Introduction
Maya Angelou said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel (Nagaraju, 2020).” I feel that this is especially true for the teacher student’s relationship. Students are likely not going to remember the exact lessons their teachers have taught them, but they will remember how their teachers made them feel. Students will remember how their teachers either did or did not support and care for them. This student teacher is vitally important, and it is what will make a major impact on students lives. This relationship is also one of the most important steps in classroom management. If students feel cared about, and if they like their teacher, they will be more willing to do what they are told.
Characteristics of an Effective Teacher
An effective teacher knows how to work with each student. They take the time to get to know their students and they put in the effort to meet the needs of their students. In the classroom, they differentiate instruction as needed. They have a wide variety of instructional techniques to keep students engaged. Outside of academic work, they are there to listen to their students and help guide them.
Effective teachers are also fair and consistent. They have expectations for their students, and they stick to them. Their expectations are realistic, but high and consistently enforced. If students fail to meet the expectations, an effective teacher deals with the situation accordingly. They are not too harsh, but they do not ignore the problem. They do not give in when students protest but are willing to change when necessary.
Effective teachers design a classroom environment that is safe and comfortable. Their classroom environment fosters a positive learning experience, where students are not stressed. Students are willing to try and learn from their mistakes. The classroom environment is set up in a way to promote a growth mindset.
Furthermore, effective teachers create an organized classroom. Students feel safer and are less stressed when the classroom is organized. Effective teachers do this through practiced routines and procedures. Effective teachers have an efficient way to do things in their classroom, and they teach those procedures to students. More class time will be saved for instruction if transitions and other distractions are lessened with effective procedures and routines.
Student’s Psychological Needs
Student’s psychological needs, like safety and love/belonging are the most important things right after physical needs. Students need to feel safe and secure (Mcleod, 2020). The classroom they learn in must feel organized and calm. A chaotic classroom can make students feel unsafe and they will not be prepared to learn. They will be more focused on the noise and potential dangers around them than on their classwork. The classroom can and should be fun, but the classroom needs to be under control.
After the need to feel safe, students have a need to feel loved and like they belong. As I mentioned earlier, student teacher relationships are extremely important. Through this student teacher relationship, students need to know they are cared for. They need to know they can be themselves and will be accepted (Mcleod, 2020). The teacher needs to be available to care for each student and give them that sense of belonging.
Teachers do have to be cautious here. They cannot feel sorry for their students or expect less out of them because of their situations. Students will truly feel cared about not when they are given pity, but when their teachers care about them enough to continue to hold high expectations. At times, it is appropriate to give students a break and to allow extensions and flexibility on schoolwork. But, after adequate time is given, the high expectations must return.
Adult and Peer Relationships
Kids are very impulsive. They act on emotion and often cannot understand what others are feeling (Yoo, 2018). Adults, teachers especially, cannot expect their students to have the skills necessary to interact with and develop positive relationships with adults. The adult to student relationship has to be done by the adult because most students just are simply not mature enough yet to build positive relationships with adults. Teachers need to be ready to deal with student problems and with students treating them poorly. Teachers cannot respond poorly back, and they cannot take anything students say to them personally. If students yell or become angry at teachers or other adults, the adult needs to stay calm and deescalate the situation. Then, when emotions are settled it is important that teachers and other adults use those situations as teaching moments. Adults need to help students learn to regulate emotions so that they can learn to communicate better and develop better relationships with adults.
It is important for teachers to help students develop relationships with their peers. Teachers should not be playing match maker or anything, but they should help students learn social skills and learn how to develop positive relationships with peers. Students need to learn that they do not have to be friends with everyone, but they have to learn to be kind to everyone and at least get along with their peers. Social skills are heavily emphasized in special education, but they are sometimes ignored or forgotten in the general education classroom. But they should not be; many students need to be explicitly taught certain social skills. Many students have a hard time understanding how other people feel. They are impulsive and often act purely on emotion (Yoo, 2018). Acting on pure emotion can damage peer relationships, so it is important that students are taught how to mend relationships with their peers and how to communicate more effectively.
Along with teaching social skills, teachers can include team building activities into the classroom. These will help create a community of learners and help students to empathize with one another and understand each other better. Research has shown that rejection from peers is extremely damaging to students, but when students feel accepted by peers their academic achievement sees significant benefits (Weiner & Timmermanis, 2012). Thus, it is extremely important to foster a positive and encouraging classroom environment.
