Each year comes with new challenges. We open our classroom doors and invite a new group of children and pray for a good year. If only every child would follow all of our directions the first time, turn in their work in a timely manner, stay actively engaged in all of our lessons, and never, ever cheat, sulk, refuse, procrastinate, talk back, name call, lose supplies, stay home when they should be at school, talk out, and the list goes on.
Once in awhile we do get the "perfect class" (okay, almost perfect). Every few years a group comes through that loves to learn, loves you, and loves the class. This is the group that makes your heart sing, the group that you cry over at the end of the year, the group you wish you could follow to the next grade level. They are like a precious jewel -rare.
Every child is a gift. They gift us with personal and professional challenges, they gift us with new understanding, they gift us with teachable moments, and they gift us with "ahas". Some gifts are wrapped in fine paper. We must open them delicately. Others are wrapped in bright colors. We must value their differences. And some are wrapped in duct tape. We must unwrap them one layer at time to discover their worth. Some of the worthiest gifts are the hardest to unwrap.
So how do we set up our classroom in such a way that we can spend our time teaching, learning, and unwrapping our gifts?
Set Procedures and Routines
We need our classrooms to run like clockwork. Introduce one expectation, one procedure, one routine at time as you come to it by need. Teach it, model it, practice it, review it. Your expectations for behavior need to be high, but remember to practice patience when a child doesn't follow directions. Redirect their behavior by reteaching. Yelling, threatening, and sarcasm serve one purpose: to tense you up to the point that you can't unwind. Keep your cool and redirect, redirect, redirect. If a procedure or routine doesn't work (you are spending too much time redirecting too many kids), then change it.
Get to Know Your Students
The most important thing you can do is to take the time to get to know each student as an individual. This takes time of course, but the more you know about your students the more you can spark their interests for learning, keep them engaged, and develop a relationship of understanding and trust. What activities do your students do after school? What is their family situation? What interests them? How do they feel about school and the subjects you teach? What is important to them?
Dealing with Difficult Behaviors
The duct tape kids are not going to make it easy on you. They are going to push you to prove they can trust you. They will act out because they are hiding. Something is going on with this child. Don't assume they are just "bad". There is always something beneath the behavior. They act out for a reason. They seek attention for a reason. Often they are trying to cope with something bigger than themselves, or crying out for help. Children with serious behavior issues require more time and patience. Sometimes you need to change your thinking, change your strategy, and ask for help.
Most likely you will get a variety of packages this year. They will be quite different from last year. Each package is special; unique. It's the combination of the packages that makes each year a new one. Some will make you smile, some will make you cry, some will make you laugh with joy, and some will break your heart. Accept your packages. Sign your name on the dotted line. Take them in. Unwrap them, because all of your packages will help you grow as a person and as a teacher. Expect to learn something new from your packages this year. Expect the best, and give back nothing less.
Classroom Management Tips & Forms
Back to School Packet
Reading Survey
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