ClassroomAnchor: Early Behavior Management Mentorship for Emergency Teachers

Survived my first year of “real” teaching. A lot happened. Advice needed

Survived my first year of “real” teaching. A lot happened. Advice needed

Hey There, 17 years teaching high school: English, electives, and coached sports. Ive seen all kinds.  Point 1: Classroom management really comes down to a few simple, very important keys: clear structure, clear expectations; be *consistent* with rules, and grading; uphold high expectations of everybody.  How you start sets the tenor so do yourself a favor and grade strictly, give good feedback, allow redo after they jump through some hoops for you that inconvenience them. You have to Really crank it up early in the year. Set expectations high but also be supportive: "what you are doing is hard. You are capable but you have to work for it. You're not expected to know how to do it already  you're expected to be willing to work to figure it out. I dont know to help you until you ask me. Thats why Im here. I got your back. You got this 👍.    That sort of stuff.  Dont assume anything. Dont act shocked when they reveal skills gaps. Act like its not just normal, but expected, like they stumbled upon an Easter egg: "oooh good one! Yeah that's a tricky problem. So what you do there is..."   No emotion. Stick to the content. Social emotional learning is derived from the content: Othello? You get to talk about jealousy and envy and relationships and cheating and scandal. They love that one -- but they love it because I love it. They feed on *some* passions when they shine through authentically. Theyre big on authenticity. Teenagers are idealists and they're just starting to figure out that the adults in their lives arent perfect...or rather, that the things adults have told them have turned out to be untrue or bad advice. That's why being consistent and focusing on the content helps because its safe. Youre neutral. It also saves you from taking things personally, or taking it home with you because you're too emotionally invested or feel bad for a kid.  Structure to everything. Have a simple routine that everyone follows, make it ritual. Assign jobs to people who want them around the room. Sometimes a distracted kid is looking to be useful and it empowers them.  You can like a kid and still hold them accountable and still feel compassion for them in executing the consequence. Again, warm neutrality. Friendly, kind as a person, but the class and the work and the rules? Thats not *you*, its the *class*: "Unfortunately, Eric, you waited until past the two week deadline to formally request a redo for Essay #2. I know that stings. The good news is you still have essay 3 and the exam. Plus all the media exploration daily assignments are going to boost your average. Just make sure that you keep an eye on the due dates from here on and you should be fine."  -- it sucks being the bad guy...sending them into the world without experiencing...sampling that pain is negligent.  Are you creating all your own curriculum as you go? Don't. Use prepared, structure content that includes teacher editions, answer keys, sample responses, the whole line yards.  --This is contentious. So many teachers get offended by it. They call ot "canned". They think bespoke stuff is superior.  You are NOT expected to be able to form curriculum, manage your instruction and student behaviors for multiple preps. If you are, buy your own curriculum. Its worth it. Use structured stuff and then you can tweak it as you go. You can modify it, you can skip some or move stuff around.  You want to build a Lego castle. Do you want to mold the pieces, write the instructions while you build it? Or would you like for somebody to organize the pieces and provide the steps?  Plus, THE KIDS NEED IT. Most bespoke content is one dimensional and lacks the structure and guidance and depth. Creating a single unit is hard enough with all the materials, media, questions that target specific objectives, etc. Use the starter kit and then you can tweak it.  Their are ethics, and then there is FERPA.  Handle delicately. Escalating does expose you but hesitating when you want to do the right thing is something else.  Basically,  would doing it be malicious? Are you worried more kids will be harmed? Did you talk to them face to face? Honestly, ask: I'm new, is it a ferpa violation to make mention of that a student receives ____ intervention?   Enjoy your summer!