Read, Write, Reflect: Classroom Management… or Should it be Mismanagemen...

"Thinking of it that way, I guess I do have a rule, that as the teacher, I am required to develop a relationship with each and every student in that classroom. That is a classroom management system I can get behind.

Today I read a blog post that said what I believe in a nutshell –“Not one rule you make this week will cause good behavior in May. But every strong relationship you make will.” Yep, that’s something I could post on our wall."

Read, Write, Reflect: Classroom Management… or Should it be Mismanagemen...: As I was reading our staff handbook the other day the following line jumped out at me: Start the year with specific w...

Anchor Charts

http://pinterest.com/pin/30680841184595444/

One thing I want to do more of this year is creating and referring to anchor charts.  One blogger has really done a great job of this.  I think I'm going to use her anchor chart with my 10th graders during the first week.  I'm liking the side-by-side comparison of the two.  I don't think I've used this obvious and simply way of explaining the difference to students.  I also think I make a lot of assumptions that they're following along with me when I'm trying to help them understand the differences.

I'm about to start reading this

Educators Study Online Dishonesty

First Lines

First lines are such a great way to sell books. Maybe could even be a warmup activity.

Bay of Pigs

I've spent the past few weeks casually digging into and learning about some ed reform efforts.  Maybe it's all the extra time afforded by summer days?  Or writing on this blog?  Or even working on National Board Certification?  Also the extra media attention around Teach for America in Minnesota?  Not sure...

In a spirited conversation with alumni and the executive director of TFA in the Twin Cities she mentioned this article: Is ed reform heading for its own Bay of Pigs?.  She found it fascinating and concerning.  This only made me love her and her leadership more.  The concern is merited.

It seems like I'm trapped between two different schools of thinking in education: reformers and traditionalists.  People who want major change and those who see that change as dangerous.  Union haters and union lovers.  What I know and experience, though, is that both groups are passionate, skilled, and student-centered.  Both have their weaknesses and strengths.  It does feel like both groups are falling into this trap of "groupthink" described by the writer, Kathleen Porter-Magee:

• a feeling of moral superiority among group members;
• collective rationalization, where members discount warnings or fail to rethink assumptions;
• overly negative and stereotypical views of the group's “enemies”
• and censorship of dissenting opinion—either via self-censorship or direct pressure put on those who disagree.

 I'm just hoping that despite connections to both worlds that I continue to surround myself with people who are not scared to dissent.  There is good middle-ground in most pieces of education.  People from all the "camps" need to come together, like Porter-Magee insinuates, and poke holes in each other's ideas until something sticks.  One issue at a time.  Not fearing each other or feeling superior.    

    

First Days - Game Changer

I know many amazing teachers who get nervous on the first day of school no matter how long they've been in the classroom.  I get nervous three or four days later when students start to get comfortable.  Even then, I heavily rely on what I said the first few days of school to keep us moving, which brings me to my golden rule.

GOLDEN RULE:  Whatever you say, do it.   

So those first few days are key, because we're in front of the class making a big stink about what we want.  Whatever stink we make, we need to make sure we follow through on every part of it.  Fairness and trust are so important to teenagers.  I keep it simple so that on days three or four, when students start to settle in and test boundaries, I can continue to build their trust in my expertise and guidance throughout the school year.

Secondary Solutions

I came across this on Pinterest, and it's a simple yet fail-safe list of what to cover those first few days .  If there's anything I prioritize it's these same 7 things:

1. Entering the room
2. What to do right away upon entering the room
3. Bathroom policy
4. Cell phones/music
5. Turning in work
6. Late work
7. Class expectations (like grades, cold-calling, syllabus, signing up for Remind101, etc.)

Deciding the specifics of each of these expectations requires finding the right balance between your personality and school requirements. 

Here's what I mean: Bathroom passes are a school-wide issue.  I don't have leeway there.  It is what it is.  However, late work has no school-wide policy.  I have room here to make decisions about the way I want it to work.  I tell students during day one that I accept late assignments, but I give cut-off dates throughout the quarter so I'm not swamped with thoughtless last minute submissions.  These dates are communicated. I don't grade every single night, so if I'm not grading with militant urgency why would I expect that from my students?  I give students absolute deadlines when I need their work to get my work done.  The only exceptions are large projects/papers.   

I'm not going to implement a perfect system where X many days late equals loss of X points (I've tried).  I'm not going to deliver an absolute punishment with no chance of recovering in some way to a student for making a bad choice (I always rescind for someone).  I'm not going to alienate a student or family (I must be a negotiator and partner).  This isn't to say I'm not firm in my expectations, but I don't have an elaborate system that takes more time than it's worth to track and traps me into situations where I am inconsistent.  This fits my teaching style.  The goal, is to be clear in communicating whatever the expectation is and then following-through.  

The Point of Blogging?

Yesterday I wrote a thoughtful response to a post on a highly politicized education blog. Diane Ravitch hasn't approved my response but has many, many others.

I'm wondering about some things, and I actually don't have answers already in mind.

Should blogs be a place for like minded folks to come together or a place for debate? Should that distinction be explicit?

Do people who read certain blogs stand no chance at hearing the opposition and adjust their thinking after reading comments?

Why do we write publicly and with anecdotes if not for the explicit reason to develop ideas? How are ideas best developed?