New reader here. First, you’re a great storyteller. Two posts and I feel as though I can hear you speak. Super characterization all around - the dad, the kids, everyone. I had no idea what was going to happen. As a long time teacher of a different subject to many different kinds of students, I’m telling you that your kids are lucky to have you because you care enough about them to risk being humiliated. I’m fist-bumping you. 🤜🏻
I just read about how students are totally unresponsive and bored in class, when separated from their phones. It sounds like the kids need to tell the teachers how to engage with them. Covid and technology have taken a big toll.
As far as I can tell, its very dependant on the teacher with how engaged the students are. Tech is just the most recent challenge we have to deal with. I will say for myself, as much as it sucked that that kid reacted the way he did, no one can tell me he wasn't engaged in the game.
New here, love the story and love the page! A question and also perhaps unsolicited advice from a non-teacher, but someone who works in an environment where negotiation and power struggles are very common. Right after you call "Not in!" and the student starts to complain, why did you continue with an explanation? By trying to give an explanation in the moment ("Your back foot was outside the end zone when you caught it [...]"), it only opens the door for further rebuttal (which he gave by storming off). Instead, sticking to just "Not in! One more pass to score, x team needs one more pass to score!" doesn't open up the situation to rebuttal. This won't guarantee he won't storm off (as you say, he still has trouble controlling his emotions) but it at least does not INVITE the behavior. Additionally, it helps continue to teach/reinforce roles and responsibilities, as the referee makes the calls, and the players have to deal with them (by attempting another pass). I.e., the teaching moment from perhaps a sports perspective is that the ruling on the fields are not a negotiation. When you're not in a negotiation, there's no need to explain 'your side' - especially not in the exact moment when tension is high. You mention your thoughts "A student who couldn’t get out of his own skull and just realize he needed to make one more pass." but how could he? You engaged him in a debate, so he's now fully focused only on the debate of whether he's in or out. Immature people (kids and adults lol) are not always capable of self-regulating priority, so their thought process just locks into whatever is right in front of them, which in this case was "the debate". By only repeating back "x team needs one more pass!" it attempts to put this thought (winning the game) higher in their attention's priority. A small thing, but I see as worth mentioning, because as an outside viewer it really seems as if you unknowingly instigated the 'meltdown'.
Not a bad point at all. A solid reflection from writing both of these pieces has made me consider that, I might not be bad at this teaching thing...but my ability to properly referee games could certainly use some work.
We teachers are always teaching, explaining, and trying to reach our students. Sometimes (often) to our own detriment. No explanation might yield a faster short-term solution, but not lasting understanding. Our students are ours for the whole year, possibly longer. So we seek mutual understanding to build rapport.
I have the rare situation where every freshman I teach is going to be with me for the next four years. So i place a premium on rapport and relationship building. But I also believe in letting kids figure it out first. The profession is endlessly complex - part of the reason I love it.
As the parent of someone with great cognitive skills but also with a severe social-emotional disability, I can definitely say that a) a week is not long enough to internalize the social-emotional lessons you imparted, even when they completely understand it on an intellectual/logical level, and b) allowing for greater autonomy is often the counterintuitive but very effective solution. Kudos to you for figuring it out. It's something I learn over and over again.
I have no doubt, I’ll have to relearn the lesson multiple times. And a week is never enough, couldn’t agree more. It always the long game with these social emotional lessons. A long game with constant reminders. Good luck with the kid - I’m glad you give teaching a long term view.
New reader and I just want to say that I appreciate you sharing your stories. As my middle child is looking toward a career in education, with focus on kids who require a special touch, I'll be sharing your words with her. Thank you. Also as a former unathletic kid turned unathletic adult it's nice to see a PE teacher so tuned in to all his students. My eldest child is autistic and always struggled with athletics. The teacher who was their biggest cheerleader was the PE teacher who constantly was reaching out and communicating with us about ways to gently guide Max and uplift them. I would get emails on a Saturday at midnight with details on how she would approach certain things to give Max the support they needed to make it. Thanks for being another thoughtful PE teacher.
Kids at that age have a strong feeling for fairness. If the girls are allowed to travel, then why can't I? Umh, because you actually know and understand the rules?
