Tag: classroom management

Class Auction, Take 2
Regular readers will note that it’s been a week for second tries. Both of these items had solid first tries, so the second was bound to be good also.

About six weeks have passed since the last Auction in my class, and today was a minimum day for the end of the Trimester, so it was about time.

I began the day with hype. I teach in the portables, so if I make noise, 200 students can wonder, “What’s going on in Vaudrey’s class?” Dragging a 10-watt guitar amp outside, I plugged in my iPod and danced to some upbeat songs (mostly from Five Iron Frenzy, a late-90’s ska band). Also, I was wearing the cowboy hat, which signifies auction day.

You should probably have this music video playing while you read the rest of the post, if you really want to get the idea.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqqHo8to-6A]

Here’s some data:

Column A, you can see the items up for bid.
Column E is what each of the items cost me out of pocket.
My second and third-biggest readers are Canada and the Phillipines, respectively. Canucks and Pinoys, I included a column for the cost in your local currency, color-coded by your country flag.
Row 16 shows totals. I was floored to see that my fourth period spent 1,000 chips in 40 minutes.

Here are a couple of highlights:
- For the Potty Passes, bidding started at 2. Brian, still hyped from the Subway bidding war, immediately blurted out “58! … no, wait!”
- Bidding for Nerds (Medium candy) started at 5. The next three bids were 91, 100, and 120. The hot ticket items are never what I expect.
- I spent $30 and bought good behavior for 8 weeks. That works out to about $150 for a year. Not so bad. Read the previous post for why I am okay with doing that.
  - Also, the RSP teacher pitched in (because she’s great, not because her students contribute to a lot of the distractions), so it only cost $10 this time.
What I Changed For This Auction

Items that didn’t draw any bids last time were removed. The big ticket items returned, and I took a page from Dave Burgess‘ playbook on suspense and mystery with the Box of Mystery and Diapers.

What did you THINK I meant?

Students all received a small slip of paper with a list of auction items on it. On that list, if I had included “Box of a bunch of junk from my Aunt-in-law’s basement that we acquired when she moved”, that might not have been a big seller.

But oh, how mystery tickles the mind and arouses the senses! Suddenly, the kids just had to know…

… what’s in the Mystery Box?

Any of those items individually would have drawn no bids at all. Put them in an old cardboard box, and suddenly it’s gold.

And oh, did I ham it up. “You too, students, can tempt fate with a peek inside the Box of Mystery and Diapers! Could it be… a dictionary? Could it be… an inflatable fish? Could it be… a diaper? Only you, the adventurer of secrecy will peek inside the mouth of the lion, tempt fate, and emerge victorious!”

This morning, I re-read the previous post about the auction, so I was picky about noise they made between each item. I wrote up a List of Today’s Auction Items with Descriptions, and announced them while the showcase song from Price is Right was playing. It was magical.

The chatter between items was helped by my descriptions; students wanted to hear them, so all I had to do was start speaking, stop, and look at the offender. The rest of the class jumped on the chatterbox like he was an autographed OneDirection poster.

And, in case you’re curious, here are the downloads for the coupons I used:
Potty Passes
Coupon – Leave 2 minutes early
Coupon – Positive Phone Call
Coupon – Share Subway with a friend
List of Today’s Auction Items

As with many class activities, the hard work before kickoff made the classtime itself really stinkin fun. I love my job. I get to listen to music from High School and lecture students (with a smile) about the evils of caffeine and processed sugar, all while wearing a cowboy hat.
March 2, 2013

The Auction

In one of my favorite TV shows, Dr. Gaius Baltar is called in to help with questioning a prisoner. He says, “You’ve tried the stick; it’s time to try the carrot.”

That was me two months ago.

But, you know… without the creepy smirk.

Not just sick of detentions, tardies, phone calls, and discipline, I was sick of the time and energy I was giving to the students who earned it the least.

Outside the frame, 29 obedient students are NOT getting the teacher’s attention.

It took my wife to point it out. The conversation went like this:

Vaudrey: I have six students that are consistent behavior problems. If each one gets a warning, a conference outside, and a detention, that’s 18 things.
Hot Wife: Why just send them out right away?
Vaudrey: Well, that’s not fair to those kids. I have to go through my steps.
Hot Wife: Well, it’s not exactly fair to the rest of your students that their education is interrupted by distractors. Also, those rotten kids are getting all of your attention.

