In the third week of practicum, my Associate Teacher and I had the misfortune of catching the nasty, cold that was making its way through our classroom. Complete with a headache, stuffy nose and sore throat, I was miserable; so naturally, my tolerance level was pretty low. I always try to make an effort to be upbeat and encouraging with my students, but this time I was strict, short and running out of patience.
It was in reflecting upon this experience that I realized I had always thought classroom management, routines and structure were for the students benefit so that they knew what was expected of them, felt secure and avoided disciplinary issues. However, I realized that classroom management is not only in place for students, it’s for your sanity as a teacher too! If I train my students to know how to walk in a straight line, quietly down the hallway, I won’t have to continually shout at them to stop talking to friends and stand one behind the other. If I put routines in place in my classroom, it will hopefully often avoid chaos from ensuing in my class and me having to yell to get everyones attention and tell them to stop talking.
I realize that no one is perfect, and that my students are only kids, they are going to slip up from time to time, but if I put routines and structure in place they will make my job easier. I will be able to hopefully cover more material in my class, provide my students with the structure and stability they need and provide a more meaningful experience for my students.
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