Clinicals this semester have opened my eyes to many things. One of which being classroom management. I have seen some wonderful classrooms and some not so wonderful classrooms. There are many factors that have been common factors in the wonderful classrooms. These have included clear boundaries and consequences, clear procedures, getting to know students and letting them get to know you (who wants to learn from a stranger?), letting students know why both you and they are doing what you are doing, and working with both the strengths and weaknesses of students to help them get the most out of their education. All of this boils down to trust. If students feel that they can trust a teacher, they are willing to do what he or she says. One instance of classroom management occurred in my clinicals the other day. A student who has a lot of energy was rocking back and forth in his chair. Instead of telling the student to stop what he was doing in front of the class my cooperating teacher pulled him aside before the class ended and talked to him about not rocking back in his chair but to get up and walk around the room instead. This instance taught me a lot of things. It is important to know students to understand why they do the things they do. Is it because they struggle to focus? Are they hungry, tired, stressed, sad? I feel that many times teachers lose patience with these types of students and force them to sit still and quiet. I love the idea of letting my students with the wiggles walk around to refocus. Such a simple and painless solution for every one involved!
I am so excited/terrified to have a classroom and students of my own. I am glad that I have had some good examples of what to do. Maybe now my students won't tear me apart.
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