nyc eduator has mastered classroom management. My best nyc educator story is when his students chew gum. Mr. educator continues teaching his lesson as he picks up the smelly waste basket and places it next to the gum chewer who realizes they must throw the gum out or have the smelly waste basket in their face.
That's classroom management!
I like the idea about using schoolwide rules but I'm not sure kids or teachers really know them or follow them.
Thanks for the kind words Chaz. I just want to clarify that my general policy toward gum-chewing is to ignore it. I only do that if they make loud cracking noises, and usually after a warning. Genial though I usually am, some stuff just gets on my nerves.
Miss Eyre, I think maybe we were separated at birth. I do basically all the things you do, except having kids up for lunch (I'm very wary of having students in multiples of fewer than three--maybe this is more a male teacher concern). You must run a tight ship, because I know I do.
Unfortunately, many administrators want us to jump right into the curriculum from day one, which is insane. Once classroom routines are in place and understood by all, you can teach anything. If the kids don't follow them, you can't teach anything.
I'm a 'cluster teacher' in an elementary school. Which means that I occupy a funny position. Sorta an elementary school teacher and sorta a middle/junior/ high school teacher. I teach the students how to organize and prepare for their educational future.
I stick to 5-soon to be 6-rules:
keep your feet on the floor-stand or sit, but no kneeling on the chair, no leg cocked under your butt, etc.,
think about the other guy-work w/ your partner and help them, don't grab or touch or throw someone else's work/materials/personnal stuff,
raise your hand,
no food or drink allowed,
produce good work,
and my new personnal favorite: use hand sanitizer [to be inplemented this fall].
Routines are harder...
don't touch anything until told,
bring all materials, notebook, planner, textbook, pencil,
miss a class-it's your job to get the notes,
we practice fire drills constantly because my room is different than most rooms,
follow directions the first time they are given or you can sit in the reading corner and brush up on your vocabulary,
sit with your friends, joke and laugh, if you don't produce you can sit w/ the opposite gender.
I give no rewards unless pressured by the admin. I give grades.
thanks for those helpful tips on classroom management! i will surely use them when i teach. more power to you and to all dedicated teachers!
Commenting by HaloScan
