3 posts tagged “classroom”

My classroom management plan has changed so much since the summer.  I don't call kids out for not having their supplies, I don't punish kids for not raising their hands, I don't give them punishwork basically except when they say shut up or call someone stupid.

I've gotten more creative in my punishments, I just do whatever I feel is the best at the time.  For example, the other day, while playing a game, I had a student call a classmate a puta.  I couldn't believe it, but I didn't want to bother the office (had some problems with support), so I made him stand in the corner while we played the game.  It was very effective for him personally, as long as I made him face the wall.  It was hard for him, but not humiliating.  It was also very affective for the class.  Basically, I do what I need to when the issue comes up.

Everytime I hear this song, just for a split second, I wonder at the audacity of a band that would name itself Katrina and the Waves.

In other news, I went to school today and worked more on my classroom.  It's finally looking like a real live classroom!

I'm so psyched for school.  I'm nervous, but it's a good nervous.  I just want to have my first day.  I feel like once it's over, I'll have a much better idea of how my class will be.

Of course, I won't, but at least I'll feel better.

Here are some pictures of my classroom as it was before.

This is much much better than it was when I first got in, but still not as good as it was when I left this morning.

So, I get to write what I like in this.  I shall tell you of my marvelous time at By High.  Listen my children, and you shall hear.

I did not take any pictures, as my camera had no batteries, but I shall rectify that tomorrow.

I walked into my classroom, to which the janitor, Mr. Woods, was kind enough to show me.  He was, by the way, wonderful to me and very on top of things.  He found me almost anything I asked for, and if he couldn't get it, it wasn't for lack of trying.  I think he's a bit enamored of me.

I walked into a huge pile of books and papers and desks and boards.  It was awful.  I stared at this piled junk in the corner and I felt my mother's genes kick in.  I breathed in (not too deeply, for fear of dust) and set to work clearing the stuff away.  In another hour or two I had the place set up to my specs (As Mr. Woods says) and began to sort through all of the ginormous stack of papers and notebooks that my last teacher had just left in her classroom when she cleared out.  I then began to hang posters and to decide where I want to hang maps, etc. 

I left my classroom for one reason or another and found Elizabeth Walton and Julia Keith.  Both of whom have the potential to be one of my favorite people.  We went to lunch, once I stopped thinking about my classroom and realized I was hungry.  We had sushi coupled with sarcasm and followed by a stupid amount of laugher.

Then I returned to By High, where I met Mr. Jackson.  I like him.  I really do.  I realize he might be a little too exuberent for some teachers, but I like him.  I think he's going to be a good principal to work under as long as I strive to work with him and ensure that I can keep a handle on my students.

My aunt Melissa came up after she had finished her class for the day and she looked around a bit and helped me to visualize my classroom and to decide what to put where and what procedures I would put in place.  She was fabulous, and I thank God that I have such great people helping me.  I now have a much better idea of what would be a good and what a bad system and all about procedures that I need to put in place.

We tried to get out of there about 6:30, but Mr. Jackson kept us there until about 7:15.  The man sure can talk.  I like him a lot, and my aunt said that she thinks he seems a very good principal (she's definitely seen them come and go in her time), but he could talk the legs off a donkey and leave it spinning.  All the things about which he talked had a great deal of import, though, so I appreciate it, and I appreciate him telling me about the school.

I have so many things left to do in my classroom in order to be prepared for the year, but I made some good progress and I'm very happy with my classroom.

One thing I wanted to mention is how talking with Aunt Lissa about teaching just suddenly made things slide into place.  She talked about the need to impress upon your students that what you're doing is important, and just how important it is.  I felt so much better, suddenly.  It was like, all of a sudden, the world made sense.  I knew why I needed to stress classroom management.  What I'm doing is important, and those kids need me.  Wasting their time is unacceptable, and that goes for me and them.  I cannot give them shoddy lessons and a shoddy performance because that wastes their time.  They cannot act a fool and give me shoddy work because that wastes my time.

It was like the sunrise.  All of a sudden, I could see.  It was the dark hours before the dawn, maybe a few rays of light through the clouds, but suddenly over the horizon comes a red rubber ball.

I want to keep it bright.