Well, I'm in to day two of my new assignment and all is well. As the kids came in on Monday, I made them come right in and sit down, and then went over the new class procedures...basically they can't do ANYTHING unless they raise their hand and ask permission. If they need to sharpen a pencil, blow their nose, throw something away, talk to me, etc., they must be given permission. (You'd be surprised how many kids don't understand that it is impolite and disruptive to get up and move around the room while the teacher is teaching).

That rule alone has solved nearly all of the problems. They have been quiet, respectful, and working hard the past 2 days. We are re-learning a unit on atoms that they just had but totally bombed. It is as if I'm giving them new information. This is the kicker...I overheard some students talking on the way out of class today saying that they'd learned more about an atom in 2 days than they had in 3 weeks. And even more interesting...three students have come to me and THANKED me for teaching them what they need to be learning.

I read years ago about cattle. They would wander clear out to the edge of of the fence just to see where their limits were. Generally, they wouldn't stay that far out, just wanted to know their boundaries. Apparently students are similar, they need clear limits and boundaries. These are great young men and women, just need some structure.

Hey, the fact that they're learning anything in this class from me is very telling...I know very little about atoms. Anyway, so far, so good!