Name Date Period Exit Ticket: Fill & Download for Free

Some great tactics here already. I would just like to add that this is a pretty common problem with teachers who are just starting out. I feel for ya. Been there. Your management skills will improve with time and experience. You do have exhibit confidence however (even if you are not feeling it... lol) and be assertive. Fearless lol... look em straight in the eye and use your no-nonsense voice until they are settled and on task.Many teachers make the mistake of trying to be the kid's friend instead of teacher at first. Business first. Establish those friendly relationships later. You may have to go a week without smiling ;)The following strategies work for me. They have grown out of my own personal philosophy of teaching along with quite a bit of trial and error. It will feel a little like a bag of tricks to you at first... but it will do until you develop your own.Have clear expectations & logical consequences. Give them the broad strokes in a handout.eg) In this class we:- demonstrate respect for ourselves, for one another and for the facility.- arrive on time.- bring the materials we need to every class.- hand assignments in on time.Be consistent. Follow through. Be fair... but FIRM. In my classroom leaving the class for any reason is frowned upon. I let them know this on the first day. I tell them to bring water bottles if they need to hydrate frequently,and to use the bathrooms before or after the class or during breaks (recess). I let them know they can use the bathroom in emergencies but forget about asking me to leave the class for anything else. If they forgot something in their locker I have them buddy up with a student to share their textbook, I provide them with that pencil or eraser or ask them to borrow one from a neighbor, I will give them a book to read from my own collection. They know my expectations so within a couple of days they stop asking. Once in a while I will let them go to their locker but that is the exception not the rule (firm, but fair).I don't collect cell phones at the beginning of class but many of my colleagues do. I do remind students they must ask permission EVERY time they need to use them however and only for research or schoolwork. Occasionally if they need to text mom or dad I will let them... but I make them step out to do so. If I see them with their phone out and they have not asked permission it is mine for the rest of the class. Everytime. No exceptions. I don't care what they were using it for. I don't even ask them for their phone. I just put my hand out and they put it there... lol. They know the expectation. If it becomes a reoccurring problem I keep it for the day. Once... maybe twice after this and it is no longer a problem.Speaking of which the reason I don't ask for their phone is they will always argue. Never discuss, bargain or argue. No power struggles. It is your way or the highway. Learn the word "No." Love it. Noooo. Oooo see how good that sounds... lol. You will need it. Just keep repeating it and eventually the kid (or administrator asking you to take on another sport or activity... lol) will comply. Sometimes I like to say it even before kid finishes their sentence."Can I...""No.""Can I sit...""No.""You don't even know...""No. You were going to ask if you could sit next to Jenny. No."... and then the new kid asks "why not?" but at that point I am already off and talking to the next kid about the assignment.It should be every teacher's favorite word.Establish routines. These are powerful... a bell task on the board when they come in at the beginning of class and you take attendance. The morning announcements/teacher spiel. Silent reading. Clean up time. etc. If you can do these at the same time every class they become automatic. Recognize that transitioning from one task to another is often time for disruptions or bad behaviour. Routines minimize this.Predictability. Take the temperature of the activity frequently and let them know what comes next.eg) before they start: "We will take up the questions at 9:40."Wander and see where everyone is at and gauge accordingly.At 9:20. "Where are we at? Should be about half done. If you are way ahead you might want to spend a little more time on each answer. If you are really behind you should pick up the pace.."9:35 "Is everyone finished? No? How many people are still working? Okay 2 or 3 more minutes"Power word "first name.""John. Stop that.""Jane. Open your book and write this down please.""Kevin. Go and sit down please.""John. Jane. Kevin. I need you to stop talking now. We are moving on."*Note the period after the name. That pause stops them dead in their tracks and opens up their attention for the directive that follows. Also note I am being neutral in all my statements. No criticism... just a directive.Check for understanding and elaborate, clarify or reteach if need be. Lol... more temperature taking. Are they struggling with the material? Chunk it. Is the activity a little too teacher centred? Switch things up... frequently. Keep them busy. Have most kids finished the questions? Take them up. Often students get fidgety for the reasons mentioned here... recognize this and react accordingly.Greet them at the door. Show your students you are genuinely pleased to see them. If you give them respect... you will get it back.Have a conversation with them individually that has nothing to do with schoolwork. Show an interest in their thoughts, opinions, ideas, activities. Be careful here though... these should