Yesterday in class I felt really disengaged. I don't know really know what it was but I just couldn't seem to get into the swing of things. As teachers what are we going to do when students are having a day where they just can't find their rhythm? How are we going to bring their minds back to the classroom?

This is an issue that we as teachers will face just about everyday. I bet we have all had that class where we knew that we were going to be bored in and it most likely had to do with the teacher’s style of teaching. One thing we can do is make sure that we just don’t stand in one spot and lecture the entire class period. Make the class at least a little interesting, don’t do the same thing everyday and wonder why your students are bored. However, we do have to realize that some days our students just want be with it, so we could cut them a little slack. If it becomes a regular issue then we would have to talk about it.

I agree with you Mandi. I was having some trouble on Monday as well. It is hard for students, and even teachers, to come into a classroom and forget everything else that is going on in their lives. I think it might help (depending on the classroom set-up) if we allow our students to open-up and say what they did that weekend, or ask them to share what is on their minds whether it has to do with the topic of conversation or not. This may take time, but we all know that if we do not get our students to start talking then the whole period, or class time, will be dead. Giving up a little bit of discussion time to something unconnected might benefit in the end.
We could also have activities already planned, where we could get our students up and moving around. Some activities force our students to move around and be engaged. If we have these activities filed away for a rainy day then we will be more prepared for the sake of our students and our, the teacher's, wellbeing.

I have a "Life To-Do List" that I have posted on my wall in my bedroom that I take very seriously. I plan to mark off all the things on that list as soon as possible. On that list, is written "Make every day in the classroom fun and interesting!" I think this is so important. I agree with everyone who wrote above...give students time to share their stories, adventures, and little anecdotes, that may not necessarily be relative to class but makes them feel like you really DO care about what goes on in their lives. Move around! Do something outside of the box! Be loud! Let kids play! Granted, this can't happen all the time, but if you allow the kids to be kids every once in a while, they'll stay more focused, listen to you, and respect you more. I know if I have to be lecturing, giving tests, and saying "shh be quiet" all the time, I will bore MYSELF! God help the children who have to hear that all the time!

The past few days I have been feeling myself becoming disengaged in some of my class. Maybe it is the fact that Fall Break is right around the corner, lack of sleep, or even a combination. So it is nice to hear that I am not the only one facing this.

In my internship I am working with mostly 10th grade Civics and Economics students, which can be a challenging in it self because this is not a popular subject with most high school students. However, this past week, when I tried to get some dialogue started it became deathly quiet. I tired everything I could think of, I felt like I should learn some type of dance routine so I would be prepared for when something like this happens. Yet when the teacher got up to finish out the lesson she received the same as I did. The silence and glasses over stares these students game me was very discouraging.

Any suggestions on what might help pull students back in when students refuse to respond to anything from a discussion to a review games with candy?

I totally understand what you mean and I think many of us are the same way because of fall break so soon! One time I had a teacher who noticed that our classroom seemed very tired and bored. What she did was not to get us energized quite yet but to first let us rest our minds and bodies. She told us to lay our heads down on our desks as she turned out the lights. She played soft music and much like yoga, told us to breathe deeply and forget about our worries. It was so relaxing and put my mind back where it needed to be. Then after she brought us back to reality she got us up and moving/talking. After that we were all much more attentive and ready to learn.
Another teacher that I've observed had her kindergarten class look to their neighbor and talk about what they did the day before for 3 minutes. This got children talking, moving, and getting all their "worms" out so they could be more focused.
I thought these were great ideas and conveyed to students that they truly cared about how they were feeling that day.

I agree in how there are going to be times in classes where we seem to be disengaged. Not intentional I'm sure but it happens to everyone at some point due to several things. For me, its been stress, excitement, resentment, and several other things that have kept me from paying attention. However, when this has happened I have been able to bounce back thanks to some teachers who are aware of their classes. I feel that as teachers this is something we need to be aware of and have several "tricks" up our sleeves to regain focus of the students and bring them back to the tasks at hand.

Everyone has those days that even though they want to pay attention they just cannot because they are either tired or they have something else going on. SO as a teacher what can you do? I also agree with everyone that you should give the student some room and try at some point to figure out what might be troubling them and help them as much as you can. But what do you do about the student who wont open up but continues to be disengaged from the class, or the student that keeps falling asleep in class?

Here are just a few ideas:
Jump to a different part in your lesson and come back to the monotonous part once the kids are engaged and focused. Do an activity that is engaging. Allow students to talk for a few minutes. Let kids get up and walk around the room. Stretch your legs. Have the class act silly for a minute. Offer the first person to answer a trivia question a small prize or bonus points. Give another bonus question that the whole class will have to listen for during the rest of the class.