Classroom Management

The most important thing that any teacher can do is to have GREAT classroom management, because once this is in place, everything else falls into place. My school has in place many rules which govern a student’s general behavior, dress and conduct; this is common in all schools. My classroom which is a part of the school as a whole has its own guidelines, rules and regulations, in addition to the governing rules of the school. My guidelines as I prefer to them, are to ensure that my lesson is taught with minimal disruption in the time frame allocated. My main ideology is teaching students to effectively manage their own time. One of the most basic precepts of Classroom Management is the maintaining of an atmosphere which is conducive to learning and which promotes learning. The old people often say that “idol hands are the devil’s workshop”, this is extremely true in a classroom setting. To this end, in my classroom I have found that keeping students busy or actively engaged in a positive manner, it allows for my lesson to be taught in its entirety. My approach in general to teaching is that I feel that an effective teacher should be flexible and able to adapt to their “clients” and as such, their classroom management techniques should also be flexible. In each of my classes I have similar guidelines which are based on a core of ideas: Self Respect; Respect for Others and Respect for Property. The root of all of these guidelines is RESPECT. As a holistic teacher, I am trying to “train up the child in the way that he should go”. With this in mind, I feel as though once a child has RESPECT for self, others and property, they will be more productive and make better citizens. My students show respect for self, by the way they dress and conduct themselves and in their attitude towards their peers, myself and their work. They show respect for others, by allowing others to express themselves without interrupting and by not calling each other names or using derogatory terms such as “nigga” or “liking man”. They show respect for property by not defacing any of the school’s property and by not removing any property from the classroom without permission. My approach is to treat my students with respect and in turn I will receive it back. I allow my students’ creativity to shine through, by allowing them some flexibility by allowing them to listen to music during practical classroom activities. In an attempt to prepare them for the real world, I require my students to work together in groups frequently, as they will have to work with others in the real world. This allows them to develop conflict resolution skills to solve their issues when working together. This is more important at the end of the day than any other lesson which may be taught in the classroom. Although my guidelines are not hard and fast and are adjusted based on the students in my class, the consequences for breaking my guidelines are the same regardless. I teach my students that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, therefore when they know that they will receive some form of punishment when they do not RESPECT, the guidelines set forth. Retribution varies from verbal warnings, consequence cards, detentions, referral or parent teacher conference depending on the severity and or the recidivism of the offense. It is far easier to catch a fly with honey than with vinegar, therefore, I prefer to manage my class through incentives instead of punishments. Each student in my class is given a personalized Reward Card at the beginning of the school term and they earn stickers for things such as any grade over 80% gets a sticker; homework in on time gains one sticker; completing an assignment in class on time gains one sticker; and being on time and prepared for class for the month gains two stickers. Students can then trade in stickers for a spin on the Reward Wheel, where they can win prizes such as Homework Passes; BTC Vouchers; Wendy’s Voucher; 10% Bonus; Movie Vouchers. Students with the most stickers in can become Student of the Month or Term. I have found this method of incentive to be a great tool in the management of my classroom. Each teacher needs to find a method to their own “madness” and do what works best for them; they also need to take into consideration the needs of their students and how best to achieve the ultimate goal which is a well managed classroom. What works for me others may consider to be unorthodox and therefore they may question the method to my “madness”, but a student led classroom works for me. I assess the needs of my students and I adapt accordingly. There is not right or wrong when it comes to classroom management, as many of the theorists have debated for centuries the best way to teach effectively. Ultimately, your classroom is to be governed by you in accordance with the general school’s code of conduct. After all, at the end of the day, you are a part of a WHOLE.