Please Do Not Interrupt Me!
How many times do you say that in one day?! I know for me it happens all the time. They just can't help it! More times then not, I can stop what I am doing and assist them and use it as a teachable moment to show them the correct way to get my attention.
The one time that I cannot stop and help them is when I am with another student. We do lots of small group work in my room. When I am working with a group of students, I need my complete focus to be on them or I will lose my train of thought (I thought that only happened to older people...until I became a teacher). I would lose COUNTLESS minutes of small group instruction because some of the others students needed me too! The struggle is real.
I did two things that every teacher has probably done at one point
1. I stopped what I was doing to assist them.
2. I ignored them...
I only have my small group for a limited time, and their time with me is so precious. So stopping what I was doing to assist them just wasn't cutting it because then my students in small group were not getting their needed instruction. Ignoring them also wasn't working because I learned that sometimes in those 20 minutes of small group, other students REALLY needed something.
WHAT WAS A TEACHER TO DO?!
I searched around for ideas and I just didn't really like any of them. Until I found a mom who was tired of her children interrupting her while she was with an adult. She used a card for her children to write what they needed. I thought "I could make this work in my room".
Soooooo out came my version of an "Excuse Me Card"
Click the picture above to get yours in my TPT store!
I give each student in my room a laminated card. If a student I am not working with in small group has a question, they write it on the card. Here is the catch though....it must be a question that can be answered by yes or no. In order for me to continue working with the students, I must be able to answer their question with a simple nod. They must show me their question without saying a word.
Examples of questions students can write:
May I go to the bathroom?
May I get water?
May I ask ____ for help?
I hope this helps you in your room! Stay tuned for more classroom management strategies!
