Julie Hawkins

TEFB-371-501
February 19, 2019
Field Interviews

Teacher’s Name School information (District) Grade Years of Experience

nd
#1 Lisa Vickers Mitchell Elementary BISD 2 12
#2 Chanel Corbin Mitchell Elementary BISD 2nd 3
#3 Chrissy Payne Mitchell Elementary BISD 2nd 8

Title: Classroom Management Interviews

Teacher Information:
Teacher 1:
Lisa Vickers - Mitchell Elementary, BISD, 2nd Grade, 12 Years of Experience
Teacher 2:
Chanel Corbin - Mitchell Elementary, BISD, 2nd Grade, 3 Years of Experience
Teacher 3:
Chrissy Payne - Mitchell Elementary, BISD, 2nd Grade, 12 Years of Experience

Part 1: Interview Questions

Teacher 1: Lisa Vickers
1) What are some of your effective classroom management strategies?
In terms of managing the classroom, I think you really need to focus on being
fair. Being fair will really help the classroom dynamic as a whole. It is much
harder to manage the classroom if you are not being fair in your consequences
and expectations. Just make sure you are being fair. Also, giving feedback to
you students is a good management tool. Both for their behavior as well as
their assignments. If students do something wrong, they won’t know if you
don’t give them feedback. Make sure to give your students feedback about
their actions so they can learn from it. Finally, be positive. Even if your
feedback, make sure you’re not only focusing on the negative behavior. Call
out the positive behavior and give them feedback on what they are doing right.
Positive reinforcement will make a bigger impact on them than negative. If
you call out the positives, you will have less negatives that you will have to
address.

2) What classroom management lesson(s) did you learn the hard way? Why?
In terms of classroom management, you really need to follow through. If you
set a consequence or tell your student’s you’re going to do something, you
have to go through with it. If not, they will learn to push boundaries and not
take you seriously. If you say something, you need to follow through, good or
bad. Students need to know they can trust your word, and also that you will
hold them accountable every time. This also will help with treating students
fairly but being consistent and following through. I personally learned this
lesson the hard way. I would sometimes give empty threats of a consequence
 Julie Hawkins
TEFB-371-501
February 19, 2019
and the students never learned. At that point it was just a threat to scare them
instead of a consequence they could actually learn from. For example, one day
the whole class was acting up and it was just a rough day. So, I told them
“That’s it! You all lost recess and will stay in here with me.” At the time I was
just frustrated and didn’t totally mean it. But then recess came around. I knew
that I had to follow through so that the students knew I was serious in my
consequences. I didn’t want to follow through because this ended up being a
punishment for me as well. Instead of having a break and having the
opportunity to plan or make copies, I had to stay with them. But even though
it was the harder option for me, I did it anyways so that they knew that I
meant my consequences. Therefore, I would say make sure you always follow
through and hold the students accountable, even if letting them slide is the
easier option for you.

3) What advice would you give to a new teacher about developing an effective
classroom management plan?
If I had to give advice to a new teacher about developing an effective
classroom management plan, I would really stress to be flexible. You need to
be able to adapt your plan based on your student’s needs. Now, it’s great to
have a strong plan, and I’m not saying you should start off with no plan.
However, your plan may not work, and that’s okay. I’ve been teaching for
years and I haven’t just had one plan to work with every single group of
students. Each group will present different needs and challenges. Adapting
your plan isn’t giving up. Be willing to make changes based on what suits
them best and you’ll be more successful.

Teacher 2: Chanel Corbin

1) What are some of your effective classroom management strategies?
There are a lot of different aspects I use in my classroom management. For me
the biggest thing is consistency. Just being consistent in your rules and
consequences is really helpful. You need to be consistent, so your students
know what to expect. Make sure to remind them of your expectations often so
they know what you want from them. Whatever behavior system and
expectations you have, make sure your students always know them and follow
through on them. Oh, positive reinforcements and incentives can be really
useful in the classroom.

