If you would walk into my classroom you would see a group of 30 students who, for the most part, are collaborating, friendly, and working well together. For being a middle school, I would say our class is extremely inclusive and open to one another's ideas. Most importantly, perhaps, I don't see particular friendships that have become disruptive or hurtful to others; this is truly a wonderful group of students.
By observing, you would also see the students and teacher having mutual respect for one another. My CT does a fantastic job of managing in a way that gains trust and feels safe. Myself and my CT have discussed the importance of building relationships with students as a backbone for effective management. In fact, my CT goes out of her way to attend student's sporting events and concerts to show her care is genuine. Because of the mutual respect, students follow directions, work their hardest, and feel capable to grow and reach success in the classroom.
Interview
My CT explained to me the crucial time at the beginning of the year, and the importance of setting clear norms immediately. Some of these norms that she's established include sitting down when walking into the classroom and begin working on the warm up; follow directions the first time; and to work in teams. For specific classroom management strategies she follows the school-wide system called PBIS. She says this program is very effective; it involves a chain of redirections from pause, refocus seat, reset seat, and then to the office. My CT also has a paw-stamp chart with which students have the opportunity to earn stamps and work toward rewards such as choosing their seats, candy, and no homework. This positive reinforcement gives students a visible way to track their behavior and work toward rewards! When talking about classroom management tactics that did not work so well, she spoke to the fact that each student is different––what works for the majority might not always work for everyone. Finally, she emphasized that the most important concept that ensures effective classroom management is relationship-building.
Reflection
The way my CT manages her classroom and treats her students inspires me to do exactly the same. I have always found that I have a tendency of building strong relationship, but can lack the ability to have a backbone. But, I was refreshed when my CT described that she has always been the same way and that managing a class through relationships is just as effective, if not more effective, then being too strict/authoritarian. I am nervous about correctly establishing norms in my own classroom, and hope that I can grow to be an effective teacher like my CT. Trust and respect are HUGE, and I hope to build up both of those in my classrooms throughout the years to facilitate a class environment that is growth-promoting, structured, and enjoyable for my students, and myself.
