Personal Style of Classroom Management
A teacher’s personality traits have a great effect on their personal management style. Below are several traits I possess and how I will use them to help my students be successful.
Organized
For me, classroom organization means knowing what is happening everyday and being prepared. This organization is critical for student learning. Wong states that teacher “readiness is the primary determination of teacher effectiveness” (Wong & Wong 2005, p. 94). Organization will be displayed in my classroom through my lessons, my management of materials, and my procedures. Effective lessons include providing multiple styles of learning, following standards, and presenting information in a way that students can connect learning with prior knowledge. I must be organized and knowledgeable about my students in order to create these lessons. Through my experience I have noticed that quality lessons affect classroom management because they set expectations for students; if a student feels like an element is too hard or too easy, misbehavior is likely to occur. In the same way materials must be appropriate for student use. In my classroom, the materials will always be organized; for example, the Busy Bags will always be kept in the same spot and there will be a checklist to insure all the materials are in the bag and to explain how to use each material. Procedures, like the one for student use of the Busy Bags, will be taught to keep students organized. I will take it upon myself teach students organizational procedures that allow the whole classroom to be organized.
Aware of Student Needs
I am aware that students act out because a need is not being met. Linda Albert states that student misbehavior is an attempt to receive attention, power, revenge, and/or to avoid failure (Charles, 2005, p.201). Through my classroom experience I have seen this to be true and have acquired skills that will allow me to help students overcome these needs. By having students feel capable, connected, and like their individual contribution is important I can meet student needs in a positive way.
My students will feel capable because I will build an “I can” attitude in my class. The Superstars! system I use will compliment students for all the things they are doing well. For every sticker a student gets to place on their card, they will internalize the belief that they are capable of doing well. Students will feel connected to their peers and to me through relationship building and collaboration. In the first few weeks of school we will be doing a lot of “getting to know you” type games and activities. Students’ desks will also be arranged in groups so that students can work together to help one another and collaborate when appropriate. Students will always be encouraged to contribute in my classroom in other ways beyond just academically. One way students will contribute starting at the beginning of the year is by helping to create the classroom posters. My posters do not have pictures on them; this is because students will be “models” for the pictures. These pictures will go on the Classroom Rules, FabFive, Centers, and Classroom Schedule posters, just to name a few. Students will also feel like they contribute to the classroom by collectively earning chips to go into the “Student’s Time” jar. To earn chips for this jar, students must work together.
My students will feel capable because I will build an “I can” attitude in my class. The Superstars! system I use will compliment students for all the things they are doing well. For every sticker a student gets to place on their card, they will internalize the belief that they are capable of doing well. Students will feel connected to their peers and to me through relationship building and collaboration. In the first few weeks of school we will be doing a lot of “getting to know you” type games and activities. Students’ desks will also be arranged in groups so that students can work together to help one another and collaborate when appropriate. Students will always be encouraged to contribute in my classroom in other ways beyond just academically. One way students will contribute starting at the beginning of the year is by helping to create the classroom posters. My posters do not have pictures on them; this is because students will be “models” for the pictures. These pictures will go on the Classroom Rules, FabFive, Centers, and Classroom Schedule posters, just to name a few. Students will also feel like they contribute to the classroom by collectively earning chips to go into the “Student’s Time” jar. To earn chips for this jar, students must work together.
Caring
Being caring allows me to connect with students and build positive relationships. It is important to me that the relationships with my students are built on positive interactions. I chose the Superstars! system rather than a “Traffic Light” type procedure in order for students to really see how much they can do right in a day. Through my experience I have seen how management systems can discourage those who do well and only give attention to bad behavior; this builds student-teacher relationships that are built on negative attention and low inner wealth. I care about my students inner wealth, therefore will work to not highlight their downfalls, but rather compliment their skills in order to build inner wealth (Peterson). That being said, misbehavior will still be dealt with; it will simply be given very little attention and students will be given choices for consequences along with being a part of deciding how to correct their behavior.
Assertive
As an individual who is goal-oriented, I am assertive in handling issues that keep me from my goals. My overarching goal for students is learning; managing behavior is critical to reach this goal. Just because I care about my students does not mean I will not be firm about behavior. I will not allow students to exploit my time with misbehavior or disregard for procedures. To manage this I have implemented the “Teacher Time vs. Student Time” procedure. This procedure makes it clear that misbehavior costs only the students, not me; I will not become frustrated in these times, but will simply take time away from them. I will react the same way when I ask students to “reset”. This is not a punishment, but just a way for me to make it clear that I want misbehavior to stop; I will not give attention to it.
Positive
I find this trait to overarch all of my other traits. I am extremely positive in everyday life and believe that this will translate to the classroom. As previously stated, I will use the “Superstars!” procedure because it focuses on positive energy and positive relationships, and very little time will be spent being negative. I believe my positive actions will allow for the whole classroom climate to be positive.