Always organize

TeacherBlog: http://www.teachercreated.com/blog/?p=31

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As a first year teacher (well technically second but it’s my first year teaching a core subject) I am starting to get a better understanding on how to run a classroom. What management strategies can help benefit a classroom and students, how to successfully work out your plans for the week, and even how to work with colleagues on how to gain resources to benefit students.

But in a world full of papers, tests, assignments, and books, how do we manage to organize it all?
The author discusses the benefits on organization inside the classroom. With everything in its right place, the author says that organization will not only benefit the teacher but the students as well. How the teacher organizes their room is a clear sign of what she expects from her students, in both organization of their own and behavior wise. Students seem to respond better in an environment that is clean, safe, and predictable.

The author also describes the benefits toward a teacher:

The immediate benefits of a well-organized classroom to the teacher are clear—less wasted time and therefore more efficiency. Not so immediately apparent, perhaps, are the following very significant elements:

• reduced teacher fatigue

• improved student-teacher relations

• improved parent-teacher relations

• increased job satisfaction

• increased enthusiasm for professional growth

• increased student academic progress

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I have to agree with this completely. I remember when I first started and how hard it was to actually put things into place, watch my students, and give out the next assignment. Now I have come to learn that having everything, almost every detail, put in a place where I can remember is so helpful. I can hand out assignments quickly, and I’m not scrambling for last minute things.

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I know how important organization is to me, and I stress it very heavily on my classes. I check to see if everything is put away in their desks and cubbies, and that nothing is left behind. They understand that the first step to accomplishment is to be organized in your work.

Topics Discussed with dates spanning discussions:

Power Teaching

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I work in a very hard school. The students are difficult with behavior problems and, quite frankly, they are not the most motivated children to learn. Most of the forty minutes I have with my classes is either trying to enforce the rules I set into my classroom, or less time teaching them the information that they need to know. What could be an effective way to help them learn, even if they don’t know they are learning?

When I read the posting on “Power Teaching”, I’ll admit I was more skeptical than curious. But, as a new teacher, I figured it was better to try and broaden my teaching horizons and see what else was out there. It was interesting, to say the least. “Power Teaching” is a method of teaching by using the one idea that teachers want most, yet when it is given to the class sometimes havoc ensues: fun. Students learn best when they are enjoying themselves, which is true, and that is one of the bases of “Power Teaching”. This method also believes in a structured and orderly classroom to make certain that the fun does not get out of hand. The creators of “Power Teaching” have five simple rules that are to be followed at all times: raise your hand to speak, raise your hand to get of your seat, always think before you say something, follow directions, and make your teacher happy. The method uses fun games and activities, along with collaborative learning, that help students gain the motiviation that they lack.

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Though there was no comments as of yet, I am interested in what other teachers would say. Clearly it is a form of technology, but (as in case to where I am now) not all schools have technology available. Can it be used in a traditional classroom? Can it work for all students? Does it promote higher learning to all students, even those who have IEPs and learning disabilities? c.

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I am actually hesitant to try this with my students. I have instituted a “Fun Friday” with my classes, and even then it tends to get a little crazy. I have to be very strict with my classes, and I honestly believe that I would share this with those teachers that are in the younger grades rather than higher education. There are two teachers in mind that I’ll recommend this to, both with technology readily available, and I will have to ask them if they would be interested in giving it a try with their students.

One of the joys of teaching...

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TeacherLingo.com.

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It's Not All Flowers and Sausages

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In this blog that I have read, it wasn’t so much a resource that a teacher uses to help a student read, or a brand new method that show a third grader how to multiply two whole numbers. It was about the one thing we as teachers have trouble with the most. Parents. Basically the author was “venting” stress about all the excuses and stories that parents will give when their child is put into a rather bad light. “Oh, well he never does this at home,” is a classic line that most parents give just to prove the educator wrong. And sometimes, even if there is evidence that the child is incorrect in the situation, the parents will still defend up to the very end.

It has always been an issue dealing with parents, and I know as a teacher myself that we try to accommodate the parents as much as we can within the barriers of our classroom. But where is the line? True that a parent knows their child best, but as teacher we are trained for at least four years to better the education of every child that walks within our doors. So where do we tell parents enough, and yet still keep a working/functional relationship?

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There wasn’t much disagreement within the comments that I read. After all we all have been a part of what the author was saying. We all have stories, and if we don’t they are sure to come soon.