Standards and Behavior Expectations
The majority of students want to do what they are supposed to do. Students want to make their parents and teachers proud. Behavior problems typically come from students just not knowing what to do or teachers not being consistent. To help eliminate a lot of behaviors, teachers should set up three to five general standards for students to follow. Then, teachers should articulate what exactly it means to meet the standards. Lots of examples and non-examples should be given to students. The importance of the standards should be explained and discussed. Students need to buy into the standards before they will follow them.
The majority of the teaching on the standards and expectations should happen within the first week of school. It may seem like a waste of time to focus so much on the expectations, but it will be well worth the time. If students know what is expected of them, and if the standards are enforced early on, there will be significantly fewer behavior problems throughout the school year. It is also important for teachers to review the standards and expectations throughout the school year. Especially before a sub comes in, or a special event happens at school, the standards and expectations should be reinforced.
Procedures for Students
Bathroom
1. If you have to go to the bathroom, look at the class schedule first. If it almost time for recess, wait until then.
2. If it is not close to recess time, raise your hand and ask to use the bathroom.
3. When you are given permission, walk to the bathroom, and return to the classroom when you are finished.
4.
Continue working when you get back to the classroom.
Transitions
1. When the teacher says it is time to transition, your voice should be quiet, and you should look at the transition board.
2. Look at what is on the left of the board that should be put away, put those things away.
3. Look at what is on the bottom left to see if anything needs to be turned in. Turn any work in that you need to.
4. Look at the right side of the board to see what you need to take out.
5. Keep an eye on the timer, make sure you are finished transitioning by the time the timer reaches 0.
6. As soon as you see or hear the timer go off, sit quietly in your desk and wait for instructions.
Asking for help
1. During independent worktime, if you are not sure how to do something, reread the problem first.
2. If you still do not know how to do something, look at the anchor charts and other classroom supports to see if you can figure out the answer.
3. If you still are not sure what to do, ask your someone near you (someone only one desk away).
4. If you still do not know, raise your hand and wait for a teacher to come to you.
Group Work
1. If you have been split into groups to work, grab your materials and walk quietly to the area where you have been told to meet with your group.
2. Use an inside talking voice and allow everyone to talk.
3. Stay with your group, do not work ahead, and make sure everyone is working on the same question.
4. If your whole group has a question, raise your hand, so the teacher can come and answer your question.
5. When you are finished, raise your hand, so the teacher can come and check your work.
6. If the teacher okays your work, send one person to the green bin to grab a group activity to work on.
Getting Ready for Recess
1. Sit quietly at your desk, until the teacher dismisses your row to get ready.
2. Check the sign for what you need to wear for recess.
3. When your row is dismissed, quietly walk to your cubby and grab your recess bag and boots, bring it back to your desk.
4. Take your snow pants out and put them on.
5. Put on your boots.
6. Put on your coat. Try to zip your own zipper, if you can’t get it, walk to the teacher and ask for help.
7. Put on your hats and gloves.
8. If the sign says you do not need to wear any snow gear, you may skip those steps. When you are ready, line up on your dot quietly, and wait to follow the teacher outside.
9. When you get to the door, do not push or run, walk until you are off of the slope.
Coming in from Recess
1. When the whistle blows, run to the blacktop, and then walk to our class’ line.
2. Face forward and stay quiet.
3. Keep your hat, gloves, and coat on, but stomp or clap off any snow.
4. Wait until I tell you to come inside, then quietly follow the line inside.
5. When we get back to the classroom, quietly take your snow gear off, and put it back into your recess bag. If your hat or gloves are wet, bring them to the teacher, so they can be hung to dry.
6. Put your snow gear away in your cubby, then sit in your desk quietly and wait for instructions.
Procedures for Teachers
Checking Red Folders
1. While you are doing your morning work from the blue folders, I will check the red folders to see if your parents have any notes for me, or if you have any notes for me.
2. I will also collect any lunch money or forms your parents need to sign.
3. Before the end of the day, I will put any papers your parents need into your folder.
4. I will also add a quick note into your folder to tell your parents how the day went.
a. I will either put a star, which means there were no problems
b. Or I will put a quick note to tell your parents we need to try again tomorrow.
Good Mornings
1. As you walk into the classroom, I will be standing at the door.
2. I will greet you and give you a smile.
3. I will also give you a few minutes to tell me a story if you want.
4. If I am pulled away in the morning and do not have a chance to say hi at the door, I will spend the first few minutes of class to tell each of you, “good morning.”
Attendance/ Lunch Count
1. I will hand you your lunch card in the morning. (You will put it in the box to show if you are eating school lunch, if you need just milk, or if you are eating sack lunch).
