My Inner Drill Sergeant

I have many 6th grade students that are sweet and compliant, but I have one group that is very difficult. Unfortunately, I get this group the first and last period of the day. They are fairly well behaved in their core classes. When they were asked why they were unruly in my room, the answer was that we were nice. So my aide, an ex-marine, and I have dug deep to call up the drill sergeant within. It is amazing the compliance I get when I growl and bark orders.



Last Friday, at the end of 1st period, I felt like I had been gnawing on bones, and it should have been at least the middle of the day. I was exhausted, but they were more compliant. During that period I wrote a referral, which I rarely do, but the leader of this little group had stolen a water bottle from another student. When no one confessed to taking the water bottle, I stated that they shouldn’t mind letting me look in their backpacks. When the water bottle was found, the perpetrator tried to laugh it off like it was a joke. He is the one I wrote the referral for. Writing the referral got the attention of the others.


My worst offender pays attention when I am the drill sergeant. I don’t like this persona, but being ignored and having the learning environment ruined for everyone is worse.