Below are our tips for this week. Remember, we are not the end-all, be-all! We are just teachers sharing our
ideas with you. Feel free to modify strategies you receive from us to fit you and your classroom!
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Survival Kit for New Teachers
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A Road Map for Navigating the World of Teaching
The life of a new teacher is full of unfamiliar experiences and questions. Let's face it, who has time to stop and ask?
Get the answers and ideas you are looking for all in one book! Survival Kit for New Teachers contains
specific, hands-on advice geared especially for Elementary teachers. Survival Kit for New Secondary
Teachers contains advice especially for Junior High and High School teachers. Written in a step-by-step, easy to
read format, this is the most practical, comprehensive teacher resource available for new teachers. This book allows
teachers to save time and energy - everything teachers need right at their fingertips!
Survival Kit for New Teachers Survival Kit for New Secondary
Teachers
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Education World New Teachers Column
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Education World
New Teacher Column
This is my column on Education World. The topic for March is "Helping Students Survive Standardized Tests". I hope you
enjoy it!
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Weekly Tip
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Working with Boys in the Classroom
Growing up I was the only girl among a pack of boys in my family. I had a brother and eight male cousins all close in age.
We did quite a lot together and as such I was very comfortable hanging out as "one of the guys". I guess it is this
experience that prepared me for dealing with boys in the classroom. I have several that stand out in my mind including
the one who drew through every lesson I ever taught, the one who gave me a bad attitude in front of the class and then
came back after school asking for help, the one who decided he could teach better than I could, and the one who
galloped across the front of the classroom neighing like a horse. However, it was with one student in particular that I first
realized my attitude towards the boys in my classroom was different than many of my colleagues.
V* was a struggling ESL student in my 6th grade ELA class. He didn't speak much English and pretty much just sat back
and watched everyone else. He was a character though, and I could see the "silly" in him peaking out every now and
then. One day while I was reading to the class he decided to sit next to the window. We had very large windows that
stretched across the entire room. I'm reading to the class and after a while I look up at the students. Most of them are
looking right back at me paying attention to the story. As I glance my eyes around the room, however, I notice that one
student is not paying attention to me or anyone else. It is V* and he is very calmly and methodically licking the same
space on the window over and over. The scene caught me so by surprise that I was in a state of shock. What was this
child doing? I just smiled to myself and thought, "Boys." Then I distracted the other students and took V* into the hallway. I
asked him to go to the nurse and ask for mouth wash to rinse out his mouth. Then class resumed as usual. V* returned,
when to his seat and smiled at me before starting his work.
When I related this cute story to my colleagues (no names of course), I was surprised at how many of them were shocked
and irritated. While I simply accepted it as another one of those things boys tend to do, my colleagues were giving me all
sorts of advice on how to punish him for licking the window. Needless to say I smiled and thanked them for their advice.
Then I ignored every bit of it.
I tell this story to illustrate how very different boys can be in the classroom. They are fidgety. They can be goofy. Boys do
strange things for no apparent reason. They try to act "cool" and have a "rep." They throw things and spit and play rough.
Boys have difficulty sitting still and are more likely to play the drums on their desk than read the chapter. In short, for most
boys being in school all day is like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. It can be a painful experience.
Dr. James Dobson points out that boys are "hard-wired" differently from girls. They have higher levels of Testosterone,
lower levels of Serotonin, and a large amygdala. Basically this means that they engage in risky behaviors (T) without the
benefit of very much (S), which calms emotions, and are more subject to "knee-jerk" reactions because of the larger
amygdala. In short, all of these elements are the main reason why boys generally engage in risky behaviors including
acting out in class, wrestling with other boys, and a seeming lack of common sense.
This is important information to know as a teacher. I believe that the more we know about why boys behave the way they
do, the better we can understand them and meet their needs. There are three books that I especially recommend for
learning more about boys and what makes them "tick." These are Bringing Up Boys by Dr. James
Dobson, The Wonder of Boys
by Michael Gurian, and The Minds
of Boys also co-authored by Michael Gurian. All three are excellent and provide insightful information into the lives of
boys.
So, what are some strategies you can use in the classroom? Below are just a few ideas to help get you started.
1. Read a book about boys to better understand how they work.
2. Provide many opportunities for movement in the classroom. You might allow your very active boys to sit near the back
of the room. This way you can allow them to wiggle, stand up as they need, etc. without disturbing the other students. I
usually work this out on a one-by-one basis with a student as I see they need this modification.
3. Have squeezy balls of all sorts and shapes available. Give them to your fidgety (drumming) boys to squeeze while they
listen or while they work.
4. Allow them to draw or doodle while they listen. Many fidgety boys can listen better if they are doodling/drawing.
5. Get to know your students as individuals. By knowing what interests your more active boys, you can hook into that
interest and get them more involved in their school work.
6. Be understanding. Look further into what may be causing the problem. Is the student getting enough sleep, enough to
eat, is there a problem at home or with another student?
7. Provide a place where students can calm down until they are ready to join the class.
Want to respond and share your own strategies for working with boys in the classroom? Respond to this email and we'll
combine them all together in our Idea Share!
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Inspirational Thought
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The most effective teacher will always be biased,
for the chief force in teaching is confidence and enthusiasm.
~Joyce Cary
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Thoughts for Reflection
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Do you find yourself at a loss for how to deal with the boys in your classroom? What are some of the issues you currently
face with the boys in your classroom? What strategies are you using to help them? Do you find yourself reacting
positively or negatively towards one or more boys in your classroom? Why? What could you do differently so that you are
meeting the needs of the boys in your classroom? Do you feel you understand the boys in your classroom? Why or why
not? Do you feel you tend to want to understand and help them or ignore and punish them for their behaviors in the
classroom? Why? Do you tend to favor the girls or the boys in your classroom? Why? Do more boys tend to get in trouble
in your classroom than girls? Why do you think that is or is not happening? What is your usual reaction when faced with
an active/fidgety boy? an aggressive boy? a boy who shuts down mentally and emotionally? a chatty/inquisitive boy?
What is your usual reaction when faced with an active girl? an aggressive girl? a girl who shuts down mentally and
emotionally? a chatty/inquisitive girl? Is there any difference between your reactions? Why or why not?
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*Feedback
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Want to respond and share with others your own strategies for working with boys in the classroom? Respond to this
email and we'll combine them all together in our Idea Share!
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These thoughts and ideas are brought to you by Emma McDonald co-author of Survival Kit for New
teachers AND the AWARD WINNING Classrooms that SPARK. Find us at
The entire contents of this e-zine are Copyrighted by Inspiring Teachers and Emma McDonald. If you would like
to reprint all or parts of this e-zine, please contact Inspiring Teachers at 972-496-7633 or toll-free at 1-877-496-7633 or
via email to info@inspiringteachers.com