However, the advice that was given was truly amazing. One author wrote:

When parents say "he doesn't do that at home" I always say, "Great! Tell me some of the strategies that work for you so we can apply them here at school!" I also tell parents that the demands at school are far different than the demands at school, so we would likely see different behaviors in both. Then we get off the "no he doesn't" "yes he does" debate.

This was a good piece of advice because it doesn’t put the child in a bad light and it doesn’t give the parents a chance to argue. Most of commentary that was given agreed that most parents are going to defend their children no matter how wrong they might be. This could simply be because they don’t want to see their children fail, or that they do not want to be looked at as “bad parents” because their child is having difficulty. Advice and strategies such as the one listed above gives an added chance for teacher and parent to work together.

Another author wrote:

One thing I like to do to alleviate this problem is have student-led conferences, in which the CHILD explains what's going on. (Here's a link that explains what to do: http://www.TheCornerstoneForTeachers.com/documents/parent conf questions.doc). That prevents the teacher from having to be the bad guy and defend herself. Also, parents are less likely to lie when the kid is sitting right there ("I don't read Harry Potter, mom! You never took me to the library!"). Asking a series of questions (instead of listing a series of problems) will usually cause parents to come to the correct conclusion themselves. Usually. Some parents just aren't going to get it, even if you bang them over the head with their child's twenty-three inch thick cumulative records.

I plan on trying this within my own teaching career. Nothing tells the truth like the student him/herself.

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I’m still early within my teaching life, but I really would like to share this blog with fellow teachers so they have strategies to help them deal with parents and also get them ready for the road to come. The next time that I have a parent conference, I know to have my ducks in a row.

To the First post of Edu 7666

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Teacher Blog: joined October 4thTopics Discussed with dates spanning discussions: This will be the bulk of your Blog.

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  http://www.soyouwanttoteach.com/if-you-really-must-have-classroom-rules/
  

This article was a different way to approach classroom rules. Teachers have their own way of running their classroom, and it could be hard enforced rules or a laid back environment. But how do you know if these rules work? Is it better to be traditional and have students sit quietly, or can there be a mutual understanding and respect? The author discusses that rules don’t have to be strict in order for students to learn. He talks about a way to have students create and enforce their own rules, and still have a relaxed place to learn.a. These include descriptions of classroom activities, resources (books, Web sites, books, magazines, etc), and issues that were discussed.

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In this article the author describes a different take on classroom management. He basically says “less is more”. What I found interesting was how many of the comments that were left seemed to agree and disagree equally. Though many teachers say that we shouldn’t make things too complicated, it all depends on personal teaching style. One comment that was left stated that there were classrooms where students could get the materials they needed, and still follow the rules. While another comment said that the teacher wouldn’t even let the students sharpen their own pencils.

What I also noticed was how the word respect came up quite frequently throughout the posting. We as teachers expect our students to show respect to one another as well as ourselves, and yet we are vague on how we want this accomplished. This seemed to be the biggest disagreement among the teachers, since you cannot make simplicity out of something so complicated. This seems to be the hardest thing for teachers to agree on and yet it’s the one thing that we all need in the classroom.

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This is an article in the series 10 Things I Wish I Knew As A First Year Teachers. Other articles in the series:
10 Things I Wish I Knew As A First Year TeacherThe Single Most Important Advice Anyone Can Give To A First Year TeacherBlogging Your Way To Being A Great TeacherNetworking To Save Your (Teaching) LifeCan We Reach Every Student?Pacing: What Every Great Band Director Knows

If You Really Must Have Classroom Rules…
So You Got A New Job! Should You Go Out And Buy A Bunch of New Crap?If You Make Only One Change This Year…RELAX!!!!!!If You Don’t Fill Your Schedule, Someone Else WillExploring EduBlogsThis was the list of resources that the author left within his blog. The “bible for new teachers” was left for teachers who wanted simplicity and those who wanted strict rules. All of the links were completely different in nature, and you can see how far teaching has come and where it is going.

I have been having a tough time within my own classroom this year. My students come from troublesome pasts and families and tend to lash out at inappropriate times. I have tried to be strict with them, and enforce rules according to what I believed would work. What I quickly learned was that strict and harsh was not the way to go with these students, and I was literally at a loss on what to do. After I had read some of the articles, the blog, and comments, I began to form new “codes” for my classroom, and I can honestly say that this week has gone much better than I expected. The students are less stressed (as am I) and seem to be smiling more. However, they understand what is expected of them and myself as well. It has become a much more comfortable learning environment.