Seven tips to classroom management

Seven tips to classroom management

tip one: Don't let anyone see you cry

As sad as it sounds, Teaching is tough. You got into this for all the right reasons, you wanted to help others, you love kids, you even loved your content area, but come the first month of school, none of that will seem important. It's not that you can't remember WHY you got into teaching, but you WON'T have TIME to remember why you got into teaching.

What's a fresh face like you to do? You need to pee on your territory, to use a canine metaphor. You are in charge, this is your world, and you will welcome them to it--when you are good and ready. Lay the ground rules down immediately. Practice that teacher face. It doesn't matter that you look like Lindsay Lohan, you need to get a different kind of game face on. Sometimes children can't help being sweet, personable, or even funny. DO NOT SUCCUMB!!!! Keep that teacher face on Some say to be mean and angry until Thanksgiving. Maybe, but you will need to put it back on in January. Consider it your Christmas present to your class.

Ground rules: Come prepared and don't back down. Depending on your school you will need to have a syllabus and your classroom expectations (rules) ready. At my school, we changed classes and students the first three weeks of school, so I had to continuously go over the rules. It was particularly difficult to hand these out because we had limited paper and ink (copier) resources. If you are particularly mean, your students can write the rules out from your overhead copy (transparency or PowerPoint depending on your situation). Take your rules seriously and FOLLOW through. I know they are adorable. I know this is only the second week of class. There are no exceptions. Be consistent. Treat everyone the same. Don't make concessions. But--be clear. Make sure that everyone know what is expected and that they understand the rules. How? That part you already know because you've been trained to teach. Make a jepardy game, think/pair/share, or perhaps a fill in the blank quiz. It's your job to make sure that they know. This not only includes the subject that you think you will actually teach them, but most important, your classroom rules and consequences.

When the dust settles slightly and the same kids keep showing up, more or less, get their input into what they want as their particular rules, consequences, and rewards for their own class. Try to get this done the first full week of class. It's not fair to have this completely one-sided. Well, who said anything about fair.





Next time: Keep 'em busy

Classroom mgt: Challenge to the gods

When you read a book by a guy named Harry Wong, a guy that often makes teachers squeal with delight, and he tells you the most important thing is classroom mgt, you either take him seriously immediately or you find out later that you should have taken him seriously.

As my first year and fifth career, teaching seemed like a dream job, good for my ego and a good way to help enrich the next few generations. Little did I know that it would all come down to classroom management. To paraphrase Dr Wong, it doesn't matter how smart, pretty, clever, interesting, or wealthy you are if you don't have classroom mgt.

Over the next month, I will impart how I failed in classroom mgt, how I wasn't as bad as I thought I was, and ways to get better. And the most important answer to what is classroom management. It meant something completely different to me 18 mos ago than it does today.

peace,