So I went to observe another teacher in the district who has SDC students for math support all day. These are students who ALL struggle with math, and a myriad of behavior issues come with it.

She awards her students with poker chips when they are on task.

Let’s just stop there–that’s the change that I made.

Yes, I know that Alfie Kohn wouldn’t be a big fan of a rewards-based system for discipline. Sorry, Alfie–this worked.

A roll of tickets is cheaper for me than poker chips, so I went with that. I prepped each class on how the tickets would be awarded and jumped in.

The bell rings, I do a round of tickets for those already on the warm-up.
I play the Notes Song, I do a round of tickets right when it ends to students already noting.
During classwork, I do a round of tickets to those focused.

I started noticing signs of on-task-ness that I hadn’t before: A pencil in hand is the best example.

Fast forward four weeks to today, a minimum day before winter break. Auction Day.

I printed a list of auction items, brought in a cowboy hat (don’t all auctioneers wear those?), and displayed the items attractively on the wall.

I laid down a fairness rule: One item per student.

Then we went to town. This was the highlight:

Ryan (yes, that Ryan) proclaiming, “I’m finna git that Gatorade!” Then, after a student bid four tickets, Ryan screamed, “Thirty-nine!” Then he drank the entire 32 ounces in about 3 minutes. Pointing to his distended stomach, he boasts, “Look! I’m all pregnant!”

Improvements for the next Auction (which will probably be in six weeks):

Use Poker Chips instead.
- Which means: Buy individual student bags and one bin per period for those bags to be stored.
- Assign a Banker to collect and pass out the bags at the beginning and end of class.
Multiple auction items per student? Maybe.
No poker chips changing hands during the auction. Savvy students who wanted two items gave their tickets to another student and said, “Get those glowsticks for me!”
Kick out students that disrupt. I wanted so badly for this to be fun for everyone that I just spoke louder and louder. I know–I realize how silly it is. But it’s the day before winter break; they were probably going to be difficult anyway.
Some kind of activity to keep those busy who already bought an item. (See previous bullet)

In case anyone is interested, here are the coupons I used.

Pick Your Seat Pass
Potty Passes
Coupon – Eat In Class
Coupon – Excuse a Detention
Coupon – Pick Your Group
Phone Call Pass
Homework Pass

And, because data matters, here’s the cost dispersion:

Item	Pd. 1	Pd. 3	Pd. 4
Coupon – Pick your Seat	17	3
32 oz Gatorade	23	16	39
Two (2) Homework Passes	20	2	8
Coupon – Positive Phone Call from Mr. Vaudrey	16	1
$5 Gift card to Starbucks	34	24	40
Glowsticks	10	1	64
X-presso Monster Energy Drink	36	23	5
Coupon b Eat In Class	15	13	1
Three fancy mechanical pencils	18	19	38
Coupon b Excuse a Detention	9		10
Reesebs or Skittles Candy Cane	9	20	65
Vitamin Water-flavored Lip Balm (like chapstick)	6	17	3
Coupon b Pick Your Group	1		6
Flaminb Hot Chee-tos	25	24	70
Three Bathroom Passes	1	3
Surprise Item: Ring Pop!	16	23	7

Happy Holidays.

December 21, 2012

Goddess of the Classroom
I first met Kelli during the first month of my first year teaching.

Well, I donbt actually recall the day that I met her. My first two weeks of teaching were such a whirlwind–the details meld together into a trauma of botched activities, stuttering lessons, clunky worksheets, and the occasional discipline issue (which soon became frequent discipline issues).

I do, however, remember when I first saw Kellibs fifth period. My Assistant Principalbafter watching the vehicular collision that was my fifth periodbsaid, bYou have to watch Kelli teach.b

The next day during my planning period, I followed A.P. into the back of Kellibs class with my notebook, completely clueless for what I would write down.

I wish I had videotaped itbit was pure poetry. Like watching Olympic figure skating.

First, the students filed in with subdued murmurs and sat down quietly. I had seen these students during lunchbthey were not quiet people. Kelli taught Algebra Readiness, an 8^th grade class for students who didnbt pass Pre-Algebra last year. A rough-and-rowdy bunch of surly teens with odors and attitudes sour enough to curdle the milk in your grammabs teacup. It wasnbt even my class, and I got nervous.

