Back to School

The first week of school sets the tone for the class. This is the time to let the students get to know you and the other students. (Check out the "Toolbox & Warmers" page for a few getting to know you activities.) Everyone will be on their best behavior but be sure to stand your ground even with the smallest infractions. If you allow students to speak their native language on the first day, they will continue to do it for the rest of the year. Let them grab your things without permission, they will be taken items out of your purse or school bag by the end of the month. Good classroom management will make your job easier and more effective.

Classroom management is a term that gets thrown around a lot. But what does it look like? How do you get and support it?

What it looks like?

A well-managed classroom has students listening to the teacher as well as each other. Respect, safety and shared learning interest are seen there even in the loudest of classrooms. The interaction of the students and instructor; the degree of neat and cleanliness that everyone in class upholds; and the engagement level of  all the students will tell an outsider that this class is under control.

How to get and support it?

1. You need to know your students. It's can start as simply just knowing their name. If you can shout the right name, you can hold a bit of power. Not knowing the name of someone while you are trying to get their attention can be disastrous. The student feels the lack of respect and may be more difficult to spite you.
2.  Have a plan for what you will do and can do when certain distracting behaviors come up.   You may be limited to the degree of the consequences, so ask your director what is the usual plan of attack when a certain issue comes up, i.e. rude talk, not doing homework, showing up late, etc.
3. Set up ground rules in the beginning. What are your norms for the class? Keep them simple, short, and minimal. 3-5 norms is a reasonable amount of rules any student can remember. Make them positive and easy to follow. (Example: "Always wait for your turn to speak". Instead of, "Don´t speak out of turn" or "Don't speak when others are speaking". It stops any rebellious ones who must do the opposite of what they are told not to do. Also eliminating the negative of "no" and "don't" make students feel more comfortable and less like they are force to be somewhere.)
4. MAKE SURE STUDENTS ALWAYS REMAIN QUIET WHEN YOU SPEAK. Wait until they have noticed that you are waiting for silence or use a bell to grab their attention, whatever. Just don't let them assume your voice is something they are allowed to block out. You want them to understand that you are here for a reason and when you speak it is to share something important. Think of it as your classroom is your kingdom and you are a just ruler who will always be listened to or "off with their heads"metaphorically . Keeping to this rule will help maintain respect and make it easier to hold your students' attention.