Friday-Student Choice: Embrace the Chaos: Teacher Demo

I learned to “embrace the chaos” while serving in the Peace Corps in Bangladesh, but I never imagined that more than ten years later, I’d still be learning how to do it in my U.S. classroom.

For the second year in a row, my Level 4 EL (English Learner) Skills class is my last class of the day. Although I think I have an amazing class full of 10th and 11th graders, it’s a challenge. Let me explain. My class is full of students from around the globe who are almost fully fluent orally in English. However, their reading and writing skills as well as academic vocabulary and content still need time and work. These students attend rigorous classes all day, but tend not to talk much in class or interact with students outside the EL world. For this reason, our 6^th period class rolls around and students finally feel comfortable in a classroom and ready to pair-share the hour away!

I am thankful that my students get along so well and feel so at home in my classroom. And I understand how they must be craving the interaction and comfort level of EL 4 at the end of the day. However, the chatter and off-topic questions or comments are my biggest challenge as a teacher. We have established classroom norms and I think my participation clipboard is helping, but I may need another new strategy this year. If you have any ideas, let me know!

In the meantime, we’ll embrace the chaos and keep plugging along in hopes that the chatter will die down and students will get down to business. I suppose it’s not so bad to have a classroom full of kids who trust their teacher, feel comfortable enough to express themselves and ask awkward questions, and enjoy each other’s company!