“Miss Webb, I don’t got a pencil.”

bPlease take out your packet and turn to S.P. 15.b Kelli calmly intoned over the rustle of paper. The bell had just sounded and all her students were in their seats, most with their pencils out. I looked around the room and thought I was dreaming:
- Her 18 students were evenly spread throughout the room, most of them alone at a table.
- All the hats were off.
- Nobody touched each other.
- No backpacks or purses were in laps, all rested on the floor or the chair next to them.
- Most of the students had their packets out and were hunched over them, silently working.
Kelli began to weave through the rows, giving little comments.

bThank you for getting started, Jamal.b
bGood start, Maria. Put your mirror away, please.b

And this was when I knew I was in the presence of greatness:

bMiguel, please spit out your gum.b

Miguel curled his lip, bI donbt have any gum.b

bLet me tell you what I donbt do.b Kelli bristled, straightening to her full six-foot-two and narrowing her eyes. bI donbt argue with children. Spit it out.b

I’m surprised Miguel didn’t piss himself. I got chills just writing that.

Miguel paused, considering his chances of winning a battle with a woman twice his size and thrice his age. He wisely stood and leaned over the trashcan as Kelli moved on to other tables. The thunk of his gum in the metal wastebasket was the only noise in room A5, save for the delicate scratch of pencil on paper.

After about five minutes, Kelli produced some more magic. She went through the worksheet with the class.

Now, any teacher can walk through problems, but nobody in Ms. Webbbs class got bored. She pulled names from a cup of popsicle sticks (what teachers called brandom samplingb in those days) and asked students for their responses.

Ms. Webb: Ysela, number 5.
Ysela: Ummb& I didnbt get it.
Ms. Webb: Okay, what do you think we should do first?
Ysela: Ummb&. Take away seven?
Ms. Webb: (grimaces) Ooh! Is there a mathematical way to say that?
Ysela: Ummb&Subtract seven from both sides of the equation.
Ms Webb: Oh, much better. I like that. Damon, take over number 5.

It was magical. She coaxed answers from students who hate math (or so they tell their friends). These students have made a career out of coasting and doing nothing, but they have nowhere to hide from the watchful eye of Ms. Webb.

And risk.

No… not that one.

Non-teachers may not realize this, but Ysela was hoping to be ignored, skipped, and left at peace. Getting students like Ysela to take a stab at a foreign problem is hard work. By eighth grade, she’s learned that the three magic words “I don’t know” will get her skipped in most other classes, and enough skips will get her ignored entirely.

In Ms. Webbbs class, there was no ignored seat, no back of the class, no hats pulled down, and no students get to pass on a problem. If you donbt know, take a guess.

Itbs one of several things that Ibve stolen for my own class.
November 12, 2012
Another Day In Paradise

I pause the Glue Song and ring the tiny bell on the cart.

“People, look over here. This pink paper is LAMIAH, that was yesterday’s homework that I forgot to pass out. Please raise your hand if you need it and Frank will pass it out. This white paper is MARSHALL. Glue MARSHALL and the Warm-up into your Math notebook, please.”

(This is the Glue Song. It’s a sound cue, telling the students that the directions on the board involve glue.)

I hand a pink stack to Frank and put the Glue Song back on. As soon as the music hits their pubescent ears, I am beset by questions.

“Mr. Vaudrey, you forgot to stamp my planner.”
“Mr. Vaudrey, do I glue them on the same page?”
“Mr. Vaudrey, can I get a drink of water? But I’m thirsty!”
“Mr. Vaudrey, can I do number one?”
“Mr. Vaudrey, my dog attacked a rabbit this morning.”
“Mr. Vaudrey, I didn’t get LAMIAH.”
“Mr. Vaudrey, did you hear that? James said he’s gonna hurt me!”

“You need Mark in the office? Thank God.”

I only have 21 students in this class, but each one has specific needs on my time, and any one of them ignored will cause a cavalcade that will corrode the rest of the period.

“Then take your planner out right away so I can see it. I don’t care how you glue them, it’s up to you. You just had lunch. Talk to Maria and Desmond to see which ones they are doing. That’s great; do the warm-up. Frank is passing it out, he’ll be here in a sec. You did the right thing by not responding to him. James, let me speak to you outside.”

It’s possible that the homeless guy in Glendora who talks to himself–seemingly sporadically–is just replaying conversations from when he used to teach middle school.

Typically, when non-teachers actually see my classroom, they exclaim, “Wow. I could never do that.” It makes me feel good; knowing that my six years of skills are beginning to take shape into a career.

But my students are just a different bunch. At least nobody masturbated at their desk today. (Some students have done that in last year’s classes).

