HIT:seating conflicts-long

[Sharon Blumenstein <SHABLU@AOL.COM>]

The Jewish people have a saying which goes something like this,"It's not the
seat which conveys honor to the person, but the person who brings honor to the
place." So I'm working on that with my students, but it's a tough one for them
to grab.

I did receive a number of suggestions, and lots of empathy, all appreciated.
Even though not all ideas will work in my library, I'm passing them on in
hopes of helping others.
########################################################
When I had a 4th grade classroom, the local carpet outlet would donate those
little sample carpets to teachers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 I had the same problem as you did until I made some "sitting
squares."  I cut about 8 inch squares from material with pinking
scissors and topped them with a little smaller square.  I sewed them
together quickly on the sewing machine.  (no hemming) This made them a
little thicker than if I would have used a single layer.  Also, I found
neat Tweety Bird flannel on sale at Wal-Mart.  What a relief!  I can put
these squares down in a moments notice and each student sits on one.  I
have them pick them up and give them to me as they leave.  These work
pretty well.  Still some students end up putting them on their head and
various other things.  ("Remember the sitting squares are for sitting
only!"  I repeat over and over.
**********************************************************************
Go with the masking tape.  Even if it comes up, a small amount of the adhesive
will remain in the rug.  It will attract dirt, and you will still have your
lines for the numbered spaces.  It tends to be permanent even though it is
supposed to be temporary.  If anyone asks, you could always play dumb.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our kindergarten teacher uses masking tape to mark places for students on
the floor and I think it works pretty well.  She just lays down a about
three of four long lines and puts an X every two feet or so with permanant
marker on the line and the X marks where each body should be centered.  I
think it lasts quite a while although it does begin to look tattered, but
just using a long strip would take you maybe 10 minutes tops to replace
when you needed to.
*************************************************************
I require that kids K-3 sit in "packages," which means that they cannot be
touching or be under or behind any part of the furniture, walls, etc.; they
must have their legs crossed (I make an exception for girls in skirts or
dresses); and they must have their hands in their lap. I point out that this
means there is no way that they can be touching anyone else. I also explain
rules for listening, which include looking at the person speaking and
keeping hands and mouths still. I'm not so particular as to where they sit
as long as they are in packages. I have a lot of stuffed animals in my
library, and kids who sit well for the first five minutes or so will be
given one to sit with. This isn't perfect, but at least the expectations are
very clear and if someone is not behaving, I will tell them to "get back
into your package." Sometimes I let kids sit however they want and only
direct them into packages if it becomes necessary, sometimes just for
certain kids who "choose to lose their priveledge of sitting how they want
to."

If a class comes in all crazy, racing for a certain spot on the rug etc., I
send them back out to the hall and let them "try again." If that doesn't
work, I get REAL strict about packages etc. I have gone so far as to march a
class all the way back into their classroom and into their desks and then
starting all over, then pointing out that I have to skip this story or that
activity as a result of the wasted time.
#######################################################
 each month I created new numbered spaces using cutouts from the Ellison
Lettering Machine. If you don't have one, you can still do a different shape
or color each month. I found that they would last about a month. I used 4 inch
wide book tape to hold them in place and then put the kids boy-girl-boy-girl,
and staggered the rows so
that they weren't sitting directly behind one another. . I later
purchased those heavy rubber puzzle mats where each one is a letter or
number.(I alternated them with the blank squares). These worked very
well for the 2 years I had them before I had to put them away,
particularly since I didn't have to change the numbers each month. The
biggest problem with them is the kids like to 'pick' at them.
I really prefer to have a seating chart. It helps to get to
know the kids by name and keeps problems down.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^
In the grade 3-8 school I used to teach in, the librarian velcroed the squares
down to the main carpet.  It made lifting them to be used to hit each other
with more difficult.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Just be sure that the tape is far enough away from the walls so that the kids
can't sit against them when you say that "everyone must sit ON the tape".
I had to do that when I had Kindergartners and it worked fine - the tape
disappeared a little sometimes but I just stuck a new piece if tape on the
empty spot.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some years, I would assign students (on a rotating basis) to the
most-desired seating.  One hint:  read the list of names for the glory spot
at the END of each session and tell the kids that if they are absent it is
just too bad, the chance is lost. Some years, if classes were small enough, I
would forbid ANYONE to sit in the easychairs at storytime.
))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
I just remind them every week that they must sit down quickly and quietly and
stay put as if they were sitting at a desk in their classroom.  "you don't get
up and sit in someone else's seat in the middle of a lesson, do you?", "you
don't scoot your chair across the floor during lesson time, do you?"
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
 I seat the children in rows of 4-6, depending on
the size of the class, alphabetical order by last neame, and trying to
alternate sexes in each row, to cut down on the chatter.
******************************************************************************
******
I'm using cloth tape on the carpet.  It does help, it does have to be
replaced occasionally.  I tell the kids that if I catch them "picking" at
it, they'll have to pay for a new roll.
=======================================================
We alternated between Boys' Week and
Girls' Week (sexist, huh?); I hurriedly arranged 8 or 9 chairs in a
semicircle before the classes arrived ( the young ones I read to) in
the open area...on boys' week the boys got to sit in the chairs,
having to file all the way to the end before sitting. As the girls
came in, they sat crosslegged on the floor in front of the boys. The
next time the students came in it was Girls' Week. Of course, there
was never an equal number, but that didn't matter, and the children
readily understood this and accepted that some would get to sit in
the chairs or on the floor even if it wasn't "their" week. They
weren't allowed to lie down, but they didn't HAVE to stay in one
position (with their legs crossed...). When time came to leave, the
boys were allowed to line up first on boys' week, etc.
#############################################

Sharon Blumenstein
Director, Emek Hebrew Academy Library
Sherman Oaks, CA            email:shablu@aol.com

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