Our classroom is very unique and our CT has stated numerous times that she has never had one like it in her 20+ years of teaching. Our second graders are some of the sweetest kids I have ever met, but they also have their difficult days. We have 20 kids in our classroom. Of those 20 we have several who have ADHD and emotional behavior disorders (EBD) and one who is autistic. Many kids in our class receive special services that has them in and out of our classroom all morning.
Some things that I have learned while working with our students are:
1. Try to be aware of their home lives. A few of our students have extremely complicated home lives. Coming to school each day is difficult and when they arrive they are not motivated to complete their work. When a student acts out there is always a reason behind it. They might be bored, seeking adult attention, or attention from their peers.
2. Help them make small accomplishments. When working with students who are unmotivated, I try to help them get their work done slowly. Breaking their work down into smaller sections has helped greatly. Last week one of our students was one the verge of tears and said, "I hate school." After encouraging and reassuring him that he can complete the work assigned, we made a deal that he has to at least complete the first row of problems and then can take a break for a couple minutes. He agreed and ended up being able to finish the whole sheet, after a few breaks.
Does anyone else have any similar experiences in their classroom? What are some other things to keep in mind?
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