Induction Professional Growth Goal: Classroom Management

Beginning of year:

I entered the school year with a collection of ideas and practices that I wanted to implement for classroom management that I gathered from professional development books and research. After meeting my students and realizing their needs, I came to the conclusion that many of my classroom management ideas were either not effective or did not properly solve the problems that I was facing in the classroom.

During the year:

With the use of induction cycles, I was able to experiment and implement new classroom management strategies that ended up being more effective in the long run. I learned that each classroom and period has its own energy and needs. With this knowledge, I was able to adapt the routines and rules for each period.

End of year:

Looking back, I am most proud of the community that I have built in my classroom among the students and myself. In the beginning of the school year, I had many students that didn't understand discipline, tears were shed, fights were happening, and students were adjusting to life in high school. It was a rough start to the beginning of the year. Now, students enter the classroom following basic rules and routines, they join their groups, and students feel at ease and safe in our classroom.

Reflection:

There were many factors that helped create this environment. Using PBIS influences, I created a routine that was expected and understood everyday. My goal was to have the students never feel shocked or confused upon entering our classroom. Next, I have open communication with my students. I start the period by greeting them at the door, and I try my best to have one-on-one conversations about student progress and about non-school related subjects. I wished for my students to understand that I care about them more than just as a student, but also as a human. My master's thesis focused on student-teacher relationships and how it increases engagement, so I truly believe that when the student feels cared for, they are more likely to be successful and engaged in class. As far as building a student community, I created heterogenous groups influenced by Kagan strategies in my class that forced unlikely people to talk to each other. I would enforce structured conversation pieces and collaborative activities so students got to know each other. This allows students to open up and see the person in front of them. Lastly, I wanted students to feel ownership and trust within the classroom. I consciously asked students to do small tasks throughout the day that made them feel as if it was OUR classroom, not just mine. Some small chores I would ask students to do included: asking students to get objects from my desk, grabbing materials in my storage, plugging in my personal Chromebook, etc. I noticed that students respond well to being trusted.

Overall, I understand that I still have a lot of growth. I learned about myself as an educator and how to find strategies that work well with my personality. I am excited about furthering my classroom management skills in the future.