To them it doesn't matter, fair is fair. No double standards.
We always talk about 'channeling' the students' energy in positive directions. Allowing him to ref was a good call. With his super critical eye, he makes a good ref, while at a same time gets to appreciate the difficulty and naunces of your position. Nice.
Now I just got to find a way to apply that same strategy in my English class...
Ahhh. An English teacher. Someone of true service. I actually got my bachelors in English Education and then got a masters in P.E.. Realized I liked the kids, but not their writing.
Maybe a system where students peer review each other's writing and the peers get half (or maybe a quarter) say in what the grade should be for the paper? Dunno - try it, fail miserably, then try it again and fail slightly better is usually my formula for trying new shit with kids.
A P.E . Teacher is a very important part of a young person’s life for sure because in your classes, there is the application of real life experiences and how you navigate them as you go through in your case , winning or losing , making mistakes , how to encourage others to learn from it and grow social skills ! Especially how to control the emotions in the moment especially with those competitive types 😀All this to say , thank you for being a light to this kids 👍👍
Appreciate the compliment! I just said a dozen times at parent teacher conferences, I don't really care if they can tell me the rules of handball, but I do care how they communicate with their teammates during the handball game.
I really want to shout out how cool it is that you gave the student who came up with the solution the spotlight for her idea. You could have easily taken the credit yourself. But the collaborative spirit you have with your kids is inspiring and it shows even in the way you tell stories.
Not always...but generally speaking, the more ownership the kids have over the class the more smoothly it runs. The more I can incorporate their ideas into the classroom the less work I have to do on the management side of things. It was a great idea on Casandra's part. Thanks for the shout out!
I read both stories and my reflection was this: many many men never get past being pissed off when they don’t get their way. And all of us carry that stain.
I think part of teaching is modeling how you deal with your own emotions in front of the kids. Provide them with a blueprint for how to deal with stressful situations.
I think people in general like other confident people. Its something I talk about in health class a lot. Confidence comes partly from knowing what your insecurities are and being okay with. Narcissism comes from bringing people down who mirror the traits you dislike in yourself. A lot of times teachers will lash out against kids when they realize they're wrong but they don't want to be. Its something I did a lot as a younger teacher.
Glen, my main hope is that when my kids talk about the high school gym teacher they had 10 years ago, they say something along the lines of...."yeah. that dude. he was pretty jacked."
More than a win - you made a human connection with a student who will remember this for a long time, and you were able to model responsible respectable adult behavior. You’re in charge. They want your strength and guidance. Good job teach!💥🏆🤩
Appreciate it PJ! I view teaching as a long term gamble. The gamble is the short term lessons that make minor differences in my classroom hopefully make long term differences in student lives. The bitch of it all is that you'll never really know. You cross your fingers and try anyway.
Been there. So many stories. I had one of my middle school students, who went on to high school, show up for open house one night with his younger sister. He was different. Looked me in the eye and casually commented on what an asshole he’d been in my class. We chatted and had a good talk. He behaved like an adult- what a surprise!
Middle school is just a torturous time.
Boys have it really hard in school….nobody should have to sit all day. Lastly, it would be great if there were more men teaching. You know what I mean.
I really enjoyed your 2-part story! Your approach reminds me of my behavior-management hero, Michael Linsin, who writes blogs on his Smart Classroom Management website. He's also a high school PE teacher--I think you two would get on well!
Oooohhh, I'm always a sucker for checking out what another professional is up to in the classroom management space. I'll be sure to check him out. Also, new high school teacher!?! Awesome. Enjoy the profession as best you can.
New reader here. First, you’re a great storyteller. Two posts and I feel as though I can hear you speak. Super characterization all around - the dad, the kids, everyone. I had no idea what was going to happen. As a long time teacher of a different subject to many different kinds of students, I’m telling you that your kids are lucky to have you because you care enough about them to risk being humiliated. I’m fist-bumping you. 🤜🏻
A fist bump! Now thats the good stuff. Appreciate it.
Good storyteller and a teacher who isn't afraid to learn from his students.
Nice :)
Pretty much the name of the game. See what doesn't work and work from there.
