This is the fourth year that I have been teaching middle school
and I have realized that there are some things that help make classroom
management easier for me. Below are a
couple different things that have made my life easier this school year that I decided
to try after years of trying other systems.
Most of these have helped make my classroom more systematic and allowed
me to be more consistent.
1. The three
strike system: This has allowed my
students to make mistakes to realize they need to stop messing around. So far this system has helped me maintain
order and I have had better behavior that I have ever had. I have one class full of big personalities
that are pushing the system as much as they can. So for that class any kind of physical harm
or throwing things has now resulted in an automatic lunch detention. All 4 of my other classes have responded well
to this system. Most stop what they are
doing once they reach strike 2. So far I
have not had to remove anyone from the classroom. Goes to show how a good system keeps things
moving along.
2. Counting down when you want it to be quiet: This is weird. Somewhere along the way kids have been
programed to respond to the countdown and be quiet. I have a feeling it must be something done in
elementary school and the procedures that they use there. Coupled with the three strike system this has
caused many of my asking for quiet to go away.
I really don’t know why it works, but at this point it does.
3. Making
sure you get around helping all the students you can: I have stopped lecturing as much this year as
I have in the past. There are still days
I do, but at this point the kids are doing most of the work during the
period. I now spend more time walking
form group to group helping students. SO
far this has helped the kids realize that they can do it and I have gotten to
know them better than I have in the past.
When the kids sat in rows it was harder to have personal conversations,
but now I can have a conversation with 4 of them at once, show them the skill,
and talk about some things that matter to them.
It really is so different than I used to teach, but it seems to be
working. The amount of work that is
being turned in is way higher than in years past.
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