When I think of classroom management I think of organization.

I feel that the more

organization and procedures you have in place helps with classroom management. If the students

know what to expect at certain times of the day they will transition smoothly into the next

activity or class. If this transition time is not consistent there is a higher chance that you will

have issues, whether it is chaotic and time consuming or student behavior issues. So, just by

running a classroom with predictable procedures and a predictable schedule the likelihood of

successful classroom management is good.

As soon as the school year starts I would make my expectations clear and have the

students help me with setting some classroom rules. I will have my two or three and I will have

the students decide as a class what the rest of them will be. Over the next month we will work

hard at establishing procedures for the students to follow in every aspect of the classroom. Even

the smallest things, like getting up to sharpen their pencils, should have some form of procedure.

In that example it could be as simple as raising their hand to ask to sharpen their pencil before

doing so, which I have seen done in classrooms. I have also seen teachers having classroom

pencils that are pre-sharpened for kids to trade when needed, which I think was being done in the

early elementary grades in the school I was observing in.

I think that there needs to be high expectations for student behavior. There needs to be

rules with consequences. For example, if a student does not finish their homework, rather than

staying after school I would have them stay in for recess to finish. So, having to stay in from

recess would be the consequence for not finishing an assignment. Even though I do have high

expectations for students, I think that if a student is struggling with behaviors continually that we

need to take a closer look at the student and find the root of the issues they may be having.

Nothing will change for the student if they don’t get the help they need at the root of the
problems. It could just be that they don’t have the tools or the “know how” to do certain things or

to behave appropriately and they are frustrated. I believe that this type of intervention is very

important for that student’s future success and we need to try and catch it while they are still

young.

Teacher behavior also needs to be held to very high standards. My job as a teacher is to

educate. This does not just include the children but also families. I want to be part of a team with

parents and other educators to educate the students as best as possible. I believe in making

connections with students and their families. I believe in being firm but also in being caring and

kind. Putting those two things together can be very hard sometimes. I am a mom of three, so I

like to think I have had a lot of practice with this concept even though I am not always

successful. It could be as simple as speaking in a firm manner (not yelling), maintaining eye

contact in a non-threatening way, and phrasing things correctly so the student knows you mean

business but you don’t come off as “mean”.

As a teacher I need to work hard at overcoming my biases. There is no room for them in

this profession because I believe that every child and their family deserve the best no matter

what. I had a field experience in another class where I had to work with a student, who I knew of

(this is a very small town), this student was a sibling of another student who would make fun of

my two girls. So, there have been some feelings towards this family but I put those feelings

aside. I found this student to be a very smart and delightful person. This really helped me to learn

to give my best to my students and always think well of my students and their families no matter

our history together or their history with another teacher. Teacher behavior stems from always

thinking the best of students and having high expectations for them.
 Overall, I think that the year will be determined by how well you establish procedures

and expectations in the classroom. I think that during the first few months of school the

expectations and procedure need to be reviewed often. Doing this will ensure that students know

exactly what is expected of them. After those first few months the procedures need to be

reviewed as needed so that things don’t get out of hand and chaotic. Because with a classroom

full of 20 eight year olds it could get pretty crazy if you let it.