Classroom Management Tips Galore
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After I posted my first post it occured to me that I didn’t really explain why I’m so incredibly passionate about promoting effective classroom management in the classroom. Let me explain why.
When I started to train to be a teacher I was placed in a very rough, low achieving school. Student behaviour was poor to say the least. And the class that I had to teach my subject to 4 times a week were no better. In fact, I’d go as far as to say they were probably the worst class in the whole school. If not the whole world. Okay, I’m exagerating, but it’s my story!
They were pretty bad. Before I had to teach my first lesson I was up all night worrying about how I was going to control this rabble. Sorry to call them a rabble, but if you could see the class you would think I was being generous!
When the lesson came I was literally shaking with fear. My hands really were trembling.
And so how did the lesson go?
This is the point where you will be expecting me to say that it went great, and that my amazing classroom management plan promoted excellent student behaviour.
Erm, well it didn’t!
In fact, if I’m honest the lesson was a disaster. I’d imagined some pretty horrible outcomes before teaching the lesson, but what actually happened was far worse.
So you may be wondering how did I go from a classroom management nightmare, to wanting to write a blog about classroom management tips and strategies.
And here’s why. Not long after the lesson I sat down with my training course leader and explained the whole story. He listened, nodded, and was understanding. And he gave me some great advice. Really, truly great, classroom management advice.
He believed strongly in positive and proactive classroom management, and he explained in detail how to use this model to promote good student behevior.
What he told me that day inspired me. It truly did.
There was no miracle. My lessons didn’t certainly become amazing, and I didn’t become a classroom management ‘guru’ overnight. But when I implemented what he told me my classroom management skills improved hugely.
And more importantly he sowed a seed soemwhere deep inside that made me want to learn more about this stuff. And I did. Fast! On my next teacher trainee placement my skills were unrecognizable from the months before.
I had literally turned my greatest failing into my greatest strength.
And I owed it all to my very generous, and very clever course leader.
You see, we are all passionate about something. I just happen to be very passionate about sharing classroom management tips and strategies.
So much so that it provoked me to write a book AND to write a blog.
To this day I am as passionate about effective classroom maangement as I was after that conversation. I’ve left my course leader’s name out of this blog for privacy reasons. But he know who he is. To you sir, I say thanks!
Classroom management isn’t really that hard. It just seems hard when you’re struggling. But it doesn’t have to be.
I just hope that I can help share what I learned with someone out there and make it all a bit easier for you…
Wishing you a peaceful classroom!
