To the First post of Edu 7666

• Lists Joined and Date Joined or for Blogs and Discussion Board. Name and brief description of the list(s), blogs, and discussion boards.
  

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

• Summarize discussion without using quotes of what you read.
  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.

• Explain areas of agreement, disagreement, concerns, advise, etc. Go beyond just summarizing what was posted. Remember the reader was not part of the discussions so provide necessary information.
  

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.

• Include any follow-up of activities that you tried with your students that you had learned about from the list, shared with other teachers, or used for another graduate course.
  

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.