I just read about how students are totally unresponsive and bored in class, when separated from their phones. It sounds like the kids need to tell the teachers how to engage with them. Covid and technology have taken a big toll.
As far as I can tell, its very dependant on the teacher with how engaged the students are. Tech is just the most recent challenge we have to deal with. I will say for myself, as much as it sucked that that kid reacted the way he did, no one can tell me he wasn't engaged in the game.
Yeah a fist bump 👊 is more than appropriate 👍👍
New here, love the story and love the page! A question and also perhaps unsolicited advice from a non-teacher, but someone who works in an environment where negotiation and power struggles are very common. Right after you call "Not in!" and the student starts to complain, why did you continue with an explanation? By trying to give an explanation in the moment ("Your back foot was outside the end zone when you caught it [...]"), it only opens the door for further rebuttal (which he gave by storming off). Instead, sticking to just "Not in! One more pass to score, x team needs one more pass to score!" doesn't open up the situation to rebuttal. This won't guarantee he won't storm off (as you say, he still has trouble controlling his emotions) but it at least does not INVITE the behavior. Additionally, it helps continue to teach/reinforce roles and responsibilities, as the referee makes the calls, and the players have to deal with them (by attempting another pass). I.e., the teaching moment from perhaps a sports perspective is that the ruling on the fields are not a negotiation. When you're not in a negotiation, there's no need to explain 'your side' - especially not in the exact moment when tension is high. You mention your thoughts "A student who couldn’t get out of his own skull and just realize he needed to make one more pass." but how could he? You engaged him in a debate, so he's now fully focused only on the debate of whether he's in or out. Immature people (kids and adults lol) are not always capable of self-regulating priority, so their thought process just locks into whatever is right in front of them, which in this case was "the debate". By only repeating back "x team needs one more pass!" it attempts to put this thought (winning the game) higher in their attention's priority. A small thing, but I see as worth mentioning, because as an outside viewer it really seems as if you unknowingly instigated the 'meltdown'.
Not a bad point at all. A solid reflection from writing both of these pieces has made me consider that, I might not be bad at this teaching thing...but my ability to properly referee games could certainly use some work.
And welcome to the page! Hope you enjoy
We teachers are always teaching, explaining, and trying to reach our students. Sometimes (often) to our own detriment. No explanation might yield a faster short-term solution, but not lasting understanding. Our students are ours for the whole year, possibly longer. So we seek mutual understanding to build rapport.
I have the rare situation where every freshman I teach is going to be with me for the next four years. So i place a premium on rapport and relationship building. But I also believe in letting kids figure it out first. The profession is endlessly complex - part of the reason I love it.
The way I was GLUED to this story. You are a great writer, man.
Not everyday a P.E. teacher gets to hear that compliment! Thank you.
As the parent of someone with great cognitive skills but also with a severe social-emotional disability, I can definitely say that a) a week is not long enough to internalize the social-emotional lessons you imparted, even when they completely understand it on an intellectual/logical level, and b) allowing for greater autonomy is often the counterintuitive but very effective solution. Kudos to you for figuring it out. It's something I learn over and over again.
I have no doubt, I’ll have to relearn the lesson multiple times. And a week is never enough, couldn’t agree more. It always the long game with these social emotional lessons. A long game with constant reminders. Good luck with the kid - I’m glad you give teaching a long term view.
New reader and I just want to say that I appreciate you sharing your stories. As my middle child is looking toward a career in education, with focus on kids who require a special touch, I'll be sharing your words with her. Thank you. Also as a former unathletic kid turned unathletic adult it's nice to see a PE teacher so tuned in to all his students. My eldest child is autistic and always struggled with athletics. The teacher who was their biggest cheerleader was the PE teacher who constantly was reaching out and communicating with us about ways to gently guide Max and uplift them. I would get emails on a Saturday at midnight with details on how she would approach certain things to give Max the support they needed to make it. Thanks for being another thoughtful PE teacher.
Max has an incredible P.E. teacher. I salute him/her. Also, appreacite the compliment.
Good. Job. I wish we had more teachers like you growing up
Appreciate that. I always hope everyone gets at least one good teacher going through k-12. They’re difference makers.
