From this post http://acupcakefortheteacher.blogspot.com/2012/03/meet-pencil-police-and-your-new-best.html?m=1 I get that you have to manage a classroom of many students who are easily distracted...but this just seems so....much like herding cattle... It seems to dehumanize the students, IMHO. No respect for the little people, just total submission to authority... Yet people worry about homeschoolers being properly 'socialized'...I don't get it. Does this rub anyone else the wrong way?
What popped in my mind was how I am always telling my littles to use their words. How do you teach them respect and manners while no talking? We had a fifth grade teacher that issued the students water bottles and then turned around and used the point of having them to belittle one of the girls who was overweight. No matter what our hsing adventure has been like, I do not have any regrets.
The no words thing doesn't bother me. I can imagine that silently asking allows a teacher to continue to teach while a child exchanges a pencil. In other words, the whole class isn't interrupted by one student's needs. I'm sure pencil exchanges must be frequent. However, I wonder about the spread of germs by all kids sharing pencils.
As a classroom teacher, I have actually used silent hand signals. Before I get booed offstage, let me explain how and when they are used. I would use them when in the process of actually teaching a lesson. The signals would allow a child's needs to be met without having to stop the entire flow of the lesson. Keep in mind, in a classroom of at least 22 children, there can be MANY disruptions if boundaries aren't put up somewhere. Children in my class were given ample time during the day to express themselves through discussions, group activities, free work time etc. If someone had an emergency- bathroom, hurt, etc then of course, he/she could raise a hand mid lesson and I would help them. The signals are for the small stuff- dull pencils, kleenex, another piece of paper etc.
I agree... the rule doesn't bother me if used in the context of a lesson in progress, a test in progress, etc. where others don't want to be distracted. Think how quiet a library is supposed to be. If everyone is yelling "teacher, teacher!" over every little thing, it's extremely distracting. At home we have the luxery of having very few distractions. In a classroom, every little sneeze is tough for some kids (SPD, ADHD, etc.). But then... isn't PS all about herding cattle (or cats) anyway? :|
It doesn't really bother me. I can see the need of it in a classroom setting. If five children need new pencils during the lesson, that will interrupt, and drag out the lesson, and distract those children who really need to focus. I think we homeschoolers sometimes get a little spoiled in that we are able to address each need individually, whereas in public, there just aren't the resources, which is of course, one of the main reasons we homeschool in the first place!
I was thinking that this was during testing maybe? I know that a lot of schools around here do that practice during PSSA's but only then. THAT makes sense to me, not making a huge deal of it, and not distracting the others taking the test. However, on a day to day basis? No. Don't like it. Don't like it at all.
I completely understand why a rule like this would be necessary. And THAT is what I have a problem with. Yes, this is the best way for a classroom to function the way it is intended; but that just shows how poor the intentions are.
I think it's fine. Apparently my 5 year old who is in ELL & Kindergarten all day has a hand signal to notify the teacher she needs to use the bathroom. First time she sat at the dinner table and stuck her hand up and I finally "called" on her - she's said "Mom - that's the bathroom signal - I need to GO!!" LOL No one told me about the "bathroom signal"... But with younger kids, I can totally see this working in a classroom.
I like the policy in a classroom setting. One of teh biggest complaints my dd7 had about her classroom was that it was noisy and hard to concentrate. She has SPD and is overly sensitive to what many would find a normal noise or feel. We have to cut most tags out of her clothes, pants have to be at an exact spot on her body with exactly the right amount of tightness and looseness, socks have to be lined up 100% right(a task that it is not uncommon to take 10min or more). Her classes prior to 2nd grade were just as large but the teachers required students to work quietly, raise hands, etc. Basic school rules. Her 2nd grade teacher didn't require these things and says well we just have a noisy classroom even when these things with my dd were brought to her attention. A rule like this would help reduce some of the noise and not lose the focus of the kids. Imagine a spelling test in which your pencil breaks and you raise your hand and ask for a new one, then another student does during the next word, and so forth through 5 or 6 words. The students have all lost their focus multiple times, kids keep getting up and down(another distraction), and the noise level is such that a teacher isn't able to be heard well by the students.
I don't think that is really that bad at all. She found a way to let the kids get a new sharpened pencil without the added distraction of asking out loud. I really believe that strict rules don't make a classroom horrible. I think it all depends on the attitude behind those rules and we can't really see that without being there. Some teachers are rather strict but have a good relationship with their students. The students know if they are respected or not.
I have to agree, I don't think it is a bad idea. When you are dealing with such a large number of kids, you have to try and limit the number of disctractions you have. Other wise the teacher will never be able to get any lessons completed. One thing that a lot of kids are lacking today are rules, which is why they get so out of control. If a teacher can find a way to get them to listen, learn, and show respect, I'm all for it.