2) What classroom management lesson(s) did you learn the hard way? Why?
One thing I’ve learned, and you will learn too is that not everything works for
every student. Unfortunately, you may have a great plan put together, but it
might not work depending on your group of kids. Be willing to get to know
your students and then use that information. If you have a system in place and
it’s not working, don’t be afraid to change it based on your students. For
example, we all had to change recently because we used to use the colored
behavior charts with clothespins. But we had to stop using those and change it
 Julie Hawkins
TEFB-371-501
February 19, 2019
because Bryan banned it and labeled it as public shaming. But I’ve learned the
hard way that you need to be willing to change your plan if it’s not working.

3) What advice would you give to a new teacher about developing an effective
classroom management plan?
I would recommend a new teacher that when developing a plan to use that
remaining consistent is one of the most important things you can do.
Consistency its really important. You can figure out the details later based on
your kids, but regardless of your plan you must be consistent. Also,
consistency doesn’t mean you’re unwilling to change. Your classroom
management plan must depend on your group dynamic. So, create a plan, but
realize that it will probably have to chance based on the kids that you have in
your classroom.

Teacher 3: Chrissy Payne

1) What are some of your effective classroom management strategies?
For me some of the most effective classroom management strategies include
consistency, no empty threats, and clearly stating expectations. The kids need
consistency and to be fair you need to be consistent in your expectations and
consequences. Also, if you say you’re going to do something, you have to
follow through. Making empty threats won’t teach them anything, and then
they’ll learn that they can get away with things. Then just make sure you
make your expectations clear, and always tell them what they should be doing
so there if no question.

2) What classroom management lesson(s) did you learn the hard way? Why?
For me I really learned the importance of clearly stating expectations. I can’t
even think of an exact example, but it happened a lot. I would ask the students
to do something, but I would say it vaguely, then they would do it wrong and I
would get frustrated. Especially with the younger ones, you need to be clear.
Once I started doing this, I had less behaviors. But for a while it was just a
constant cycle of them not meeting my expectations because I didn’t give
them enough information to do so.

