The principal told me to have a stronger hand on the reigns, so I read the teacher and student handbook to get a grasp of the rules. I sent a letter home (only about half left the classroom) explaining who I was, and the three main rules I would be enforcing, since they are already on the books. The first, no food or drinks in the class, second was the tardy rule, and the third was that cell phones would be taken up. The students freaked out that I was taking away snack and play time.
These are seniors, some its thier second shot. As a young teacher I know I need to put my foot down, but as a former high school student (class of '01) I know that sometimes you need to unwind, but not every day, and only when the teacher says so. The teacher is the athority in the classroom, not the student.
I went and got a stack of minor diciplin tickets and pre filled out some with different infractions, everything but the name and date. There are still some problems, but it has been cut down drastically. Wait till after thanksgiving break, then they will see an even more demanding teacher.
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