I can see now where I made some fundamental mistakes this year and (although it's hard for me to believe I'm saying this right now) I can't wait to start next year and correct them.
During the summer course I took, we were repeatedly told of the importance of "classroom management". But what exactly is classroom management? I had no real context, so I didn't really have a plan. The problem was that I thought I had some context, so I thought I had a plan. And I was wrong.
We were tasked with developing a classroom management plan (which in retrospect was ridiculous). Having taught in college classrooms in the past, and knowing that people don't read long, detailed plans, I reasoned that a short list of bullets covering very simple and universal behavior expectations would suffice. Here is my plan:
Welcome to Physics!
- Huskies are:
- Respectful
- Responsible
- Safe
- The following will apply at all times:
- General Behavior and Conduct Guidelines
- Academic Honesty Policy
- Please review the syllabus regarding:
- Attendance
- Tardiness
- Late work
- Grading scale
Expectations
- During class (students)
- Arrive on time and prepared
- Seek help when needed
- After class (students)
- Complete any assignments
- Prepare for exams and quizzes
- Any time (parents)
- Don't hesitate to contact me
Obviously, this isn't a plan. This is a set of guidelines and expectations. Of course, a plan consists of actions and contingencies with a stated outcome. My reasoning for not offering a complete plan was that I could think of so many management contingencies in a classroom that it would be impractical to write them all down.
This "plan" was appealing to me for many reasons. First, it's easily digestible. No one wants to wade through pages and pages of planning - and no one will. A long plan covering all classroom contingencies would simply go unread. Second, I could derive all my rules and regulations from this set of bullets - especially the first set. In the classes that I had taught (college), people knew what was respectful and responsible so there was no point in elaborating. If someone acts disrespectfully or irresponsibly, you call them on it and they acknowledge it and you all move on. So that, I reasoned, was that.
Not so.
In a classic example of the lesson I've learned again and again this year: they are not like me. Simply put, I overestimated the maturity level of my students. Or I've just forgotten what it's like to be an upperclassman in high school. When called on their (obviously) bad behavior, they have an almost infinite capacity to argue, reject what they're being told, and repeat the bad behavior. This is simply part of their stage of development, when kids are exploring all the ways they can assert themselves.
In many ways, I've been a pushover this year. I think that's been due to a combination of my thinking that they'll grow out of their need to assert, combined with my being "gun shy" about punishment. From my perspective now, the former simply isn't going to happen. Assertion, simply for the sake of assertion, comes with the territory at this age. So let's focus on the latter, which is the real driver for the need of a management plan.
Punishment. Consequences. I didn't want to be a disciplinarian, and thought that the kids would just like me enough that I wouldn't have to be. And, to be fair, in the majority of cases, this is absolutely true. But there will be those who you can't count on to behave. Whether it be through peer pressure, the power of your personality, or whatever, there will be those who are impervious to anything except consequences. And since a few unruly students can have a profound effect on classroom dynamics, you have to have a plan. And you have to be ready to execute.
I still think that a comprehensive list of infractions and punishments is useless. But I strongly suggest that a new teacher start by picking one law that shall be iron-clad in the classroom. If you don't know where you'll be working yet, just choose something reasonable (no gum, no dress-code infractions, no cell phones, whatever). You can change it when you get a job if you wish. If you do know where you'll be working, talk to someone else in the department and get an idea of what school rules kids tend to take liberties with and choose one of those. It really doesn't matter which, just pick one. Next determine consequences. Are you a three-strikes kind of person? That's fine, but what happens at the third strike? Is it a referral? Detention? Call home? You should also seek the advice of colleagues here - understand what punishments you can administer for your chosen infraction, and find out how to do it. Make your plan and tell everyone the rule and the consequence on day 1. Then do not miss a chance to enforce it.
This is still obviously not a complete classroom management plan. I'm still not even sure I know what a classroom management plan is since you have to make so many decisions every single day, and it's impractical to attempt to account for them all with a "plan". No, the point of this is really twofold: to get you comfortable with being the police in your new job, and to impress upon the students that when you say that a certain law applies in your classroom, that it's pointless and even self-defeating to experiment with boundaries. Regardless of what a classroom management plan really is, I believe that this is a first, essential step towards managing a classroom. And it may sound callous, but there should be a few students of whom you can make an example in the first week or two of school. There will be those who push you simply to see if you'll punish them. You can either punish them or not, but not punishing them is an invitation for them to push harder. And they will. It's a mindless game that I didn't want to acknowledge that I'd have to play, but I have to remind myself where they are in their development: they're learning to assert themselves and they look for opportunities to practice.
