I had a hard hard class yesterday. Usually most of the disruptive and distracting behaviors come from 10-20% of the class. Yesterday, the disruptive and distracting behaviors came from 60% of the class. Add to this two kids on contracts with some serious consequences (like 3rd warning parent will be called to take home). I used all my tricks and skills to build rapports with students in this class but despite this, one of the contract kids ended up yelling at a hapless classmate. I witnessed it and there was no provocation.
I activated the contract consequences but did take the time to explain why his behavior was not OK.
At the end of the day, the boy who got in trouble accepted the consequence and was willing to try to behave better the next day. The hapless classmate hugged me after dismissal and told me how he hoped I would return to substitute again. I felt as if the stress of the day melted away. This is why I teach; we do make a difference.
Yeah, those are the worst days. But it's always a good reminder that when we take care of the problem student, other students are grateful. They have to put up with the behaviors all the time, and many subs won't discipline the kid.
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