3) What advice would you give to a new teacher about developing an effective
classroom management plan?
My biggest advice is be ready to change if the group needs it. I’ve really
learned that this year because this is the toughest group of kids I’ve had. I’ve
had to change my strategies up because my previous way of management
didn’t work for them. You’re going to learn so much in school and you’ll
think you’ve found the perfect management strategy and have everything
ready to go. But you’re forgetting one variable, the students. Not everything
will work for every group of kids. So be ready to adapt and change things up
if the kids need it, it will help.
 Julie Hawkins
TEFB-371-501
February 19, 2019
Part 2: Summarize, compare, and reflect upon the responses from your 3 teacher participants.
Are there any similarities or differences? Explain. Also, in section 2, reflect on your field
experience and explain why you agree or disagree with the responses from your field placement
teacher in terms of do their responses align with what you see weekly in the field.
During my field interviews, I learned a lot of useful information about how to manage a
classroom. When interviewing all of my teacher participants, I noticed many similarities
in their answers. There are many reasons that these similarities were seen. The first main
reason I think I saw such a high rate of similarities was because I interviewed all three of
these teachers at once due to time restrictions. Since I interviewed all of the teachers
together, they got ideas from each other and often agreed when someone else brought
something up and then added their own thoughts. Also, since these three teachers work
together every day with the same group of students, they have many similar experiences.
The similarities I saw included focusing on consistency, following through on your word,
being ready to change and adapt as needed, being fair, being positive and using
reinforcers, and clearly stating your expectations.
The teachers really stressed consistency in my actions. They discussed that being
consistent in your rules, expectations, and consequences is very important. I agree with
the idea that consistency is very important. I think you must be consistent so that students
understand what is expected from them and they understand that they will receive a
consequence if they do not meet these expectations. Being consistent is the only way
students will learn the reason that following the rules is important. If they can often get
away with things, they will not learn any lessons and they will not respect you as much
because you are not consistent.
Next, the teachers discussed how you must follow through on what you say. I have
experienced the importance of this first hand. Students like to push boundaries and see
what they can get away with. If you do not keep your word, they will not trust you and
will learn that the expectations are not that important because you will not actually
deliver the consequence. If you do not follow through, students will not learn from the
rules and consequences. Also, following through is an important relationship building
tool. Following through does not only mean for consequences, but also for positives.
Students need to know they can trust you before they create a relationship with you and
want to learn from you. Therefore, following through on your word is a great way to
demonstrate this to your students and teach them a lesson on honesty.
Next the teachers discussed the idea of being flexible and ready to adapt. This is a lesson
I have learned the hard way and something that I am very aware of. As teachers we can
write fantastic lesson plans and be as prepared as possible, however teaching is not a
static job. Teaching is dynamic and our students often are a variable that changes the
dynamic drastically. Therefore, we as teachers must be ready to adapt our plan. We must
realize that our students present unique challenges and we may have to completely alter
our approach to classroom management if it does not work for a group of students. Being
flexible will truly help teachers effectively teach the students, manage the classroom, and
not get frustrated when something does not work.
The teachers then discussed about being fair in your actions. This is an idea that has been
stressed in our classroom as well as in every interaction with children I have had. Being
 Julie Hawkins
TEFB-371-501
February 19, 2019
fair in incredibly important. Being fair does not always mean treating every student
completely equally, but it is necessary. Being fair will help to develop trust with your
students. If you are fair in your actions, students will begin to understand your reasons
more and it will create a more peaceful classroom environment that is suited for learning.
Another strategy brought up by the teachers included being positive and using
reinforcers. Often it is easy to focus entirely on the negative. Being pessimistic is much
easier than being optimistic, and it is easier to be reactive instead of proactive. That’s
why I believe this piece of advice is so crucial. Students will not learn if they only feel as
if they are being yelled at or punished for their wrong doing. Students need to learn there
are rewards for positive behavior, even if these rewards are only intrinsic. Calling out
positive behavior is working to be proactive with you students and helps build a
relationship with them. This allows students to understand what they should be doing and
feel valued in the classroom. Then when they do receive a consequence, they understand
the importance of it since they know they are respected and valued for their positive
actions.
Finally, the teachers stressed the important of clearly stating your expectations. This is a
lesson I have learned the hard way. When I work with students, I have often said
something vaguely and then been upset that they didn’t listen. If I am not clearly telling
my students what I expect, I have no right to get upset or give them a consequence if they
do something that I didn’t want them to. Clearly setting your expectations if the best tool
you can give your students to be successful, then if you have to give a consequence the
student is fully aware of why they are receiving it.
From my observations, everything my teachers discussed are things I have observed. I
truly do believe that they work to utilize these aspects of classroom management in their
own classroom. The only place where I see the teacher’s falling short from time to time
are in clearly stating expectations and being positive. While the teachers do this
sometimes, they do not do it every time and sometimes will quickly gloss over
expectations or forget to reward positive behavior. However, I believe they have created
a strong enough relationship with the students and them sometimes forgetting these
aspects do not cause the classroom to suffer. They may not always clearly state
expectations, but students have learned over time what the teacher wants and can infer
some aspects. The teachers may focus on the negative behavior more and not always call
out the positives, but they still always work to call out one awesome student at the end of
the day or make positive notes in their behavior folder. As a whole, I think my teachers
are applying their advice in their own classrooms, and I am getting to directly see the
results of the management strategies.

Part 3: Explain, in depth/detail, how will you use their responses to help you when you begin
teaching.
I truly plan to use the responses I received from the teachers I interviewed when I have
my own classroom and develop my own classroom management plan. I believe all of the
advice I received was very helpful and will help a classroom run smoothly. For me,
building relationships with my students is crucial, and I believe that these interviews
 Julie Hawkins
TEFB-371-501
February 19, 2019
helped provide me with information to build and maintain these relationships with my
students. The responses I got from my teachers included focusing on consistency,
following through on your word, being ready to change and adapt as needed, being fair,
being positive and using reinforcers, and clearly stating your expectations.
Therefore, when developing a plan for my classroom, I will work to create clear and
direct expectations for my students. I will create these expectations and be sure to clearly
state these for the students and remind them of what I want often. Once I state my
expectations, rules, and consequences I will be consistent in applying them. I will follow
through on my word and not let students slide from time to time. I will treat all of my
students fairly and provide appropriate and logical consequences. I will be proactive with
my students. I will recognize their positive behavior and provide reinforcers to encourage
the desired behavior. Finally, I will be ready to change for the betterment of my students.
I will recognize that all of my students are different and will change the dynamic of my
classroom environment. If my rules, expectations, consequences, or ideas are not
effective with the group, then I will change my approach.