Kids at that age have a strong feeling for fairness. If the girls are allowed to travel, then why can't I? Umh, because you actually know and understand the rules?
To them it doesn't matter, fair is fair. No double standards.
We always talk about 'channeling' the students' energy in positive directions. Allowing him to ref was a good call. With his super critical eye, he makes a good ref, while at a same time gets to appreciate the difficulty and naunces of your position. Nice.
Now I just got to find a way to apply that same strategy in my English class...
Ahhh. An English teacher. Someone of true service. I actually got my bachelors in English Education and then got a masters in P.E.. Realized I liked the kids, but not their writing.
Maybe a system where students peer review each other's writing and the peers get half (or maybe a quarter) say in what the grade should be for the paper? Dunno - try it, fail miserably, then try it again and fail slightly better is usually my formula for trying new shit with kids.
Appreciate your work!
A P.E . Teacher is a very important part of a young person’s life for sure because in your classes, there is the application of real life experiences and how you navigate them as you go through in your case , winning or losing , making mistakes , how to encourage others to learn from it and grow social skills ! Especially how to control the emotions in the moment especially with those competitive types 😀All this to say , thank you for being a light to this kids 👍👍
Appreciate the compliment! I just said a dozen times at parent teacher conferences, I don't really care if they can tell me the rules of handball, but I do care how they communicate with their teammates during the handball game.
Absolutely 💯! Go they communicate is key 👍👍
I really want to shout out how cool it is that you gave the student who came up with the solution the spotlight for her idea. You could have easily taken the credit yourself. But the collaborative spirit you have with your kids is inspiring and it shows even in the way you tell stories.
Not always...but generally speaking, the more ownership the kids have over the class the more smoothly it runs. The more I can incorporate their ideas into the classroom the less work I have to do on the management side of things. It was a great idea on Casandra's part. Thanks for the shout out!
Thank you for teaching our kids!
Weirdly enough I love this job. I'm thankful I get to teach em. Thanks!
Bit by bit. 👍😁
Damn straight!
I read both stories and my reflection was this: many many men never get past being pissed off when they don’t get their way. And all of us carry that stain.
I think part of teaching is modeling how you deal with your own emotions in front of the kids. Provide them with a blueprint for how to deal with stressful situations.
I wish more men were adept at this and willing to lead. Men need to step up and act right because most women are over it.
I think people in general like other confident people. Its something I talk about in health class a lot. Confidence comes partly from knowing what your insecurities are and being okay with. Narcissism comes from bringing people down who mirror the traits you dislike in yourself. A lot of times teachers will lash out against kids when they realize they're wrong but they don't want to be. Its something I did a lot as a younger teacher.
Inspirational!
Thanks!
You definitely fit your profile name.
Way to go, Teach.
Glen, my main hope is that when my kids talk about the high school gym teacher they had 10 years ago, they say something along the lines of...."yeah. that dude. he was pretty jacked."
Everything else is icing on the cake.
More than a win - you made a human connection with a student who will remember this for a long time, and you were able to model responsible respectable adult behavior. You’re in charge. They want your strength and guidance. Good job teach!💥🏆🤩
Appreciate it PJ! I view teaching as a long term gamble. The gamble is the short term lessons that make minor differences in my classroom hopefully make long term differences in student lives. The bitch of it all is that you'll never really know. You cross your fingers and try anyway.
Been there. So many stories. I had one of my middle school students, who went on to high school, show up for open house one night with his younger sister. He was different. Looked me in the eye and casually commented on what an asshole he’d been in my class. We chatted and had a good talk. He behaved like an adult- what a surprise!
Middle school is just a torturous time.
Boys have it really hard in school….nobody should have to sit all day. Lastly, it would be great if there were more men teaching. You know what I mean.
🦋(not a man😀)
New high school ESL teacher here--
I really enjoyed your 2-part story! Your approach reminds me of my behavior-management hero, Michael Linsin, who writes blogs on his Smart Classroom Management website. He's also a high school PE teacher--I think you two would get on well!
Oooohhh, I'm always a sucker for checking out what another professional is up to in the classroom management space. I'll be sure to check him out. Also, new high school teacher!?! Awesome. Enjoy the profession as best you can.
Thanks! I'm trying to!