Behavior Plan

Behavior Plan Week Two

            The first thing I noticed during my current placement is the significant difference in classroom management compared to what I have previously observed. Both teachers are very clearly well liked by students, respected by faculty, and fluent in their content areas; yet my current placement experiences far fewer interruptions and distractions from students. After wondering why this was the case, I asked my host teacher how she had implemented her classroom rules in the beginning of the year.

            Firstly, she admitted that it was a painstaking process to build the respect and classroom environment that she has achieved. During the first week of the year she laid down some very basic ground rules, all of which are very fair and lenient on the students. An example of these rules is that students are not allowed to not be on their phone or iPod during lecture or activity time, but they may be used during personal work time. Another surprising rule is her tolerance for occasional swearing as long as it is not directed at any person or group. By acknowledging that swearing is a part of the language of many youths she dodged many confrontations that would have arisen otherwise. She explained that when you tolerate certain behavior during specific time and occasions it takes away the “forbidden-ess” of that behavior and diffuses the situation.

            Once students understood the ground rules and accepted that they are both fair and consistent disruptions began to subside. One key factor in her classroom management is that the students are consistently engaged in the material. Certain subjects in history are difficult to avoid lecturing on, however she gets very creative in her efforts to keep lecture to a minimum. Since the students are occupied with activities and discussions they are less likely to be falling asleep in class or scrolling through social media sites.

            This realization meant a lot to me as a teacher candidate. Classroom management is just that, management, not absolute control. My host teacher is careful to pick only the necessary battles, making sure to not escalate any trivial situations. I feel that many teachers forget to question why students are misbehaving or disrupting the class. Do they feel the rules are unfair? Inconsistent? Are they bored or lost? Are they actively engaged or passively receiving information? All of these questions have been addressed by my host teacher when she creates her lesson plans, and are continuously re-addressed as the class dynamic evolves. Students within her classroom are given respect and taught that their opinions and thoughts are valuable to other students and to her as a teacher, and because of this they respect her in return, rules and all.