Spring Fever

April: "the month of testing," as described by our administration.

Halfway through the month (with only a few more days of Science PSSAs to continue), I notice a DRASTIC change in my students' behavior. Spring Fever is here-even at the age of 10-I can see the hormones blossoming. The girls won't stop giggling over the boys, and the boys just love to "tease" the girls. I feel like it's already June with the way they're acting!It's difficult to get through the day without me mentioning my frustration with their chattiness, disrespect, and overall poor behavior. I've heard of teachers talking about "full moons" when children get crazy, and now, I finally understand the idiom!

I've tried a couple of strategies with the students, including reminding them in the beginning, middle, and at the end of the day, having class talks, behavior incentives, etc. I'm afraid that I'm going to run out of ideas before change can really happen. This is not behavior that I will tolerate with two months of school still left. I'm already so tired of the constant reminders and reprimanding; this is definitely my least favorite part of the role!

Any suggestions on how to help a first year teacher control the "Spring Fever" behavior?