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A.G., you have entered a challenging situation given the inconsistencies your students have experienced and the fact that you are there mid-year. Being at a loss on your 3rd day is not surprising as it often takes teachers a while to get a handle on classrooms when they are there from day one. Give yourself permission to learn as you go, and stick with your resolve not to acquiesce to student demands that prevent them from learning.

Since the school is well-organized, I am guessing there are clearly established procedures regarding office referrals and the consequences of receiving one. If you don't have a written copy of them, be sure to get one so you can inform students of the requirements of your job and that you will be enforcing them. Leaving the classroom without permission is truancy and you should never ignore it but should follow the school procedures for dealing with it. This is a safety/liability issue; those students are to be under your supervision and when they are not, you are unable to ensure their safety.

I recommend that you learn every student's name as quickly as you can. The first year I taught middle schoolers, I did not make this a priority. The second year and every year after that, I took small-group shots of students, asked reliable students or office personnel to help me label them, and then I STUDIED hard every night until I knew students' names. Because this was a challenging task for me, it usually took me about 2 weeks to be completely comfortable with all those names. I took class time to test myself, and students appreciated the effort. It made an enormous difference in the classroom behaviors. I also purposefully learned the names of some well-behaved kids first and sometimes "forgot" names of students with behavior issues at the beginning so students didn't receive reinforcement for drawing negative attention to themselves, as in, "All the teachers know her name. She's always in trouble." Instead, with those students, I tried to notice something positive to attach to their name, such as,"Oh yes, I remember your name. You shared a pencil when Marvin didn't have one yesterday."

I also encourage you to reframe the classroom expectations with positive rather than negative language. For example, instead of "no cellphones", you might remind students that "Cellphones are to be turned off and put out of sight." Instead of "no walking around" you could tell a student "Right now you need to be in your seat." (It helps if you can also tell the student when he will be out of his seat, for example, "In ten minutes, students who have worked at least 4 problems will be allowed to compare answers with a partner.")

You would likely benefit from reading other questions and answers on this discussion board, even those that don't appear to be related to your issue or your grade level, because a response might trigger an idea that would work for your students.

Hang in there!

A.G., you might want to read the discussion topic "Out of Control Class" begun by Julie T. in early December. It includes an explanation of a participation points system. Julie has let me know that she tried it with her 8th graders and it worked well.

Thanks so much Kate.  Today for the first time, I don't have to call any parents this evening, and no one walked out of the room!  I took your suggestion to make sure I use positive language, and I appreciate your encouragement to stick to my rules; I think I really needed to hear someone tell me not to back down!  I am very optimistic that with perseverance I will be able to get my students under control.  

You are quite welcome. Congratulations on your progress toward a well-managed classroom!

Another thought... I know making more phone calls, especially on a Friday, might be the last thing you want to do, but to further reinforce the positive change in your students' behavior, it might be a good idea to give the parents you contacted earlier another call with the good news. If you do, focus the conversation on what the student has done and not about what you have done to make that happen. I have had good results with this strategy because parents appreciate knowing that their child has started making good decisions. Just keep it brief without mentioning the earlier bad behavior. For example, "I want you to know that James had a great day (or 2 great days) in math class!"  not "James has really turned his behavior around." If it is possible to also be briefly specific about the behavior, I recommend doing so. For example, "During instruction, he asked an excellent question that helped make the directions clearer for the class," or "He finished Friday's assignment and handed it in before he left class," or "He used the 15 minutes of work time very well."

Thanks Kate.  That is a great idea.  You've been very, very helpful.  Unfortunately most of those students got caught in a hall sweep yesterday so I thought it might seem disingenuous to say that the students have been doing well in class when they haven't been there!  But I will do so on Monday or Tuesday.  And I hope to write back at the beginning of next semester with a positive update also.  Thanks so much!

A.G.: Not all that many years ago I was faced with similar classrooms. (Well, it was back in the 1980’s, but to my memory it’s still fresh.)
Here’s my advice—give the class some writing assignments early on. Make it very clear that you enjoy them and that you want to get to know your students better, and the only way that can happen is for them to tell you something about themselves. Some good topics: Describe the world as you see it. If you could have a million dollars, what would you buy? (requires at least ten things on your list) If a magic bus/limo came to the school and said you could go on a fantasy trip, where would you go and what would you do? etc. Make sure they get points for each assignment. Busy students are happy students. You do not have to grade these in detail. Just a check or “check plus.” And write something upbeat on each paper. “I like your idea” or anything positive. You can go around while they are writing and smile and nod, look at names and perhaps put a check on a clipboard list. Those who are stuck, you can put a mark on their paper and ask them to write “to that mark.” Every class is different, but that kind of lesson worked for me. Also, they learned that I was going to be “their teacher” and not “just a sub.” If they realize you are a friendly teacher and one who is taking ownership over their well being, they will want to take more effort to get to know you. Good luck. RWE

Thanks Robert for those ideas.  I started this semester off more positively and tried to share more about myself and let them share more about themselves.  Most of my students seemed willing to start over and I had a pretty good first day!

A.G.—
Glad to hear about your positive first day. Continue to be genuine with your students. They will respect you because they will find a basic humanity to connect with.

My first day, yesterday, was very rugged because I have been suffering from a bronchial infection. I am past being contagious but certainly did not feel well. Still, the first day of the semester is an awkward time to put in a substitute, so I went.
I explained my circumstances, kept my physical distance, and gave them simple writing projects. The students were wonderful. These were new students for me, so they really do not know me yet. But I think it went quite well. I showed a TWILIGHT ZONE episode in my tenth grade class. Called THE OBSOLETE MAN in which a man is on trial for being useless to society . Had a mini-lesson in which we talked about whether we relegate some people to our social scrap heap because they don’t have a job skill or are elderly or handicapped or that their job has been supplanted by technology. I had to do very little talking, just gave them a worthwhile topic and got the class started.

I hope you have a wonderful and productive remainder of the year, 2012. RWE

Thanks Robert.  I hope that you're feeling better and again, I really appreciate the encouragement. I hope the remainder of your year is wonderful and productive as well.  Thanks.

A.G. — Thanks, I’m feeling much better and looking forward to school tomorrow. Just wanted to add my voice to Kate’s suggestion about learning names. For me, that’s a toughie. Our school switches students every semester, not just once a year. And so many of our Asian students have similar names. I have even had two students with the SAME name in the SAME class, both first and last. So, a seating chart as soon as possible certainly helps. Some students are not keen on getting their photos taken, but if students sit the same place every day, that helps. And I call roll, especially at first, so I say the name and I look at the student. It takes a bit longer than just looking at the chart, but it’s worth it. If a student is aware that you have taken the trouble to learn their names, that says “You are important to me.” Everyone wants to feel worthwhile.
rwe