Implementing New Strategies for Classroom Managment

Last year was my first year of full time teaching. Reflecting back on my classroom management in the past school year I can say that I have many things I would like to change for the next school year.

Classroom management wasn't a great focus during the credential program so coming into teaching, I had very little classroom management strategies that I picked up from my master teacher. During the first week of class I posted a set of rules that needed to be followed in the classroom and also wrote them down in the syllabus. I then later came to realize that enforcing the rules was a lot harder than posting them. Part of the problem I faced was being consistent with the enforcement of the rules. For example, when students would have their cell phones out in class my rule would be that they get confiscated and given to the school dean. However, in order to send it to the office I would have to write up a referral and walk it up my self. I was consistent with writing referrals at the beginning, however towards the end more and more students were breaking this rule so I would let it go at some times, and other times I would write up referrals. Another problem I faced was that the school had no detention or saturday school program. Therefore, it made it hard for me to find consequences for students that were breaking rules.

For the next school year I plan to pick about 3 to five short important rules that I plan to be consistent with the entire school year. I also plan to be a broken record when it comes to off task behavior. For example, if a student is out of their seat and disrupting other students I plan on telling the student that they need to get back into their seat and get to work. If they begin to argue I plan to just repeat myself at most four times and afterward, if the student still has not respected my authority, I plan to walk away leaving the student with no one to argue with but themselves. Another classroom management strategy that I plan to use is to go over an agenda at the start of each class period so that students have an idea of what is coming next. By them knowing that after a warm up we are working on an activity they will be read for the next task rather than going off task and getting out of their seats. I hope that I learn more strategies during the masters program so that I can implement the ones which I feel will work with my students in the following school year.