The first part of the period is the hopeful part; the class can go either way. Either they will be motivated and hard-working…

… or he will give up, seek distractions, lament “I don’t get it!” with her head on the desk, tuck his head in his shirt and rock back and forth, tell the new girl she’s fat, tell him he can go to hell, tell her to go eat a cheeseburger, he’ll chew gum, claim it isn’t gum, and ask to go to the nurse.

All of which happened in the first 15 minutes of our lesson on Slope.

I have to remind myself (in the moment, especially) that they weren’t born this way. These students are the product of low skills, bad teachers, lazy parents, low-income community, a disinterested school culture, and Hot Cheetos con Limon. Any one of those by itself would be a challenge, and in 4th period, I have a huge cocktail.

Which, coincidentally, is what I’m craving after they leave.

Celebrate the successes and push through the challenges.

Come on, Vaudrey. These kids need learnin’ and you’re just the guy to do it.

October 15, 2012
A Come to Jesus Meeting

It’s a phrase that my mom used when I was young. “We’re gonna have a Come to Jesus meeting when you get home about your grades in English.”

A balding preacher springs to my mindbwhite knuckles gripping the podiumbleaning toward the congregation and flecking the front row with frothy vengeance, screaming, bTurn from thy wicked ways!b

Thatbs certainly how I felt on Thursday with my iPad class.

On Wednesday, I got an email from one of the P.E. teachers describing her discontent with my students using their iPads to take pictures, play games, and dick around during P.E. class.

She probably didnbt say bdick aroundb. Thatbs an embellishment.

This emailbcopied to my administrators, of coursebgave voice to a sentiment that other teachers were probably feeling; I donbt know what to do with these things. Can I confiscate them? Can I discipline the students for taking them out?

I sent an email apologizing for the students and assuring that I would deal with it. I sent an email with the iPad policies to the whole staff, then cracked my knuckles and waited for the iPad class to stumble unwittingly into 3^rd period.

As they entered, I shook everyonebs hand (as I do every day) and said, bGood morning! Please put your iPad in the cart and have a seat.b

Then I came to my podium.

bTeachers have been complaining about this class. [dramatic pause] They say that you are taking your iPads out in other classes, taking pictures, playing games, and letting other students use them. [dramatic eye contact with the offenders] You all know what the expectations are; you signed a contract and so did your parents. You know what to do, and youbre making me look bad. So today, webre going to practice how to have a class without the iPad, so you know how your other classes should look. Clearly, you need some practice.b

Then I put on a smile and we went through the period. I thought they got the point.

The next day, I caught two different students playing games in my class. I directed them to put their iPads in the cart, and their responses were:

bWhat? Ibm done already.b
and bWhy?b

To the second student, I fixed him with my best teacher stare and asked in a low tone, bIs that a serious question?b

He wisely didnbt respond.

I quite enjoy Halloween. I love to put on a costume and be somebody different for a short while. Itbs not because I donbt like my usual self, but itbs just so fun to be somebody new for a little bit.

Thatbs why Ibm comfortable being a hardass in short installments. I like when everyone in my class is happy, but teachers will tell you that a teacher who is only happy will result in a class that is only unruly.

For those two students, I began taking deep breaths about 10 minutes before the period ended, preparing myself to instill the fear of the Lord in them.

When the class ended, I motioned for those two to wait, and the RSP teacher to also stick around. I brought them over to my desk and showed them a copy of the student/parent contract.

bThis is the contract that you and your parent signed. This bullet point says I will use the iPad for academic purposes during school hours in accordance with the rules set forth by MVUSD. You both were well aware of the rulesbespecially after our conversation yesterdayb but you chose to break them anyway. In this contract, the penalty is removal from this program and this class. We will have a meeting this weekend to see if you should be removed. Ibll let you know what we decide on Tuesday. Youbre dismissed.b

Two wide-eyed and trembling teens trudged out the door. Once it closed, I turned to the RSP teacher and asked, bToo much?b

Her eyes were also wide. bNo! That was awesome!b

Then I called their parents and gave them the same discussion. I predict two very remorseful students in my 3^rd period on Tuesday.

“This is worse than when Nemo died and I had to flush him.”

Furthermoreband this is the part that my wife doesnbt getbIbm buying myself an easier year by sacrificing these two little lambs on the altar. Because middle-school students gossip like two old church ladies at bridge club.

