The 6th grade class went well today. Instad of warming up we went straight into "One," and added on. For some reason they were extremely chatty and reluctant to learning the new, rigorous material. They wouldn't hold their formations, and whenever Ms. Donk would stop and get together the next bit of choreography, they'd start talking. When I got back to class, Mr. Trapp asked me what she does to control them. It really got me thinking, because she always has complete control of all of her classes (except when she's having a bad day, like today). One thing that helps her maintain control is that she rarely loses her temper. When the students get out of order she nicely tells them to get it together. If she has to repeat herself, her tone firms up. If they need to be told a third time, punishments come into place. Depending on her mood and the crime, the students have to do pushups. If they're constantly running their mouths, they'll get anywhere from 4-8 pushups, and as the intensity of the crime increases, so does the number of pushups. Another thing about Ms. Donk is that she has a very intimidating demeanor. While she is one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet, she has this "don't mess with me, or you'll pay" look. Also, even though she's no more than 5'3, she has about 8 pounds of muscle on each arm, and 12 pounds per leg. She looks like she can knock out anyone even if she wasn't expecting it. The last thing that I can think of that helps her maintain control is the enviornment she creates. While she makes it clear that she is the teacher and they are the students, she still creates a friendly enviornment. If someone messes up, instead of yelling and getting angry, she tries to figure out their problem and help with it. If someone says something funny, she doesn't get angry, she laughs and adds onto the joke. This makes the students feel comfortable with her so that they'll be themselves, but when they get out of hand she knows how to reel them in and control them.