Printer-friendly versionThe boys in my study hall think I hate them.
Because I am constantly demanding silence, because I am constantly reminding them to be courteous of those who are trying to work, because I don’t let them leave the room at will, the boys say I hate them.
I can honestly say I have never hated any student. But this combination of boys is so disruptive and thoughtless in the way they behave, that they do drive me crazier than I’d like.
Middle school boys are funny. They can’t resist touching the stuff on my desk no matter how many times I insist that they don’t. Though many of their female counterparts dream of romance, many boys still write poems dedicated to their moms, or baseball, or a chili cheese hot dog. The girls’ work is mostly precise and detailed, thoughtful and visually appealing. The boys’ work often appears hastily scrawled, perhaps on the bus ride to school or, more likely, in the morning’s homeroom class, minutes before the bell rings.
I’ve always felt that I had an affinity for teaching middle school boys. In fact, the students more likely to visit me once they leave middle school are overwhelmingly male.
So what’s with these boys in my study hall?
To be fair, there are a few things working against me. The study hall is the last period of the day, and most kids have already found time to do whatever homework they’ve gotten. Also, there are no penalties in our school if a student comes to class late (a maddening situation that begs for school-wide resolution), so when the boys wander in well past the bell, there’s not one thing I can do about it except firmly remind them to be on time. Possibly the biggest factor of all is that of the nearly 30 kids in my study hall, more than 20 of them are boys.
A few years ago, I had a similar gender imbalance in one of my classes. Out of 16 students, only two were girls. For the boys, it was their favorite class. And though the girls were great sports, for them, the class was only slightly less painful than a root canal. That many adolescent boys contained in one space simply can’t be calm. They giggle at the slightest thing. The tiniest piece of lint can be a dizzying distraction. Potty humor looms large. More than once, a seemingly innocent statement became the inspiration for a classroom-wide gigglefest. I couldn’t help but laugh with them. But when it came time to work, they worked.
For my current crop of guys, I decided to assign seats in study hall. I noticed a slight improvement in behavior. But the biggest change came when one student asked if he could clean the windowsills. What? He wanted to clean?
He cleaned the windowsills and then the ledges and the desks. Ten other boys raised their hands and asked if I had a job for them. They cleaned and dusted my computers. They hung student work on the classroom walls that I hadn’t had time to hang myself. OK, it might have been a little crooked, but it was still one less job I had to do.
Watching their enthusiastic efforts around the classroom, I realized that without something to do, these boys were positively devilish. I had been under the mistaken impression that these boys didn’t want to help the teacher. But I’ve got the cleanest room in the school thanks to the boys in my study hall.
Sofen is a middle school writing teacher in New Jersey.
Comments
I am shocked to read that a
I am shocked to read that a 'middle school' teacher finally figured out that boys need to be physically busy to succeed happily in their life space! I do not like to hear that a teacher 'requires' absolute silence in anything ... that is very outdated & will not help any child focus in the real world of noise! Perhaps as a teacher, you need to learn more from your students in this department & configure a reward system, where they can make noise & be creative. Wonderful that these boys instinctively solved the classroom problem by cleaning, keeping physically busy, being creative & constructive. Win-win for everyone!
("But I've got the ...." should be written "But I have the..." We would not write "But I have got the....")
Respectfully, a 'writing teacher needs some writing instruction!'
Teaching Tolerance should not be 'dumbing us down!'
Sorry to disagree but there
Sorry to disagree but there are times when people should be absolutly silent. At a funeral, wedding, church service and other times there should be silence out of respect. Most parents don't teach this form of respect and many students only learn about it in school. Part of growing up is learning when to be noisy and when not to be. It's great that the students were able to find an outlet for their need to be physically busy. Learning how and when to be quiet is a very important life lesson too.
Wow, Jennifer. (yes, you got
Wow, Jennifer. (yes, you got me...that's not a sentence) You are surely entitled to your opinion, but your rebuke seems a bit hyperbolic. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt you to loosen up a bit and explore the use of the colloquial in your writing ("I've got").* Considering that voice and compositional risk are prized above all else on our "beloved" standardized tests in NJ, I'd venture to say that Ms. Sofen's modeling the effective use of both is probably a service to her students.
*P.S. No need to work on the abuse of single quotations...you've got that down.
Hello Jennifer, I learned
Hello Jennifer,
I learned long ago that middle school boys need to be physical. Sadly, there isn't always an appropriate time or place for that need during the school day. The challenge in my study hall is that there are other kids who have asked for quiet in order to work. Further, the study hall was given the opportunity to talk quietly as long as they didn't disrupt other kids. That experiment was a miserable failure after just one week, hence the silence. "Absolute" is utterly impossible in middle school, but I must agree that respect for others is a sorely lacking quality not only in middle school, but in our society at large. And yes, I did take some creative license in my deliberate use of informal language and incomplete sentences. The days of formulaic writing are long past, and while some may lament their passing, much of today's writing has an energy and voice that is accessible to everyone. Thank you for your comments.
