Part of the tips for newbies series:

Lunch detentions work especially well for classroom management. Yes, giving up a peaceful lunch is tough. But you may find those quieter minutes with a few students in your classroom to be some of the best minutes of the year. Students talk at lunch. They share.

Overt defiance, disrespect and insubordination allow you to write immediate referrals to administration, rescuing classroom instructional minutes. Those referrals should not reflect badly on your management. If Ozzie refused to do his classwork, told you he did not have to listen to you, and then ripped up his paper, no one will think badly of you for referring Ozzie. A student who acts that far off the chain almost always has racked up a long paperwork trail behind him. The administration already knows Ozzie. If not, his last school most likely warned them he was coming.

Still, I might not write that referral immediately in August or September or even October. Ideally, I want to convince Ozzie to join my class. I’d rather start by giving him a detention with me. If lunch detention does not work because of scheduling conflicts, I might set up detention in the library after school instead.*

I want to talk with Ozzie, to try to find out why he ripped up his paper. Lots of Ozzies are acting out because they have fallen so far behind that they prefer to get in trouble rather than be embarrassed. I would probably call home on that shredded assignment, but I might also let that first incident pass without calling, letting Ozzie know that I chose to give him a second chance rather than calling parents/guardians+ immediately. I might do the paper with him. Sometimes, when you give Ozzie a second chance along with the tutoring he needs to understand the assignment he ripped up, Ozzie will give you a second chance.

Those defiant, insubordinate students are often leaders within their peer groups. If a teacher can convince them to buy into the program, they bring other students in with them. You may not be able to pull an Ozzie in, but when you can, the results are worth the struggle. These students can be top-notch first officers as you captain your classroom, helping to keep routines and disciplinary procedures running smoothly. The truth is, I love my Ozzies and I think they sense that. Rebels appeal to me. This country and most of the world was built by rebels.

Eduhonesty: Sometimes that torn paper is a secret test by a kid. Early insubordination can be used to find out what sort of a person you are. There’s a dilemma here: You have to keep control of your classroom, and that means not letting rude remarks and defiance go unremarked and unchallenged. You must react. But rude behavior can also be an opportunity, a reason to issue Ozzie a detention. Detentions offer you an opening, a chance to spend small group or individual time with students who are sometimes just begging to be understood.

You might lay in snacks for detention days. Those little bags of chips don’t cost too much, especially if you belong to Costco or Sam’s Club, and they provide a natural start for conversation. “Which chip is your favorite?” gives a student a chance to start talking about himself or herself on a topic that’s not too personal.

Have a great year!

*It’s better not to be alone with students after school, troubled students in particular, so I recommend libraries or other public places. I also recommend keeping the door to your classroom open during detentions.