student doesn't put his case away

[nafmeadmin]

In my band room, we have cubbies where students put their cases after rehearsal is over. I tell them that when they leave the room, they either need to put their case in a cubby or take it with them–leaving cases on the floor is not allowed.

I have a sax player who, ever since last year, still leaves his case on the floor. Not only that, he doesn’t even close the latches.

I’ve talked to him about it, and I’ve even taken him out of another class to have him come to the band room and make him latch the case and put in the cubby. Today, I found that (after a rehearsal I wasn’t in yesterday) he had left his case on the floor, unlatched.

It almost feels like a bizarre primal ritual–like he’s marking his territory. Any constructive ideas as to how to solve this problem? It’s a minor issue but very annoying.

[nafmeadmin]

It sounds like you’ve tried to approach him seriously and it hasn’t been effective – you might try approaching the situation with some humor? Put a policy in place for the whole class that anyone who leaves a case out will have to recite a poem or sing a song to the class before they will get the case/instrument back for the next rehearsal. I have a colleague, a science teacher, who has a giant stuffed duck (something you might win at the fair), and anyone who is tardy has to write an apology poem to the duck and recite it for the class. It provides some humor, but after doing it a few times the kids really make an effort to get there on time!

When I have a class that is bad about cleaning things up, I’ll hold the entire group until the room is back in order. Or, put that person in charge of putting all the chairs and stands away after school that day. There’s nothing like a little peer pressure from other students who don’t want to be late to help develop some better habits!

[nafmeadmin]

I guess I am the mean teacher. I have students who have done it so to teach them I hide it on them and make them sweat it out thinking it was stolen. I let the parents in on it so they don’t think it is really stolen but it is amazing how fast they remember to put up their instrument after that. I tell my students I am not responcible for anything left behind. My room is used for community events after school (we are a community education center which has programs at night for adults). Their instrument “Magically” appears after the sweating is done. It might appear in a classroom they are in, right outside my door, in the office somewhere they will find it easily but don’t know how it got there.

[nafmeadmin]

Wow! Great ideas from both of you! I ahve my students on a point system and putting things away after rehearsal is part of the system – they lose grade points if they leave their stuff out. But I might start looking for a giant, stuffed duck……..

[nafmeadmin]

I do what Kramkowskic said. It works.

[nafmeadmin]

Ditto for hiding the instrument. Works well when left in the gym, hall, bus, or by a locker.

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