Proposition 3

Third, “Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning” (NBPTS, 2019). Simply put, teachers need to keep an eye on their students and make sure that they’re actively learning, and seeking learning in the classroom. Classroom management is paramount for successful learning, because students need a safe, conducive learning environment in which to learn. Teachers also need to consider their role in that as well, and maintain a demeanor and candor that is conducive to student learning.

To demonstrate what I've learned in regard to classroom management and putting it into practice, I've chosen a case study I conducted on a student at the Spurwink Glickman Academy:

Rationale:

Even though the strategies we chose to implement were unsuccessful with this particular student, a lot was learned in regards to classroom management, especially pertaining to "at risk" populations, such as those with mental health challenges. This particular student challenged every single safety measure that we could think of (or rather, ones we wouldn't of even thought of); anything can become a weapon in the right hands with the right intent, as was demonstrated with this student with a pair of safety scissors.

It goes without saying that not all students would go such lengths to exhibit the same level of self-destructive behavior, but none-the-less, classroom management is team effort. From Teachers, Ed-Techs, Clinicians, the parents, everybody is involved to ensure that the student is going to do well in school. While this case was extreme, we had enlisted a diverse variety of management techniques, such as behavior tracking, positive reinforcement, etc.

Working with this particular individual has prepared me to work with even the most demanding students and clients, and the techniques and strategies used have served me well, both in and out of the classroom. More than anything, I've developed patience and an appreciation for what's going on underneath the surface with my students; working in the behavioral health field, professionals get the unique opportunity to learn everything about the students that we work with, from their medical history, to misdemeanors they may have committed.

Reflection:

Not all educators are able to get such an in-depth analysis of their students, and has given me a deeper perspective of my students, to be more understanding and less authoritarian in the "classroom". While student behavior can be more than a little frustrating at times, as educators we have to understand that we're not just teaching our subject matter to them, but how to behavior as members of society, and that we should expect them to slip up at times, and that's ok.