My Hard Earned Gift

Yesterday was parent conference day. The parent of an 8th grader said her child told her that I had a "don" - Spanish for a gift. According to the 8th grader my 'don' is that I don't have to raise my voice to get the class's silent attention. It was very nice for the mom to tell me this and I remain very flattered. If it is a gift, it is not a natural gift. I remember raising my voice often to get attention when I started teaching 5th grade self-contained 35 years ago . Over the intervening years I've used raised voice, clapping, lights off, group chants, various verbal cues, names on the board, ... and have evolved into 3 rules when I need the class's attention for whole group instruction: 1) seated at your place, 2) raise your hand and wait until called on to speak, and 3) pay attention. Anyone breaking a rule loses points for their team until they are incompliance with the rules. I give the following verbal cue very softly, "Instruction Rules, 3-2-1-0" and at 0 I am at my point board ready to take points off anyone not in compliance. The team member who has the job of being 'language and safety monitor' can save the team from losing points if they have a finger to their lips and are gently touching the arm of anyone not in compliance with instruction rules; otherwise, I just start marking off team points until I have silent attention. I am flattered that it is seen as a gift, but it is a gift that took me years to earn.