Life is too short not to do something that matters. – Hugh MacLeod
I survived this week by the seat of my pants. This really
wasn’t how I was expecting to start this year out; but I did, it has, and now
to move on. I am given a very unique opportunity to be able to observe two
different content areas and in turn two very different management styles.
During the first partial week all the teachers are expected to walk the
students through the CHAMPS expectations. Each hour is assigned a specific
school-wide expectation, as well as their personal expectations. It is up to the teachers to set the mood for
the year by explaining what he/she expects from their students while in their
room.
During those first few days my Science MT repeatedly we over
her rules, had her students repeat them, and even had them write down one that “stuck”
with them the most. Every day before we begin, she has the students do a very
specific routine with coming in the room, picking up their notebooks, writing
in their agendas, and completing bell work and vocabulary. When we do
activities, she will point to her CHAMPS poster and remind the students what
level she expects them to be working in. The students are not allowed to just
roam the room without permission, they are not allowed to all go to their lab
stations at once. My MT will dismiss one row at a time to the labs, and same
for at the end of the day. She has made it very clear that she dismisses the class, not the bell.
This class of 28 6th graders is very well
behaved. They come into the room knowing what the expectations are, and they
follow the rules. There has never been a time I have seen my MT have to raise
her voice to get the class under control. She will simply raise her hand in the
air and say, “Mrs. **** needs your attention first call” She will repeat it if necessary, but I have only seen her need to repeat herself a few times.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is my English MT. During
those first few days she simply went over the school expectations, and with a
vague go over of her class expectations. We begin this school year with the
students creating a newspaper front page article about themselves. This is
something that should have been able to be completed during the first full week
of class. At the start of last week our school began the R-CBM,
(Reading-Curriculum Based Measurement) this required my MT to take individual
students into the hall and have them read out loud to measure proficiency. She
handed me a stack of worksheets and told me I was in charge of the class while
she did the testing. During the first day I had absolutely no control of the
students. Near the end of the class I put my foot down about how they were
behaving and decided that I wouldn’t accept that kind of behavior. On the next
day their behavior was much improved, however, it was short lived. Fast-forward
to today, we are both in the room today trying
to get the students to finish this newspaper article; and they were so
riled up that it was again complete chaos. The students not only refused to
listen to me, they refused to listen to her.
So, trying to figure out some way to overcome this big obstacle,
I found a great article, that you can read here: http://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/2010/06/26/classroom-management-plan/
that breaks down classroom management into two very simple steps:
1.
To state the rules of the classroom
2.
To state exactly what will happen if those rules
are broken.
The key is to strictly and obsessively hold them accountable.
Now I just need to find a way to get my students to follow the rules and bring
some order in this room.