not take place instead of work... but before, after or along with work.Turn them into an ally. Ask their advice on something... or for a favour and then have them help you with something... handing stuff out for instance... or moving something... etc.'Catch' them being good or clever then praise lavishly. Rinse and repeat as often as you can. This one still surprises me from time to time. Kids want to please you. They really do. This year the first time I was passing out handouts I happened to mention to a student "oh what good manners you have... you are very welcome"... and now every time I give them a handout I get a thank you from every student in the class. How cool is that!?Pre-discipline. Warn the child that you noticed last class they were... (insert bad behaviour here). Let them know that you will be watching and that today any infractions will be dealt with swiftly and firmly... then praise lavishly if they succeed in going the class without incident (or half the class or sooner even... I don't think you can ever praise a student too much).Use proximity. Move towards and teach from where they are sitting. Change the seating plan and have them move near where you like to teach from.Choose your battles. Ignore bad behaviour unless it is morally objectionable or physically dangerous. It is not always possible but if it is a one shot deal it beats getting into a power struggle with them in class. Kids like to push boundaries and pull teachers off task. It is the equivalent of poking the guy next to them. Do not rise to the bait if at all possible.Very quietly so that only they can hear, whisper to them "stop that," then carry on teaching as if nothing had happened.Use exit tickets ie) Stand at the door and have them show you their completed work as they file out. They can not leave until the work is done. It could be something like saying earlier in the class "Show me your prewriting and introductory paragraph before you leave"... or "today's exit ticket is the answers to questions 1-8." Having to stay to complete what they should have done during class while their friends walk out the door is powerful modelling and motivation. It does wonders in changing bad behaviour... especially if you do a few tickets early in the year.Use Premack's principle. Inform the students that if they can work quietly for the first 10 minutes of class they can listen to the radio... or get the first three questions answered thoughtfully and thoroughly you will let them do the last three with a partner. I have even done this one with school fees. "If everyone gets their forms and fees handed in by the third week of September I will buy doughnuts for the class." It works! lol.Time out. When all else fails remove them from the activity or class. Then when it is convenient for you and after they have chilled out a little, go have a chat with them without their audience. Ask them to explain to you what they did wrong. Use "I statements." Ask what they will do in the future to make sure they don't get into trouble again. Give them... or warn them that the next time they will be given a logical consequence and let them know what that consequence will be. Ask if you have treated them fairly.Tell the child to come in before or after school or during lunch where you can "practice being quiet"... or staying in their seat... or being respectful to themselves and others... or staying on task... or walking quietly down the hall without body checking anyone into the lockers... or making up the for the 3 times they were late for class that week. Set a time limit (doesn't have to be that long). Praise lavishly when they have accomplished it and remind them that now both they and you know they can do it. Thank them for their time.Call home... or better yet have the student call mom or dad. Work or have the office work with the student on a script. Initiate the conversation then hand the phone to the student.Talk to other teachers. Are they experiencing the same problems? Find out how they deal with it. Talk to special ed. Is there a file? Do they have suggestions? Is there a cognitive or behavioural malfunction? Does the child need testing?The behaviour contract. Have the kid write up a behaviour contract. It will need:- today's date- description of the problem and it's effect on the student and classroom.- a list of solutions. eg) teacher can give me a signal if I am talking too much. I will remember to take my meds. I will use a fidget ball, etc. I teach high school so I try to let them come up with their own solutions... but if they can't you can sit down and help them with these.- a logical consequence if the problem doesn't get better. eg) stay after school, a phone call home, work in my office. Again I like to let the student figure these out but will help if they get stuck.- their signature.Then I let the kid know I need to photocopy it, send a copy to the office (document, document, document... always. lol), put a copy on the bulletin board in my office, and give them one as well.The meeting. If the problem is global invite mom and/or dad along with all of the kid's other teachers for a meeting at a time convenient to them. Have the school counsellor sit in along with special ed if appropriate. Invite the student as well. Have each person express their concerns. Ask the child if they have any solutions. Come up with a plan.Invite administration to assist you. Tag team.I have done all of these things in my career. Try them approximately in about the order they are written. Good luck!