Since the point is to practice your new role and get your students accustomed to it as well, it's easy to see that it doesn't matter much what rule you choose to enforce, as long as it's reasonable. And you'll be able to add/subtract rules later as you understand what factors affect your classroom the most. But if you start with no precedent or expectation of consequences, it's very difficult to establish these things later on. What if you fear that you might be too harsh out of the gate? To make a potentially offensive analogy: it's far easier to start with a tight leash and loosen it than it is to start with a long leash and then tighten it. And I believe you'll have greater respect from a lot of your students if you demonstrate firm consistency when challenged on your rules.
So choose a rule and a consequence, and practice. Good classroom management will come with experience, and I hope this helps you accelerate the process.
In many ways, I've been a pushover this year. I think that's been due to a combination of my thinking that they'll grow out of their need to assert, combined with my being "gun shy" about punishment. From my perspective now, the former simply isn't going to happen. Assertion, simply for the sake of assertion, comes with the territory at this age. So let's focus on the latter, which is the real driver for the need of a management plan.
Punishment. Consequences. I didn't want to be a disciplinarian, and thought that the kids would just like me enough that I wouldn't have to be. And, to be fair, in the majority of cases, this is absolutely true. But there will be those who you can't count on to behave. Whether it be through peer pressure, the power of your personality, or whatever, there will be those who are impervious to anything except consequences. And since a few unruly students can have a profound effect on classroom dynamics, you have to have a plan. And you have to be ready to execute.
I still think that a comprehensive list of infractions and punishments is useless. But I strongly suggest that a new teacher start by picking one law that shall be iron-clad in the classroom. If you don't know where you'll be working yet, just choose something reasonable (no gum, no dress-code infractions, no cell phones, whatever). You can change it when you get a job if you wish. If you do know where you'll be working, talk to someone else in the department and get an idea of what school rules kids tend to take liberties with and choose one of those. It really doesn't matter which, just pick one. Next determine consequences. Are you a three-strikes kind of person? That's fine, but what happens at the third strike? Is it a referral? Detention? Call home? You should also seek the advice of colleagues here - understand what punishments you can administer for your chosen infraction, and find out how to do it. Make your plan and tell everyone the rule and the consequence on day 1. Then do not miss a chance to enforce it.
This is still obviously not a complete classroom management plan. I'm still not even sure I know what a classroom management plan is since you have to make so many decisions every single day, and it's impractical to attempt to account for them all with a "plan". No, the point of this is really twofold: to get you comfortable with being the police in your new job, and to impress upon the students that when you say that a certain law applies in your classroom, that it's pointless and even self-defeating to experiment with boundaries. Regardless of what a classroom management plan really is, I believe that this is a first, essential step towards managing a classroom. And it may sound callous, but there should be a few students of whom you can make an example in the first week or two of school. There will be those who push you simply to see if you'll punish them. You can either punish them or not, but not punishing them is an invitation for them to push harder. And they will. It's a mindless game that I didn't want to acknowledge that I'd have to play, but I have to remind myself where they are in their development: they're learning to assert themselves and they look for opportunities to practice.
Since the point is to practice your new role and get your students accustomed to it as well, it's easy to see that it doesn't matter much what rule you choose to enforce, as long as it's reasonable. And you'll be able to add/subtract rules later as you understand what factors affect your classroom the most. But if you start with no precedent or expectation of consequences, it's very difficult to establish these things later on. What if you fear that you might be too harsh out of the gate? To make a potentially offensive analogy: it's far easier to start with a tight leash and loosen it than it is to start with a long leash and then tighten it. And I believe you'll have greater respect from a lot of your students if you demonstrate firm consistency when challenged on your rules.
So choose a rule and a consequence, and practice. Good classroom management will come with experience, and I hope this helps you accelerate the process.
