new teacher, disrespectful interactions
i’m a first year middle school teacher. i’ve noticed that a significant portion of my students complain in a disrespectful manner every single time we do schoolwork… which is every day. they’ll raise their voices at me, curse, groan, make rude and inflammatory comments, which start arguments with peers and then they attempt to do the same with me—the whole nine yards.
i’ve retaught expectations as for how they should be interacting with me, have one-on-one discussions with the worst and repeat offenders, sent multiple emails home, and have been troubleshooting with the school’s dean on how to manage this. oftentimes, the students walk away from me mid conversation and i have to remind them that our chat isn’t over yet. alternatively, they’ll talk over me regardless of the consequence or conversation.
some students have reeled it in, while others seem to be getting worse. i understand that this age group will always have behaviors like this, but the amount of students and frequency of it happening is outrageous.
i know part of the reason is the fact that i’m very young. my students have figured out my age despite my best efforts to keep it under wraps. i emphasize that i’m not their friend, sibling, or parent. i keep the boundary of our relationship very clear and have to remind them that i am, in fact, their teacher.
any advice would be greatly appreciated. there’s a myriad of other struggles i’m facing right now, i have no idea what to do. i adore my students, but my sanity is withering away.