You can guarantee that every other student in the class will be terrified to use a game in class, which is exactly what I wanted. Thatbs why I was comfortable wearing the Red-Faced Preacher mask for a few minutes.

So that I can be Happy Math Teacher for the rest of the year.

UPDATE 2013 January 31st:
One of the aforementioned little lambs didn’t come to Jesus, and was removed from the course after his next offense a month later.

He probably hates Temple Run now.

September 2, 2012
Teacher Report Card
Ever heard of the John Muir Trail? That (and my wife’s mission trip with her youth group) isB where I’ve been for the last month. Some people have complained, and they need to lighten up.

Mario: “I think [this class] is fair because everyones idea is respected.”
Deja: “It’s fun and I can’t wait to get to this class.”
Sara: “Mr. V grades fairly but is too nice with giving good grades, (not that that’s a bad thing).”
Jose: “I’m fine with my grade because I know I didn’t try my hardest.”

These are the kind of student responses that help me form my class for the next year. I read each one, every year.

The prompt goes something like this:

“Gentlemen and Ladies, you are going to grade me [pause for incredulous exclamations]. I want to know how to be a better teacher, so you’re going to grade me honestly. And don’t spare my feelings. You must fill out the whole thing.
You don’t need to put your name at the top–it can be anonymous if you want. I will read every one of these. Also, if you give me all As or all Fs, I’ll know that you didn’t care and I’ll burn it…laughing while I do.”

As with anything I field a few space-head questions (“Do I put my name on it?” “Can I give you all A’s?”) then turn them loose.

I change up the questions every year, (the 2012 download is at the bottom of this page) and this year, I used a whole back page for short-response questions.

Itbs one last chance for me to squeeze some clarity into their year.

I get authentic, unfiltered assessment straight from the horsebs mouth.

Sometimes itbs cute and flatteringb&

…sometimes it’s sarcastic, but well-mannered*…

b&sometimes itbs legitimate great feedback, andb&

…occasionally it’s cringeworthy–but necessary–feedback.

Also, they’re teenagers. The ones that say I’m not fair are often the ones that got in trouble that week.

I figured this question was a good way to get a quick two-sentence summary, and Ibve learned a lot about how students view the bthemeb of my class.

This was just fun.

Ah, to be a teenage boy.

Click here to download the Word Document I used.

*The “test-day shirt” to which Sara refers is this one, shown here on Crazy Hat Spirit Day (with a student drawing of me wearing it). I wear the Test Shirt every test day (including all 5 State-test days) as a way to lighten the mood for students with test anxiety.

UPDATE 13 July 2012:

Andy‘s right; I should mention what I learned from this experience.

In previous years, I’ve noticed startling trends in theB fairness category. I would consistent low marks when it came to “treating all students the same” or “giving consistent expectations”.B Fortunately, I know the students’ penmanships well enough to ask the class as a whole for further feedback. Some of those chats went like this:

Vaudrey: A lot of people marked me low for fairness. Why do you think that is?

(This is about June–most of them are checked out. Or they know me well enough to know that tactfully, respectful criticism will be well-received)

Maria: Well, sometimes you treat certain students with more second chances.
Jose: Yeah, like when I got detention for talking during the test, but Jamal talks all the time. (Several students nod).
Vaudrey: You’re right; that doesn’t sound fair. Anything else?

If I prove that I won’t get butt-hurt by student feedback, then the class gets a little more bold in their assessments.

Sarah: Sometimes, your morning breath is really bad.
Drew: Yeah, like dog crap.
Vaudrey: Whoa! We’re getting a little carried away. Sarah, thanks for your honesty. Drew, keep in mind that we’re focusing on improving my class, okay? Anybody else?

In full disclosure, here’s what I learned from this year’s reports:
- Middle school students have much less to bitch about than high school students.
- About 15-20% of students would like more explanation on tough topics. Nobody said my teaching pace was too slow.
- Most of the students liked my class. A few studentsB really liked my class. That felt good.
- I’m doing a better job of treating all students fairly. (That sample conversation was from a few years back.)
- For next year, I should teach more closely to the standards, so students see common questions beforeB the test.
- For next year, I should keep the class under tighter control. In recent years, I’ve slacked on classroom management because I taught seniors. Eighth graders need a little heavier hand.
July 11, 2012

Tag: classroom management

Class Auction, Take 2

What I Changed For This Auction

The Auction

Goddess of the Classroom

Another Day In Paradise

A Come to Jesus Meeting

Teacher Report Card