Jennifer, I respect your
Jennifer,
I respect your opinion of the teacher in question's classroom management techniques. I am a language teacher and encourage cooperative learning, conversation and hands on learning in my classroom at appropriate times. However, your comments about this teacher's teaching ability, based upon her use of written language, was both off topic and inappropriate. I find it ironic and disheartening to read an abusive comment on the discussion board of Tolerance.org. True tolerance does not "dumb us down;" it builds us up!
This says it all: "I find it
This says it all:
"I find it ironic and disheartening to read an abusive comment on the discussion board of Tolerance.org"
I don't think I will read the articles ever again on Tolerance.org. It makes me sad to be a part of the teaching profession!
The articles on this site
The articles on this site have been a source of inspiration and comfort to me in some really challenging teaching situations. This one is no exception. Cruel and snarky comments are no more apprpriate here than n they are in the classroom.
Oh, Jennifer......teaching
Oh, Jennifer......teaching must be tough for you.
I appreciated the honest
I appreciated the honest reflection on a problem that I am sure many middle school teachers share. Balancing the needs of the MS boys to move and be active against the needs of others who need quiet and order to learn is always quite a challenge- not only in a Study Hall, but also in the regular classroom. I, too, have been accused mistakenly of "hating" several boys, but will readily admit I have a few every year that drive me crazy! Let's use this space to give additional, positive strategies on how to manage the situation and not putting down the messenger!
Bravo, Laura! He or she who
Bravo, Laura!
He or she who has never been a study hall "teacher" has no concept of the problems inherent in that situation. It is not really a class; it is a "time."
Years ago I had a last-period-of-the-day study hall with students who were not involved in sports or band. They were "outsiders" in that high school. Usually my study-hall students did not have homework or were too tired by that time of the day to focus on school work. Couldn't they simply put their heads down and take a nap? Absolutely not. Students were not allowed to sleep in class. That was a school-wide rule based on the fear that students who napped might be drug users. At best, study hall was boring for them and for me. Not a wonderful way to end the day.
Also, keep in mind that the principal, carrying out the will of the administration and the school board (elected by the taxpayers) had certain expectations that the study hall "teacher" must meet. I would love to have involved those students in creative activities but the study-hall rules did not allow any deviation. Study halls were abolished the following year in that school, but I remember study hall as my most challenging assignment in all my years as a teacher and school librarian.
What is it with middle school
What is it with middle school boys and cleaning? The first time my most challenging guys offered to clean my room I was sure they were up to something. They loved it and invited their friends. Weird, but in a good way.
Maybe it's the Tom Sawyer
Maybe it's the Tom Sawyer fence painting syndrome?
When it's time to clean our
When it's time to clean our middle school classroom, specifically dusting all the work on all the shelves, my boys take the smallest shelf sections and do a cursory job while the girls take time with the work and are thorough. My boys rarely volunteer to help with anything, and if asked to do something will try to delegate it to someone else. I do believe it is primarily the set of boys currently in our middle school classroom.
The most important thought
The most important thought that I found in Jennifer's article is: "... without something to do, these boys are positively devilish." I didn't skim her article with the intention of editing it for errors, so I have no comment for the others who did. When I read that particular realization by Jennifer, I underlined it because it is very true. However, I think that taking the idea too literally is counterproductive. Having something to do also can be academic. Providing the boys with academic work that is achievable would keep them busy, help them academically, and boost their self-confidence. The work that she gives them could be geared toward learning about responsibility and proper behavior or be academic. Completion of the work could be their "exit" ticket at the end of the study hall.
Thank you for sharing your
Thank you for sharing your experience with keeping boys engaged. As a middle school librarian I often have many students in the library and computer lab during their study hall working on various projects and assignments. A colleague and I coined the phrase "productive noise" which is not only allowed but encouraged. Students (boys and girls) learn much from each other when they collaborate. Coincidentally, when students are working with "productive noise" around them they all become very focused in their own work.
Sounds like the Tom Sawyer
Sounds like the Tom Sawyer effect is still alive and working it's magic. I think it is great that the students found a solution rather than you. Ninth grade boys, of which I am most familiar, are the same. Put a bunch of them together and it can get ugly, especially if a grade is not involved. Perhaps you could bring in magazines that might interest them once the cleaning is finished!
When I was a principal we
When I was a principal we dropped study hall and added 10 minutes to the end of each class period for students to begin their assignments with the support of their teacher. Students were appreciative of the support and motivated to not have so much homework.