Classroom Management

This summer I was asked to serve in a panel discussion for new teachers to my district.  Having never done this before I wasn't sure what to expect but I accepted the invitation. I enjoy helping others and welcome any opportunity to serve in that role for my school and district.  There were a total of five teachers on the panel and the questions ranged from payroll questions to ability to collaborate with other teachers.  Many of the newly hired teachers were veterans that were simply new to my district but there were some new hires fresh from college.  All in all, it was pretty harmless.  Then I was asked the question that took me by surprise: As a new teacher how do I maintain control of my classroom? What surprised me the most was that I didn't have a good answer.  I feel like I have good classroom management and work hard to do so.  What frustrated me was that I didn't know how to articulate this to another teacher.  Clearly, this is a common question to many new teachers so I began reflecting on how I'd answer this question the next time it was posed. So here it is in five easy steps:

1. Accept that failures and struggles will happen and classroom management is an ongoing process. It's hard to learn this by watching others and you never really know what you'll tolerate until you're alone and in charge of the classroom.
2. Don't worry about what you perceive to be happening in other classrooms.  Classroom management is not about keeping students quiet, it's about keeping students learning. Decide what is acceptable in your learning environment and set a plan to maintain that expectation.  Some teachers demand silence while others allow productive discussion.  My classroom would be perceived as chaos to a teacher that demands silence but my students know the boundaries and learning is taking place. If students are learning than the classroom is well managed.  
3. Address poor behavior immediately.  Don't assume it will take care of itself. 
4. Reward good behavior immediately.  I was once told, "reward what you want to see again." I've held on to that because its good advice.
5. Be yourself.  Don't accept the old adage that your not supposed to smile until Christmas.  Students can always spot a fake. Classroom management is about creating a learning environment not intimidating kids.  Don't fake an attitude, but be yourself and the students will respond to being able to connect with you personally.  

Twitter as Professional Development

I was introduced to Twitter as a tool for professional development by my tech coach (@jrichardson30) almost exactly one year ago. Since then I've gone through phases where I have been engaged in conversations and others where I forgot those conversations existed. Still, I've recognized Twitter's value but always felt I wasn't experiencing it to the fullest.  Today that changed as I began working with my reading coach to explore the idea of using literacy circles with primary sources in my 7th grade classroom.  She and I spent an hour making adjustments to the lesson so that it would be more appropriate for non-fiction writings. I showed her my sources and felt confident in the plan that she had shown me.  However, I was still uneasy and wanting to discuss this with someone that had tried it before. Its the same uneasiness any teacher feels when they leave their comfort zone.  That feeling is professional growth, but it's still uncomfortable. That's when the thought occurred: Twitter.  So I grabbed my phone and sent a simple tweet.

I'm about to commit a week to studying primary sources leading to the Dec of Ind. any suggestions? #sschat

Two hours later I had sources and ideas being tweeted back to me from others that had been in my shoes before - uneasy but motivated to try. Their suggestions and sources were helpful but their willingness to support another teacher's professional growth was the most encouraging. Thanks @grkenyon & @johnsonmaryj. Your professionalism will help me grow and I'll pass that on to another teacher when given the opportunity. Together we'll grow our profession and reach students across the country. This would not have been possible without Twitter and that was a conversation worth having.