Classroom Management

A teacher’s responsibility is to her student’s education. My responsibility is to ensure that the learning environment is welcoming and respected. Effective classroom management systems is important to every teacher. It’s important to me because I can keep the flow of my class. My classroom rules are realistic and enforced from August to May. I’ve seen classrooms where students have 100% of the power. That’s not how classrooms should be. The power should be 50/50 and lessons should be intriguing enough to leave students wanting for more.

Not all management systems work. I’ve seen teachers praise the negative behavior. Instead of congratulating good grades and good behavior, she praised late assignments and tardies. I watched as these students went from goofy, outgoing students to nonparticipants. They didn’t want the praise she offered. This system opened my eyes to pass management systems I’ve witnessed during my school days. I never want to be that teacher that will make her students feel like horrible for making a mistake. I made a promise to myself that I would never do that when I started teaching and I haven’t.

As for my rules and procedures, they’re realistic. I know my students can get antsy. I know my students like to argue. I also know my students need to use the restroom 50 times a day and I know that socializing is important to them. So most of my lessons are labs that get them walking around the room, using technology, and socializing with lab partners. The procedures during these labs are enforced heavily by me and my co-teacher. I’ve learned that expectations go a long way for students. If students respect your opinion about them, they will do anything you ask in order to keep that respect. In order for me to become a better teacher, I have to learn to loosen the rails a little. It’s always been a traditional setting around me. I have to learn to let my students show me they can handle student centered assignments.  

You want to be an effective teacher, think like your students. Think about everything you went through when you were their age and focus on that. Make rules and expectations that are realistic for them to reach. Make transition procedures simple and easy. Don’t complicate things by yelling and screaming but talk to them. Students are humans and should be treated like humans. The love you have for them will show them that their success is the only thing you want.