2. I will know which students are absent by looking at which cards are still in my hands.
3. I will count the cards in the School Lunch box and the Milk Only box for lunch count.
Checking Student work- handing back corrections
1. When work is handed in, I will check it to see what you understand, and what I need to help you with.
a. I will circle the items I want you to work on or fix.
b. If there are no corrections, I will star your paper.
2. I will hand papers back to you.
a. When your paper has a star on it, put it in your mailbox.
b. If some items are circled, put it in your blue folder to work on during worktime.
3. When corrected work is handed back in, I will check it again.
a. I will check mark items that have been fixed correctly. If all items have been fixed, I will put a star on your paper.
b. I will recircle any items that still need to be changed.
4. I will hand papers back again and repeat the process until you have a star.
Addressing student issues
1. If you, or another student comes to me with an issue involving you, I will address it.
2. I will first listen to both sides of the story. I will make sure both students get the chance to speak without interruptions.
a. If students try to talk over each other, I will remind them to let the other person speak, and that they will get a chance to speak too.
3. I will do my best to respond to each unique situation to resolve the issue and prevent it from happening again.
4. I will also communicate any issues with parents through the red take home folder.
5. If it is a major issue, I will communicate with the principal, counselor, and parents as necessary.
Procedures for The Classroom
Using the Pencil Sharpener
1. If your pencil gets dull or the lead breaks, hold your pencil in the air.
2. The teacher will see your pencil in the air and give you permission to replace your dull pencil with a sharp pencil.
3. When you are given permission, quietly walk to the pencil station.
4. Put your dull pencil in the yellow box.
5. Pick up a sharp pencil from the green box.
6. Quietly walk back to your seat and continue working.
Entering the classroom in the morning
1. When you get to class in the morning, take your lunch card from your teacher.
2. Place your card in the School Lunch, Just Milk, or Sack Lunch box.
3. Take your red Take Home folder out of your backpack.
4. Place your folder into your mailbox.
5. Put your backpack, coat, and snow gear in your cubby.
6. Quietly walk to your desk and get started on work in your blue folder.
7. If you finish everything in the blue folder, find something to do from the blue bonus box.
Leaving the classroom at the end of the day
1. When your row is dismissed, go to your mailbox and grab your folder.
2. Walk to your cubby and place your folder in your backpack.
3. If you had to put on a coat at recess, put on a coat now. The same goes with hat, gloves, and boots. If you wore them at recess, put them on now.
4. You can choose if you want to wear snow pants or not.
5. Put your backpack on, and then walk to your dot.
6. If you ride the bus, you will be dismissed to go to the bus line in the gym.
7. When the bell rings, follow your teacher outside, and wait with your teacher.
8. If you walk home, say goodbye to your teacher and use the crosswalk to walk home safely.
9. If you get a ride home, when you see your ride, point out your ride to the teacher, and say goodbye, then you may leave.
Using Class Materials
1. If you are missing materials that you need, grab you “borrow ticket.”
2. Hold the ticket up in the air.
3. When the teacher calls on you, walk to extra materials cupboard by the teacher’s desk, place your borrow ticket into the folder on the door.
4. Grab the materials you need.
5. When you are finished with the materials, put them away in the cupboard
6. Take your ticket back and put it in your desk.
Handing in Work
1. When you are finished with a piece of classwork, double check that you put your name on it.
2. Walk over to the hand in stations, place your work into the right tray.
a. Math- Green
b. Language Arts- Purple
c. Social Studies- Yellow
d. Science- Blue
e. If you do not know what box to put it in, put it in Red
Motivating and Maximizing on Task Behavior
The time in school when the most instruction is lost is during transitions. Transitions are an unstructured time, and a time when students can get very distracted (Foster, 2019). Thus, to maximize on task behavior, teachers should set solid transition procedures, and practice them. The expectations for transitions should be explicitly explained. In addition, some sort of visual should probably be included. Timers, or countdowns are great to help keep students on track during transitions. In addition, as students see the cue of a timer ending, and if they hear a ringer, then they can independently refocus. If that independence is practiced and encouraged, the teacher will have a much easier time getting students focused quicker than if the teacher has to fight for attention.
The teacher can encourage more independent transitions through positive reinforcement. If students are quiet and doing what they are supposed to, tell them good job to encourage them. Not only will positive reinforcement encourage good behavior in the student who was praised, but other students will see the positive reaction from the teacher and will be encouraged to follow suit.
After students have spent a lot of time focused and after they have spent a lot of time sitting, it is important to get students up and moving. Even the best-behaved students who respond well to standards and expectations, still need breaks. So, brain breaks, and movement are important to add into the schedule. Scheduled breaks allow students to refocus. They can meet their need for some movement and activity and can get prepared to get back to work. Without breaks students will get wore out from work and will get antsy. If students are not given breaks, they will start to cause behavior problems. Not because they want to cause problems, but because they need to move and use some energy.
