Hi - I'm in Kelowna, BC:) I wish I had known about WBT when I first started teaching:) I have a very challenging class this year and we are only in week one. Things are moving very slowly but there are lots of little successes. Here is a previous post of mine:)
Ok so yesterday was my first day of school and first time using WBT to start the year. Boy was I happy to have it. I have 22 first graders and they are fabulous but very challenging.
So I started out thinking that I would just take it easy the first day and then really get into the rules and everything the next day. Nope - didn't work - change of plans if we were going to get anything done:) I had a kid just walking around anywhere he wanted, several kids calling out until I could barely hear myself speak, kids playing with toys on the carpet, multiple kids wanting to go to the bathroom, kids having paper towel fights in the bathroom and running up and down the stairs screaming, etc.
After about 10 minutes of this, and trying to play some name games and read a story which utterly failed - would not quiet down, I whipped out the scoreboard and started teaching the rules. They were so excited to see it (they had seen it on Looking Ahead Day in June) and immediately there was a change. Before you know it I was ping-ponging Smilies and Frownies like no tomorrow and saying Rule 2, Rule 3, Rule 5. There was smiles, there was laughter - I was having fun and it was working - as the day went on, the child wandering around the classroom was sitting down, children on the carpet were no longer playing with toys, inappropriate and appropriate behaviour in the bathroom was practiced and discussed, etc. By recess we had ping-ponged back and forth till there were 30 Smilies and 31 Frownies!!!! - thank goodness for the portable Scoreboard. The reward, I told them, for making the scorekeeper happy was Center time and I told them to tell their neighbour how much they wanted Center time (I knew how much they wanted to play, especially my more challenging students because they had expressed it while Breaking Rule 2:)). In my head, I was like there is no way I am going to let them earn Center time today unless there is a miraculous turn around. So, much to their dismay, we did not have Centers but I lessened the blow by erasing the Scoreboard after recess and telling them they could begin to earn Smilies and Frownies for tomorrow's Centers. Then I proceeded to go around the classroom and explain all of the amazing Centers. I had their full attention - the whole class - for at least two full minutes without reciting any rules- lol. The best part of all was normally I would be panicking a bit and little more stern at this point but I was still having fun and thinking I was playing a game:)
Anyhow - so then we went to the Assembly... I know - Dun, Dun, Dunnnnnn. They did OK for the first 5 minutes and then everyone started to lose it. I separated kids left right and center, I sat in close proximity to kids, I talked quietly to them. Thank goodness some of the other teachers were helpful. It was a little stressful and I didn't really know what to do - I tried to promise Smilies to a few kids but they pretty much lost them within seconds. Afterwards, I regrouped and made a mental note that for next assembly I would have a class chat and practice good assembly behaviour - they would have a special assembly order and if they were on excellent behaviour they would get Smilies.
Love to hear how WBT works with supply teaching:)
Liann
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