Is it Really Only a Teacher Problem?

One of the biggest challenges new teachers face is classroom management. From creating rules to dealing with unruly students, new teachers getting control of their classroom can be quite challenging. As the new school year starts, teachers haven’t gotten the opportunity to know their students yet, so new teachers are truly left in the dark as opposed to experienced teachers who know how to handle such difficult situations. The common practices of going over classroom rules and their consequences are not always a deterrent for students not to misbehave. In fact, there are many factors to consider when putting a new teacher into a classroom.

The grouping of students into classrooms should be analyzed by both teachers and administrators for the next school year. Students with volatile personalities should not be placed together and should be separated amongst all the grade level classes. A new teacher having 8 of the 10 students in a grade level with bad behavior puts them at a great disadvantage. They will spend more time battling classroom behavior than teaching. Even on the special education front, all special education students should not be placed in one inclusion classroom. The goal should be for them to see better learning habits from their fellow students. Since it is customary for segments of special education students to remain together for multiple years, it is important to separate them whenever possible to prevent them from forming cliques in the classroom, which most of the time interrupts learning. It has been my experience that in addition to learning issues, special education students have a bad habit of developing behavioral issues due to their environment or lack of maturity. An experienced teacher would have trouble with these scenarios; nonetheless, a brand new person entering the teaching profession.

Relationships are pivotal when connecting with your students. Excluding the very early grade levels, teachers who taught the new teacher’s students should be obligated to share information on them. New teachers should be given time to meet with these teachers as they hold valuable information, such as the learning styles of those students. Then, the new teacher can at least create an action plan in order to better meet those student’s needs. In order for this to work, the new teacher must be in the presence of a very caring teacher community. The relationships with fellow teachers can also hurt a new teacher’s progress, especially if veteran teachers stick to the agreed upon union hours and will not help unless being paid extra. This is usually tied to a horrible relationship with administration, which can cause teachers to act less caring toward one another. When this situation occurs, the new teacher will be in a rough situation and must hope they find a caring person among the veteran teacher population. 

The addition of an effective mentor is also pivotal to a new teacher’s success and can cancel some of the issues caused if their teaching community is disgruntled. The new teacher requires a person that is honest and not tied to the political goals of the administration. You don’t want a person that will lead the new teacher astray to only advance their career. The mentor should be going over all the important aspects of the school and how the mentee will be rated. Student growth objectives, lesson planning, and basic school protocol should all be reviewed. There should also be weekly meetings, so the mentor can gauge the new teacher’s progress and address any concerns they have. The mentor can informally observe their mentee and choose target areas to advance their craft. The key is to pair the new teacher with someone who is passionate about their profession and willing to bring others to success with them. With proper tutelage by the mentor and dedication by the new teacher, classroom management should improve as the year progresses.

   Bad school structure is a problem that will destroy any teacher’s classroom management. Ineffective administrators implementing weak or inconsistent behavior rules will undermine any classroom rules and procedures. If a student knows being sent to the principal’s office is an opportunity to get a treat instead of discipline, the new teacher will always be in a losing situation.  Punishment isn’t the only option to promote good behavior; however, the student still needs to be instilled with the idea that their conduct was inappropriate and cannot happen again. Positive reinforcement is always best, but there are times where administrators need to recognize the need for more aggressive measures. The new teacher needs this to happen to help with their growth. 

Although many issues may be out of the new teacher’s control, I must add the new teacher themselves may actually be the problem. Failure to improve their skills and being defiant will never get them to the highest levels in their career. A new teacher must be open and willing to try different strategies in order to create a toolbox which will be at their disposal as they experience different student learning styles. A new teacher can be in the best position to create sound classroom management but fail to do so because of their selfish and undesirable behavior. The ultimate key to effective classroom management is a combination of teamwork by the entire school and the willingness for the new teacher to be their best self. If all these factors come into play, school administration and the new teacher will be in synergy and see incredible growth.  The sooner the new teacher masters their skills; the sooner our students will get the ultimate classroom experience.