Well, I actually started a reply to this several hours ago. As I was writing, an email arrived making me aware that my son had not done his science homework and had frittered away time in class set aside to complete the project. He didn't know how to do something on the sheet, so he copped an attitude to cover. Oh, and he lied through his teeth, making up a very dramatic but believable story about why the project didn't get finished the night before. (Telling you this wonderful little story just in case you're feeling alone ... )
I do have one suggestion for the blurting out issue that has worked not only for my son but for his entire class. The teacher has a "redirection" book that sits on his desk. When a child does something that disrupts the class - anything from blurting out an answer to arguing to general misbehaving - they are invited to go sit in the hall and write in the book on a new page which simply has three questions: what did I do wrong, what should I have done, what can I do differently next time?
Because the entire class is required to do this, no one child is singled out. The rule is the same for everyone. And because it temporarily removes the child from the setting, they settle down quickly. And on the privacy of that page, they have to own their behavior and make a better plan for next time.
If you like the idea, you might ask the teacher if they'd be willing to try it with the class.
