Tickets

When I started as an occasional teacher, I did everything wrong you could do. I hadn’t taught in over twenty years and a lot had changed, including the way students behave in a classroom. The result was that I experimented a lot, usually falling flat on my face.

The lowest point came when the grade 4 class was learning about the feudal system. I decided to appoint a king and queen, who would then set up their kingdom. By 10:30 in the morning, the serfs were revolting. It seems that the king and queen had no real power. I noted that it was similar to what a substitute teacher faced daily.

I invited a principal in to see what I was doing wrong. It was a humbling experience. I wasn’t walking around the room enough. I was talking too much. I wasn’t moving close to the problems while they were small, allowing them to grow like a forest fire.

I appreciated what he said, even though it stung my pride a bit. I tried to implement his advice, but it wasn’t natural for me. I still experimented with my classroom management style. I tried almost anything

One day I stumbled upon a system that work in almost every class. They involve 50/50 tickets, which are twin tickets with the same number. Using them forces me to do almost everything that the principal mentioned and more. Here’s how it works.

When I enter the classroom in the morning, I write on the board what I expect the students to be doing when they enter in the classroom. Somewhere in the message appears the word “quietly”. Then I wait.

The first student who actually does what is expected gets a ticket. This usually brings the question, “What are the tickets for?” My answer is a simple, “Think about it.” Students are pretty smart. They know what they are for. Pretty soon I have a classroom of quiet students who are doing their best to earn tickets, even though they don’t know everything about them.

Next, I ask them why they think I am handing out tickets. They tell me. They are usually 100% right and feel pretty good about it. Guess what? They have just made the expectations in the classroom, not me.

I then tell them that I also take tickets away and ask them to guess. The only one they usually miss is that I charge one ticket to go out of the classroom for pretty well any reason. Again, since they have provided the guidelines to me, they buy into them a lot easier than if I told them.

The early going involves setting the tone. I am generous with giving the tickets, positive reinforcement, and if anyone speaks out, I take a ticket. Usually it is one of the teacher’s pets who speaks out. When the other students see that even the favourites have tickets taken from them, they realize that I am serious, but fair.

Now, I have this long tail of half of the 50/50 tickets that need to be broken up into individual tickets and put in a bucket. Guess the person I choose to do this? The one I have identified as the troublemaker. I walk up to him and ask if he would help me. The answer is always yes, and I give him a ticket for his efforts. It’s better to have him on my side and doing things for me than working against me.

At the end of the day, I sometimes have a draw for a little prize, but lately I have been handing out the tickets with no reward. It hasn’t made any difference in the performance of the students.

Why do the tickets work?

They allow me to give lots of positive, NON-VERBAL reinforcement. In order to be fair, I have to circulate around the classroom.

If I have to correct an action or attitude, I merely ask for a ticket. The confrontation is minimized. All I do is ask for a ticket or just rub my fingers together, again NON-VERBAL. The student usually knows why I have taken one away. If I suspect he doesn’t, I ask. Also, it’s hard to argue with somebody taking a ticket away, especially when I say nothing and am smiling. It puts the focus on the action the student has done wrong instead of the student.

As the students accumulate tickets, some actually start competing with each other, which takes the focus off competing with me.

The other thing I like about this is that it is fun. It makes the day a bit different.

The main thing is that the tickets have allowed me to keep my sanity. Being an occasional teacher is like appearing at a comedy club every day and working the crowd. You have to win them over with your first joke.

When you go into a classroom, students often try to play “the game”. It’s the same game that existed when I was young. It’s called Sink the Sub. Well, I have found a new game to play. It’s called “Tickets Please”, and that’s just what they do. They seem to please everyone, including me.