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It took 7 1/2 months of separation, $10,000, and gallstones to bring my husband home from Mexico.Americans (from USA) don't believe how difficult it is to get a US visa. They also seem not to realize how biased the system is against some countries of origin. So when I tell them about the struggle to get a visa for my husband, they are usually shocked and dismayed.My husband and I met just over 6 years ago, through Salsa dancing. You can read about how we met here:Miranda Marcus's answer to How can I get better at meeting girls when dancing Salsa?We were both 25. For some unknowable reason, we fell in love pretty quickly and demonstrated a strong, mutual commitment to our relationship. I admired him for building his own business, teaching himself English, and sending money to his family as often as he could. He admired me for some reason too.Here we are going out dancing. He gave me that coat because I liked it. We wear the same size clothes and shoes =]Early on, he revealed to me that he was in the country illegally, and being a worrier, I got an appointment with a high priced immigration lawyer to find out what our options were. The lawyer said there wasn't much we could do until we were married and we should expect a long separation and to spend a lot of money. Not exactly comforting.Soon after that, we got engaged, and set our wedding date for nine months later. Three days before we were to marry, my husband's mother had an accidental fall and died. My husband had to choose between his future with me or going to his mother's funeral. If he had gone, he would have never been able to come back.Once you come to the US illegally one time, you have forfeited all right to get a visa. If my husband had gone home, he would have been barred from returning for 10 years. Since we were not yet married, there was no way we could appeal the ban. It was heartbreaking.He told me how his mother had encouraged him to come to the US and to build a new life here. He hadn't seen her in 8 years, although they spoke often by phone. She was so excited for him to be getting married and had sent us hand embroidered decorations. I never got the chance to meet her in person.It was not possible to get visas for his family to come to our wedding. In order to just get a visitors visa from Mexico, you have to prove that you have a job in Mexico, a home, family that you are leaving behind, and generally reason to not stay in the USA. I have heard of families applying for visas for vacation and everyone gets approved but the Mom - to give them a reason to go back home.​Just after getting married. Fun fact, I made his titanium ring from scrap metal (with the help of an expert machinist).Three months after we married, we unexpectedly got pregnant. It was joyous, but also terrifying. Everytime my husband was late home from work I worried about him getting deported. I knew that the police in our area preferred to jail and release illegal immigrants after getting paid a bail fee rather than deport, but I worried about it all the same.I knew that the visa application process would necessarily result in my husband having to go back to Mexico for 3 months to 10 years. I didn't want to go through that when our kids were old enough to miss their father and remember that separation. A few months after learning I was pregnant, we started the visa application process. When our daughter was 7 months old, my husband left for Juarez ($300 in airfare).​When our daughter was two months old.Since he had entered the country illegally, we had to apply for a waiver of the 10 year bar. To do this we had to prove that it would be an "extreme hardship" to his American spouse if he could not live in the US. According to the government, just being separated from your spouse is considered normal hardship. Also, any hardship caused on children is not considered.Because I am a worrier, I insisted that we hire a lawyer, to make sure we didn't mess anything up ($6,000). We sent proof of the following things:I make enough money to take care of him financially (this was a requirement of the government)I was living away from family and had no support network (therefore needed my husband)I had a history of depression (in college)My husband had regularly paid his taxes (illegal immigrants can get an Individual Tax Identification Number "ITIN" from the IRS to use to pay taxes, employers and accountants can use this number as well. The IRS is not going to turn in someone who is paying taxes to the INS unless the INS has compelling evidence that some felony is being committed - living and working in the US without a visa is not a felony)We had to gather documentation of all his interactions with the police (pretty much all the times he was pulled over for being hispanic in a nice car and jailed for having no license - he was never pulled over when he drove his work van)Letters from my family and some people my husband worked with describing his quality of characterOur marriage license, our daughter's birth certificate, my husband's birth certificate, my birth certificate, and many other government documentsDocumentation of an ongoing eye disease I have which is degenerative and will likely cause blindness one day (could be fixed by a cornea transplant - 90% success rate last I checked)I may have forgotten some things we sent. It was a lot of paperwork and it took a lot of time to gather. Also, every government office had to be paid for the privilege of obtaining my husband's records (~$500). We also had some difficulty because my husband has two last names, which police here don't deal with very well. He was sometimes listed under his first last name, sometimes under his second with the first being listed as a middle name, and sometimes with both last names (only hyphenated). We had to make sure to go through every iteration because missing some records could be seen as a sign of intentional subterfuge by immigration, and no one wants that. I physically visited the county clerks office for 4 or 5 counties, just to make sure.His interview in Juarez was very short. I had sent him with a photo album of our family to prove we were a real family. The interviewer said he could choose two photos to put with our documents. With each interview he had to get vaccinations, regardless of the proof he brought that he had been vaccinated already ($200 each time).Then he went to Mexico City ($100 airfare) to wait with his family for some news. At the time, the average wait for a response was 3-6 months. We Skyped with each other every morning, afternoon, and evening. His father, sister and her two kids, brother and his wife and their two kids all lived in a two bedroom house. My husband slept on plywood in his father's work shop. Since we had lost his income, I was struggling just to pay the mortgage and daycare and could not send him money, which he never asked for anyway.