Classroom management, to me, is a bit of a misnomer.  The term manager conjures up a man clad in a shirt and tie, sitting behind a cubical (sp?) attempting to maintain the status quo.  A manager keeps things under control.  A leader, however, is proactive and inpsires people to go beyond the what is perceieved as normal.  A leader has a vision that becomes contagious, often because it is a democratic vision, encompassing the ideals of many people.  Children never say, "I want to be in middle managment," yet they often desire to have some form of leadership - a quarterback, a president, a lawyer. 

So, I'm not a fantastic leader.  Yet, my school asked me to teach a professional development training on classroom management.  Honestly, I am nervous about this.  In creating it, my goal is to get the staff to think together, because it is in the relationships with other teachers that I learned how to a lead a classroom.  As great as Harry Wong or Rick Wormeli or Fred Jones might be, it the work of Mr. Schaffer and Ms. Jackson and a whole host of teachers who will never speak at a conference, who have had an impact in my teaching. 

The following is a list of practical things I do that have worked for me.  I don't know if they'll work for others, but I thought I would share.  Also, any ideas you have would be helpful. 

  • Positive notes - I try to send sixteen notes home a week (bilingual, given my student population) and parental support has become so much easier now
  • Body language - there is something about the tone of voice, the postureand the space proximity that make a huge difference. 
  • Instructions - I give them verbally (quickly) and I always have detailed, step-by-step instructions written on the board
  • Meaningful lessons - Students need to know why they are learning a particular lesson
  • Humor - Acting dumb goes a long way in middle school.  I dress up in costumes, use goofy accents and even resort to puppets on occasion.  Yet, we also have rigorous debates and strong academic learning. 
  • Quick transitions - I give students strict deadlines and I transition fast
  • Reacting early - If I can react early and give eye contact, this usually stops students from goofing off
  • Clear procedures - In the beginning of the year, we brainstorm a list of questions beginning with "when can I . . .?"  I then create a grid with a list of individual, group, etc.  I posted it on our class website at http://www.thesocialvoice.com/procedures.html
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