name) for sitting so quietly." I try that with my kids at home and it somehow has the opposite effect. At best, they just don't hear me at all. I do isolate the kids for their individual work. Which helps, definitely. However, I've got "MOM, I NEED HELP" playing like surround sound the entire time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stm4him Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 I have had to divide and conquer. When I was in better health I could handle the antics a little better. Now that will put me in bed the rest of the day. I just switched to CLE for everything and just added Latin and Greek (well, really picked it back up again after not making it a priority the last few months). Now they meet with me individually for everything. I do combine two at a time for Bible story or discussion questions because I happen to have children in the same levels, but if they don't behave together I separate them. CLE moves toward independence earlier and the lessons are shorter so it makes it doable. It is a long day still, but it always has been and at least now it is getting done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stm4him Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Also, we are mostly together for evening read aloud about four nights a week. They seem to sit better in the evening when it is dark and the alternative is clean or go to bed. If what I am reading doesn't interest them they read silently until it is their turn to choose a book. It works so much better than when I read aloud during the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 We have silly time and then non silly time. If Ds will not focus, I am very upfront: if you cannot handle it, go to your room. I will expect your work by 4pm. Come and find me when you are ready to learn, but do not waste my time. Pretending to care is not an option here. It is disrespectful. Do you have a problem or concern I should be aware of that is hindering your ability to claim your education? I taught Emotional and Behavioral Disorders in middle school and high school to independent study kids though. I can be a real scary hard ass if I need to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momacacia Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Love the chocolate chips. I'll have DH lead a trail from our bedroom to the homeschool room each morning. Oh, wait, this is a discussion about the kids? ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quietchapel Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 I only have three children, and my youngest is six, so things are way easier thN when they were 3,5, and 6. I am not a teacher by training/ profession, but our school kinda runs like a classroom. From the beginning I specifically verbalized my expectations, then had them repeat. It took a couple years, but finally clicked. It's tough, regardless, because mom role and home expectations aren't the same as school roles/ expectations- at least from my experience. Having an actual school space helped with the whole psychological association, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 I think your expectations of yourself and your children are way off. You just can`t compare a group of 5th graders, who are probably around 10 and 11 years old to 5 very young children between the ages of 1 and 9. I know you said you are thinking primarily about the 6, 8 and 9 year olds, but unless you have the 1 and 4 year olds in a different area with their own adult supervision, you are essentially trying to manage all 5 in an activity that they are just not developmentally ready for. It would be like trying to teach a pig to whistle; you get completely frustrated and annoy the pig. You are going to probably have to alter your expectations of what you can do. If you and the children love the cuddle and listen to mommy time, then keep the read-aloud sessions very short. Maybe try different times of the day to see what works best; try doing physical activity right before or right after to get the wigglies out. For me, when all else fails, I do books on tape in the car when everyone is buckled in and there are fewer distractions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Breaks are a good thing, especially outdoor ones. School takes longer, but the behavior is better. I reserve read alouds for meals and snacks. They're more likely to stay still then. I've used the 'take a shower, get a sandwich, take a nap' advice from one of SWB's lectures. I add 'go for a walk' or 'get a glass of water'. I'm still trying to figure out what to do when the child refuses to do any of those things and wants to keep engaging me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Completely different setting and completely different situation. I could control 40 9th graders for 6 full periods per day, in an inner city high school in Los Angeles. I did it for many years. But getting my old kids to do things was harder! Add the dynamic of being at home and having their mother trying to get them to do things......yeah, not working. I finally had to tell myself it wasn't meant to look like school! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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