Chaos in the Hall

How do you deal with chaos in the hallway?

Well, to be honest, I don't. The kids rarely respond to directives given in the hall (tuck in your shirt, be quiet, etc.) and there is next to no enforcement potential, so I tend to make sure I'm on alert for my students entering the classroom- I deal with them, and hope that the other teachers will deal with students on the way to their rooms. Plus, in an overcrowded school of nearly 1600 students, it is nearly impossible for me to even cross the hallway without getting mowed down during the five minutes of class change time. When I walk the halls during those five minutes, I am thankful that I am tall so I don't feel too claustrophobic. Somehow being able to see over the top of everyone else's head makes a difference.

The hallways do seem particularly chaotic to me this year. We teachers on the second floor of the main building have lobbied for a security guard, or real cameras, or fake cameras to ease the situation, but nothing has been done yet. Sometimes I cannot believe how loud and crass the students are while in the hall. Maybe this means I'm turning into an old person.

Of course, most fights tend to take place in the hall during class change time. Last year, at the end of third period and the start of fourth (which was my planning period last year) a fight between two girls broke out right in front of my door. I didn't notice it until one VERY large girl flew into my closed door, landing with a momentous thud on the floor. That was probably the only time I have every heard the hallway completely quiet. Luckily, the Spanish teacher across the hall came over to break it up, as I was pinned in my room.

I do wish I were the kind of teacher that had the fortitude to discipline every infraction overheard or seen in the hall. The chemistry teacher next door to me is able to do that, and it is amazing to watch. What's more amazing: they listen (and though they argue) he usually wins. The couple times I've tried it to students I don't teach, I get laughed off. Oh, for a little more gravitas!