My Experience
Learning the hard way is sometimes the best teacher. Once again, my first few years as an educator were rough for me. I did not understand how to be consistent with my classroom procedures, routines, and expectations. This was something that was difficult for me. First of all, these were not my children, and I didn’t want to seem like I was coming across as being too mean. Then again, being too nice didn’t do me any good.
One day, I finally had a young lady sit in the hallway after multiple warnings. After she left, a student asked me why I kept giving her chances. I tried my best to explain that it is important to give students chances. The student hit me with, “You can’t keep moving the line.” Another student then chimed in and said, “We need boundaries.”
I was completely floored. I honestly stood there for a few seconds with my mouth hanging open. When I finally got my mouth and tongue to work again, I asked the whole class, “Are you telling me that you want me to give you boundaries?” Almost every student in there shook their head yes. Another student let me know that they need to know where the line is and the consequence when they cross it.
After I finally processed what they said, I began to worry about how I would go about setting those boundaries and was it too late to start. I am going to be honest, I struggled for the rest of the year with classroom management. A few things got better, but my routines and how the class should be structured were no where near where they should have been. I remember my friend coming to guest teach in my room one day. She told me that I was doing fine with the teaching part because she could tell that my students were learning, but I needed to work on the discipline. She let me know that I lacked procedures, routines, and overall structure. There was also a substitute teacher who worked across the hall from me for a couple of weeks, and he told me the same thing. As a matter of fact, he was adamant that my discipline issue was an easy one to fix. Yeah right is all I could think at the time.
Oh, don’t get me wrong. I was appreciative of them telling me that this issue could be fixed, but I had no idea how to really fix it and what to do to start the next school year off. Over the years, I have figured out a few things through trial and error and by watching others.
Concrete Ideas
1. Prior to the school year beginning, you need to sit down and be real with yourself concerning how you are as a person and what you consider as a non-negotiable.
2. When you come up with your rules and your expectations, make them plain and succinct, but make them with a positive spin. Here is an example of my rules and expectations. I know that I looked online for some assistance with coming up with my rules and expectations. I have used these for some years, and I don’t remember which websites I went to before I combined their ideas with mine.
3. No matter the student’s age, avoid at all costs having conversations about behavior while inside the classroom. This creates a power struggle. Make it known that speaking in the hallway will be the procedure if you need to speak to a student or vice versa.
I pull my students into the hallway where I can have a private conversation and still monitor the class. I let my students know that I am showing them respect by not discussing their personal business in front of their peers. Be honest and let them know that you expect them to show you respect as well.
4. There needs to be a procedure for everything you do in your classroom. This make sound like overkill, but in reality it is needed. So many students come from homes where there is no structure. They need to learn what it looks like and what happens if they do not follow the procedures. Here is a list that you can use to start your process.
New teachers and experienced teachers alike continue to struggle with setting classroom procedures, routines, and expectations. If you are still struggling even in the middle of the year, you can still do a reset. Yes, it will be more challenging, but it is better to do it and know how you want to start the new year off rather than continue with the same process you have been using and spinning your wheels.
