I'm sure that most educators have some great advice to give teachers on classroom management, and so this post is all about that. This is only my fifth year teaching and so I have a lot to learn, but there are a few things that I have learned.
One of those things is the importance of keeping a professional relationship with the students. I have noticed that if I ever just joke around with the class it has a tendency to create a casual feeling in the room. Students will sometimes take advantage of this, and a casual attitude manifest by the teacher can cause some to become casual in their educational efforts in class.
I have also seen importance of always responding to students in a positive and constructive way. If a teacher uses passive aggressive behaviors to respond to the students passive aggressive behavirors then the classroom becomes a struggle between the teacher and the students. It also creates a very negative feeling within the classroom. The classroom was never meant to be this way. It should be a place where students come to learn and teachers come to teach, and both are working together for this purpose.
I learned this year to cease the warnings. Giving students warnings for misbehavior is just telling them that they can go just that far next time, and they are okay because you will give them a warning before they have gone too far. Anyway here are a few thoughts on Classroom Management. Please contribute your own thoughts.
An interesting observation. I posted in another response about a student who is very much passive aggressive. He was on a district contract in elementary school. That behavior seems to have continued. I have him 7th period, so any medication he is on has worn out. Other students have voiced their frustration. Even students who went to elementary with him. His behavior has created a struggle. A letter home signed by mom, warnings, promises, one-on-one with parents have not resolved anything. I am curious, how has stopping the warnings helped in your classroom?
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Chris
Classroom management is one area that I struggle with. Not that my classes are out of control, but I don't know that I always have the best way of dealing with behavior problems. Luckily for me I don't have to deal with many, the students are really pretty good. I found your coment about maintaining a professional relationship with the students interesting. Maybe I'm just missinterpreting what you are saying, but I don't see anything wrong with just joking around with my students. Infact, this is the way I find to get to know my students best. I feel like they feel like its ok to talk to me and that I'm not going to be on their case about every little thing. I think there still needs to be that level of professionalism. But as long as you know where that boundary is, and the kids know it, I don't see any harm in having a little fun.
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