So proud, so proud!

I am so, so, so, so, so proud of myself. I did not raise my voice at all today. This is a major accomplishment because my class can become pretty unruly. However, I noticed that the more I yell, the more I had to yell. It turns out they respond better to a lower voice.

I am so happy because it was no small task to keep from raising my voice today, as there were at least 4 fights before the end of the day. I mean real fights. The kids in my class don’t just throw baby punches. They “put their dukes up” and really fight. You can hear when the hits land. Lips get busted, eyes swell up, and people fall on the ground and get stomped. This is all in a matter of seconds.

I made a promise to myself on Thursday of last week that I was not going to raise my voice while talking to my class or disciplining them. Initially, I began doing it so I could get control and thought that I would be able to stop. However, it didn’t end up that way. As it turned out, I had to get loudeR, loudER, louDER, loUDER, lOUDER, and LOUDER.

Well, after posting and reading Mathew’s blog, as well as a couple of other articles dealing with classroom management, I decided that I was not going to yell anymore and I haven’t since then.