When students are given some less structured time like breaks or group work, teachers should have prepared call backs for students. These call backs should be practiced and should be taught to students as a way to bring attention up front quickly. Students should learn that the quicker they respond to the teacher’s call back, and the quicker they get quiet, the better the school day will go. They will have more time to get to the fun parts of the day, or the things they want to do.
Responding to Inappropriate or Off Task Behavior
The first step in responding to inappropriate or off task behavior should be to ignore it. However, this should be quick. The behavior should only be ignored for a short amount of time to see if the student will self-correct. If they do, then don’t bring up the behavior issue. Let it be a non-issue. However, if the student does not fix the issue o their own, subtly address the issue. Through proximity and other non-verbal means, acknowledge the behavior, and make it known to the student that their behavior is not okay. This could be a simple point to the standards, a quick head shake, a sign to be quiet, etc. If the student then corrects the issue with a prompt, just let it be. Unless the student consistently causes issues, there is no need to make the problem bigger than it is.
If the student still does not respond and does not change their behavior, address the problem more directly. Remind the class about the standards and expectations, use the student’s name in an example, talk to the student one-on-one, remind them of the standards, use an i-message, tell the student how their disruptiveness makes you feel, or try a number of other things. There are many great strategies available, and it is important to find what ways to address the behaviors work best for the students.
Depending on the inappropriate behaviors, consequences may be necessary. That could be talking to the principal, less time on iPads, lost recess, etc. Whatever it is, the consequence should match the behavior problem. It should not be too harsh or unfair.
If behavior issues become a consistent thing in the classroom, it is time to look at what is causing the behavior. As stated earlier, students in general want to do good, they don’t want to cause behavior problems. So, if there are consistent behavioral issues, something is causing that. The student may need some extra care and attention, they may be seeking power, they may be trying to escape a class they don’t want to be in, the teacher may have failed to meet their end of the expectations, etc. Teachers need to find out what is causing the behavior problems, and they need to address the cause, if the want the effect to be changed.
The Difference Between Management and Discipline
Classroom discipline is very reactive. Teachers and staff wait until issues come up to address them. In contrast, classroom management is proactive. Teachers set up the classroom environment in a way that supports student learning and prevents issues before they can happen. Through the relationships formed, practice procedures, clear standards and expectations, and a number of other items, teachers can be proactive to prevent problems.
Classroom management is greatly preferred over discipline. Every time the teacher has to stop and address issues, instruction time is affected. However, if issues can be prevented through classroom management, instructional time will be saved.
Summary
Effective Classroom Managers are very proactive. They carefully plan out the school year and what they expect from students. They create realistic, but high expectations for all of their students. They try to predict about anything that could cause a disruption or distraction from the instruction time. When they find those things, they create procedures and routines to limit those distractions.
Effective Classroom Managers know their students. They know what their students like and dislike, they know what motivates their students, and they know how to challenge and support their students. Effective Classroom Managers have a wide variety of instructional techniques to keep students engaged. They include movement, and they know how to keep students interested.
Effective Classroom Managers are fair and consistent. They have their standards and expectations in place, and they consistently enforce them. They are fair to all students, and continue to listen to them, but they still enforce the standards and expectations. They are understanding and caring, but still expect great things from their students.
Sources
Foster, M. (2019, September 19). Master Effective Transitions. TeamTom Education. https://teamtomeducation.com/effective-transitions/.
Mcleod, S. (2020, December 29). Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html.
Nagaraju, V. (2020, May 21). People Quotes: Maya Angelou - People Will Forget What You Said, What You did But... Inspire 99. https://inspire99.com/people-quotes-mary-angelou-people-will-forget-what-you-said-what-you-did-but/#:~:text=We%20start%20the%20day%20with%20a%20quote%20from,thousands.%20How%20many%20of%20them%20do%20you%20remember%3F.
Weiner, J., & Timmermanis, V. (2012). Peer Rejection. Peer Rejection - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/peer-rejection#:~:text=The%20short%2Dterm%20and%20long,%2Desteem%2C%20and%20social%20anxiety.&text=Numerous%20studies%20have%20linked%20aggressive,adolescence%20to%20rejection%20from%20peers.
Yoo, C. (2018). How to Support Self-Regulation Difficulties in Children. Foothills Academy. https://www.foothillsacademy.org/community-services/parent-education/parent-articles/self-regulation-difficulties.