Classroom Management Blog

I guess I probably should've done this reflection even if I wasn't being forced to, seeing as how I was told by my principal that I needed to watch a model lesson of a retired teacher. (A little perspective is needed -- my principal expects everyone to have complete control of his/her students at all times and sticks his head into my room probably at least an average of 2/3 times a day. I am the first room down from his office.) Needless to say, things could have been going better. I went into the school year with somewhat of a false perception about my own classroom management skills. During summer school, we had about 22 students and six teachers. Anyone comes out smelling like roses in that situation. I think I put too much stock into trying to get my students to like me and into trying to be funny at the beginning of the year and I had to learn that these students are not mature enough to make the distinction between likeable teacher and authority figure. Not that things necessarily went bad, but I could've done better. Much better. Particularly with a couple of classes. I found myself several times throughout the first term purposely avoiding giving consequences to students with whom I knew I'd have a confrontation. And I still occasionally run out of writing assignments some days so I let the later periods get away with way too much shit. But I'm doing better. I've started deducting daily participation points for speaking out of turn, sleeping, not bringing materials, etc. I think it's working. I have a strange relationship with my students in that virtually every single one likes me outside of the classroom (I make lots of jokes), but I somehow get respect within it. This has come after sending multiple students to the office for saying things that would normally get me to laugh outside of the classroom environment. I guess overall I'm still following my consequences, just not perfectly every single time. I have detention every Thursday for students that don't do writing assignments (I usually have about 2-4). I still pass out writing assignments. I give referrals to any student that refuses to do what I ask, regardless. But I still could use work. I still joke around too much, let students talk too much, don't come down hard for inappropriate comments all the time (it's hard when I'm laughing with them), etc. But I'm trying. And it's not out of control. It makes me feel good when I have other teachers coming up to me saying, "Mr. Peetie, you're students REALLY love you." And I can tell. I just need to show them my tough love a little more often.