Case
Disruptions to the Classroom

How do you deal with interruptions from the office, parents, administration, custodians and others while you are trying to teach a lesson?

Posted on: 10/14/19 | Views: 464
Solution #1
The answer depends on who is interrupting. If it is a one-time occurence from one of these individuals, I would not say anything. If it is administration interrupting, you likely can't say anything either. If it is a parent or custodian repeatedly interrupting on a regular basis, you may need to have a polite conversation explaining that it is a distraction, and give them an alternative time to come visit.

Depending on how you are being interrupted, you could go about this a few different ways. If it's someone you can complain about interrupting your class without getting fired (other students, parents, teachers, etc.), you could have a civil discussion with them and ask them to stop. Depending on their reaction, you could take this a step further (a teacher would not be likely to continue this but you could contact someone higher if a parent or student continues being a disruption). If it's someone you CAN'T complain about, such as administration, figure out a way to focus out the disruption. See if there's a way they could sit somewhere out of the view of students, for example, or see if you can temporarily rearrange the room so students are no longer facing the administrator. While I would not recommend this unless you have to, if there is no way you can progress without the administrator's disruption, you could pull them to the side and politely ask them to make less noise and work on a solution that works for the both of you.

I agree with this solution and even the review above. I as a student can be distracted by outside things, but it is important to remain focused and eyes on the teacher.

I agree with this solution.

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Solution #2
It depends on the type of interruptions those coming from office staff could be important such as a change in dismissal which a student needs to hear also best handled with treats and a smile, inform them personally that you think it would be best for your students if interruptions not concerning dismissal be sent by email any other way is a learning distraction. When it comes to the custodian as the classroom teacher you can tell the custodian when and when not to come into your classroom because some like to start cleaning earlier so they can leave earlier. For parents you could send out a mass email explaining when it is best to communicate with them is, and express that any other time is a distribution that will effect their student's learning which will effect their grade which will effect their graduation status. If all else fails create an interruption brain break. Where students can pull out a favorite book, coloring sheet or assign a student as interruption leader and have them direct a student game so they will be occupied until the interruption is over.

I agree with this post

I really like the last part to your solution and see myself using that if I’m in this situation.

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Solution #3
Use communication as needed, and ask that they limit interruptions to when class is on a break, unless it is an emergency. Suggest a system of communications, such as emailing in advance if they need to stop by, or create non-verbal communication signals to let them know when it is okay to come in so as to limit distractions.
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Solution #4
I would prepare activities for students to do such as reading, free-writing, starting homework, etc. when interruptions take away from instruction. You do not want the students waiting on you to finish handling the situation, for this could cause unwanted behaviors. As for parents, it is okay to refrain from engaging with parents during the school day. If there is an emergency, they can contact the front office. If they have a concern about their child's learning, they can contact you before/after school or during your planning period. I would share your hours of availability with parents as well as your preferred means of communication. It is important to keep in mind that some parents are unable to work with your hours and/or preferred means of communication, so you should discuss with them separately about a solution. You could also use online programs that track student progress and behaviors for parents to monitor throughout the day. This would also be a good form of communication, where you can check emails made by parents through the site when logging into the program throughout the day.
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Solution #5
Send out an email to the interruptions for a small meeting about walking in the classroom, but usually the walks in shouldn't be a problem unless you do not have a good classroom management in place when visitors enter.
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Solution #6
handle it quickly and then continue on or give the students a page in their workbook to work on if its a bit time consuming
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Solution #7
It depends how the interruptions are happening. For example, if it is simply an announcement coming over the loud speaker during a lesson I would just personally ignore it, or just wait until it is over and resume the lesson. If the interuption is coming from a parent lets say through class dojo (which is an app they can message you on) I would not be concerned. You can reply to the parents at the end of the day. Custodians shouldn't usually be entering or interrupting the lesson at all but if they do I would just ignore them as well.
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Solution #8
I think an important part to this is talking with your students about what is expected of them when interruptions happen, because they always will. If students know to keep focused on their lesson or the work that they are doing regardless of who is in the classroom, whatever interruption happens will not be such an impediment.
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Solution #9
This starts with setting the tone of the environment. Students should know the procedures for intercom and class phone interruptions. They should remain quiet until the interruption is over.
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