Thread: TIB

I read somewhere about a middle schooler who was forever getting into trouble for using the F word many a time throughout his day. Finally, after trying different things, the teacher called the boy to her desk. She gave him a stack of little pieces of paper and a special little box with a slit in the top and told him to keep the box on the top of his desk. He was not to say that word any more, but whenever he got the urge, he was to take a piece of paper and write that nasty word on the paper and put that paper in the box. Papers would go in each day, and as the weeks went by, it went down to a few each day.

So two years ago, I invited TIB to be a part of my classroom. I got a carton and taped it shut with clear packing tape. I had cut a hole in the top for paper to fit through, but small enough so that fingers could not retrieve paper. I told the kids in all of my classes that TIB would be in the back of the room, and that they could go back there to write a note and put it into the box. Only one could be back there at a time, and it was really discouraged from being during my instruction. TIB stands for The Inappropriate Box. TIB was the place to go when they had squabbles or hurt feelings with their friends. TIB was the place to go to write about how mean, fat, ugly, rotten, terrible Mrs. Bananas is or for her to F off, etc. They were to do that without any talking and would not get into any trouble. However, if they did go around and tell others what they wrote, they could find themselves in trouble if it came to the adult's attention.

Paper was used quickly to test it out. Steaming students would see TIB before being ready to learn. That box got full fairly quickly. At the end of the school year, the notes are either burned or shredded.

Last weekend, I was at Big Lots and I saw tiny shredder that you crank for checks or business cards for only $2.00. I thought that this would be a fun little toy for my school desk. Now the kids are thinking that this is a hip TIB. This is one way to cope in Middle School, and one way for Middle Schoolers to cope.