Week+6+Experience

Throughout all my lessons and classroom interactions this week, my focus was to continue working on my classroom management skills. I have developed a totally new appreciation for the fact that this is something that many teachers (Okay...well, me at least!) just aren't born with. In order to be effective, you need to devote a lot of time and study to finding out what methods work best for your individual students and classroom environment.
 * Oct. 4th, 2010 - Oct. 8th, 2010**

In our classroom, I've discovered that the system in place for behavior management works well. We begin each morning with circle time songs that reinforce positive behavior choices for ourselves, our friends, and towards our school. We have colorful posters decorating the classroom walls that further support our students' behaviors through slogans like "Am I going to make a GOOD CHOICE or BAD CHOICE?", "Stop and Think", and "What are my choices?"



As we move through the school day, if a child decides to make a poor behavioral decision, it is very easy to redirect him or her by singing a few lines of our circle time songs. I have also found it useful to ask students to come look at a particular poster with me, then tell me how they can use what they know to change their choice into a better one.

Furthermore, especially when working with students who have exceptionalities, it is always helpful to share with them how their behavior choices make me, their friends, or family feel. Modeling after Mandy, the other ESE teachers, and paraprofessionals, I'll often say things like, "Sally, you threw your toy. That makes me sad because you could have hurt a friend. This is my sad face. Please go pick your toy up. Do not throw it anymore so I can be happy with you." By using simple sentences with direct instructions and clear descriptions of my emotions, the students can determine a good choice from a bad one, how to fix a poor decision, and how to recognize emotion in others.

Another thing that I've really come to respect within the classroom is the importance of routine. It might sound like such an insignificant concept, but the pattern of activities that you establish for your classroom is very closely tied to the level and types of management procedures you'll need to enact, as well as the overall atmosphere you hope to create. For example, if you allow an excess of transition time between subjects, you'll quickly find yourself working twice as hard (if not harder than that!) to pull your students' focus back to learning when it's time for the next task.

In the classroom that I share with Mandy, we've struggled mightily to iron out a schedule that didn't fit our students' needs in the beginning of the school year. They are able to do their best academic work in the morning, with room for play time, social skills, and other less demanding learning tasks in the afternoons. Originally, their day's were completely the opposite! In order to help the students learn better, we had to speak to the Principal, the different therapists our students see during the day, block teachers, and even other teachers who'd need to give permission for our scheduling changes to bump their's around a little.

The point for me in all this is, in my future classroom, I've learned that students thrive on a healthy educational routine. However, if I notice that what's in place isn't working for my students, I have an obligation as a teacher to seek out ways to make things work for us! My students' academic achievement is always going to be my number one priority!