10/23/14: Packed House at Math Club!

Today was a day of mixed emotions.  My homeroom students are a very challenging bunch.  Today due to certain situations they were even extra hard to deal with.  I felt really bad for them. They take FOREVER at their lockers and have been doing really well, but today they just couldn't get it together before recess./lunch and it took them a full 15 minutes to get done.  I was livid.  I needed to get to study hall to help kids that actually wanted to be there other than the kids that had to attend.  We get ready to line up and I realize that half of them did not bring a book.  It was raining today so they  had indoor recess plus it was picture day so they had to sit quietly in the back of the auditorium and read.  I flipped.  I marched them back into the classroom and had them sit with their heads down.  I brought in the two 6th graders who wanted help and worked with them.  I have to say they did sit quietly while I worked with the two students.  I hope my kids were paying attention to what it looked like when a student really wanted the help got what they needed.  I was happy with the interaction with those students.
However, at lunch right afterwards, the 5th/6th graders had silent lunch due to behavior.  So they really didn't have any outlet or downtime the entire day.  I get it, my kids are lucky that they still get recess since we are a K-8 school, but when they lose that to behavior issues like today, the afternoon is shot.  I had them right after lunch, and only for 30 minutes because of the fact it was picture day.  They were rude and obnoxious and I truly felt sorry for the handful of kids that were not acting that way.
So what am I going to do?  I plan to reveiw my rules and expectations tomorrow... (with all classes since even though they are going well, they are also slipping ever so slightly here and there) Then I will feature a new consequence for my class-Leaving the classroom if they are disruptive.  First will be a warning as usual, then they will be asked to leave (with a phone call home) and then when they come back and still continue, they will be assigned a morning detention.

Ok, but on to happier reflections.  Today was our first official day of Math Club.  We had  24 students join us!!!  My classroom only has seats for 18!!  It was awesome!  Yes, I bribed them with snacks and juice, but if you could see their faces, they were smiling and engaged in the math!  The best part were the kids who don't excel in math and have some of the worst grades totally working on problems that were a grade ahead of where they are at and having fun!  I know I wrote a lot about the bad stuff, but if a picture is worth a thousand words, then here are 2,000 words about my great 2014-2015 Math Club!!!

I wish I could post their faces, but the boy in the front of the second picture with his hand up, has had such a rough year so far, he has been bullied by his friends, caused a big share of the problems in my class, but yet here he was smiling ear to ear and having a great time!  I love Math Club! <3