​I took our daughter to Mexico City for her first birthday. It was great trip, until we couldn't go back to home together. This photo is from the Monumento a la Revolucion. At the time, there were "Yo Soy 132" activists camped below. Mexican general election, 2012We waited 6 months. And then, I had a weird thing happen to me. I had intense chest pains that lasted for hours. It was painful to the point that it impacted my ability to care for my daughter, not good for the sole caretaker! It turns out that I had gallstones and would need to have my gallbladder removed. The first thing I did was collect the record and xrays and send them off to the consulate in Juarez as additional evidence of hardship. I found out later that the documents arrived just two days after our case had been decided. We were referred.Referral means that they felt it would not cause "extreme hardship" to me if my husband couldn't return to the USA. We were devastated. After being referred the wait time was 6 months to 2 years before getting notice of a final acceptance or denial. We started doing a few things: we worked with our lawyer to prepare a "referral response", which is basically adding as much detail to our hardship claim as possible (Additional $1,500 in legal fees), and I started seriously looking into what it would take to immigrate to Canada. I found it grimly humorous that at the time, there was a billboard outside the US embassy in Juarez that proclaimed "We have work for you in Canada."Since I was not interested in being separated from my husband for any longer than absolutely necessary, I pressured my lawyer to apply for an expedite with our referral response. An expedite can be granted in cases of medical emergency where the immigrant spouse is needed to support the US citizen visa sponsor. On the government website they warn you not to apply for one unless you are actually dying, so my lawyer didn't think it was worthwhile, but I was insistent.​Yep, that's a gallstone.My doctor wrote a note saying that if gallbladder removal surgery is postponed for too long there can be serious complications. I wrote that I would not be able to get the surgery until my husband came home as you are prohibited from carrying weight over ten pounds for two weeks after and I had no one to carry around my toddler for me. I had this information substantiated by a coworker who had had his gallbladder removed a few years before.Additionally, I obtained the following new documents:Letters from my neighbors testifying they my husband is a good neighbor - he fixed the community mail boxes using his own money to purchase the supplies, he got me to go to the same Catholic church as them, and he was a good husband and father.Letters from my coworkers talking about the change in my mood since my husband left and worrying about my well-beingI tracked down my old counselor from college and got her to write a statement about my struggles with depressionBank statements showing a complete lack of money and growing credit card debtIt took two months to get the referral response together (mostly due to difficulty tracking down my old counselor).A month and a half later my husband got his visa. There was no way of knowing when it would come, so we only knew when he opened the package from immigration. He packed his bags and went straight to the airport and I got him tickets on the first flight I could secure ($400 on the 0% interest rate for a year credit card I secured before we started the whole thing). We were nervous, would something go wrong, would he be allowed back or would we be disappointed by an unexpected obstacle?I packed up our toddler (now one and half) and drove down to the airport to meet his flight which was due to arrive around 9pm. We waited for maybe an hour. We saw the rest of the passengers from the flight exit customs and be greeted by family. Then he came out. After seven and a half months of separation, he was home and we were a whole family again.​Home!Looking back, I think that sending extra evidence so soon after the referral kept our case in the Juarez consulate, instead of being sent to another embassy as usually happens when a case is referred. And the Juarez consulate seems to get through cases faster. We'll never know why we got our approval so fast after submitting the referral response, but I am grateful.At the time, I was on a forum where others going through the same process would share their progress. I remember there was a woman who had a child with cystic fibrosis, and her husband was referred. I remember there was a girl who had been brought to the US as a 5 year old. She fell in love and married an American at 18, then went back to Mexico to apply for a waiver of the ban. She was told she was two months late, and would have to wait in Mexico for the entire extended process. There were people whose spouses went to Juarez to apply, but were robbed and murdered while they were waiting for a response. Some US citizens moved to Mexico to be with their spouses, separated from their US families and their lives for years while waiting.I count us lucky to have made it through. And I am glad we did it early because now my daughter doesn't remember that there was a time when her father wasn't with us. For a while it seemed like Obama would bring some immigration reform, and we considered waiting to see what would happen. I am glad that we didn't.​Now we have a second kid =]There are thousands of Americans building lives with illegal spouses. And many will not pursue a visa, because they know how difficult it is, even if you are approved in the end. There are some for whom the illegal spouse is the breadwinner, and they cannot even pass the first requirement of proving that they make enough money to take care of their spouse (this is a requirement for a family sponsored visa outside of the waiver process).Here is a list of countries from which you don't need a visa to visit the USA. If my husband had been born in one of these places, we wouldn't have had to deal with the illegal entry ban and waiver process.http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/visit/visa-waiver-program.htmlIt used to be worse, though. There was a period of a couple years in the early 1900's when there was a law that any woman who married a Chinese citizen would lose her US citizenship. Imagine that!So anyway, most Americans can't believe that this is how the US immigration system actually operates.