Forums

Hi! I am currently in my last year of college and in my first semester of student teaching. I am only teaching a 5-10 day unit this semester, but I am teaching for 60 days next semester. I am placed in a suburban high school in Northeast Ohio in a chemistry classroom. I was hoping that I could get some advice on student teaching as a whole, especially classroom management. I am worried that the students will not respect me as much as they respect my cooperating teacher, which will cause a lot of issues and distractions. I am trying to get advice out how to start out well so I can focus on teaching them and helping them learn.

The best advice I can give in regards to classroom management is to begin firm. Do not let students think they have a chance to treat you different. You can research some effected classroom management options to try. I teach in a Title I school district in East Texas. I also teach at the primary level (first grade, specifically). The classroom management procedures that I use and my students value are the application Classroom Dojo which connects you to parents and provides positive and negative reinforcement for behavior as well as sharing class work and announcements. I also have my classroom and school expectations posted in the room and review them every time redirection is needed. This helps remind students that rules are consistent wherever they are. I also choose to do specific incentive charts for my 'tough kids'. This may include a specific goal set between myself and my student on their goals to reach and what they can earn if they reach or surpass them. This is usually something they choose so they can take ownership of their goals and how hard they choose to accomplish them. I also have a 'Team Jar' where for BIG accomplishments, they (as a class) can earn a team puff (or more). When they reach the top, they earn things like an ice cream party, lunch with the teacher, etc. With that, if they earn a large amount of Classroom Dojo points (reaching their team goal), they have the opportunity to get in their 'Mystery Motivator' which is a folder filled with papers that have incentives labeled on them like bringing a stuffed animal to school, digital day, stinky feet (take shoes off in class), etc. It was all determined based on the likes of my students at the beginning of the year. There are a few ideas, but mostly, just make sure that your students know you are firm and you have established your rules (they should match your mentor teacher), and if you enforce them, you will show yourself, your mentor teacher, and your students that you are to be valued and respected. Good luck!

Although I am not a student teaching yet, I do know what it feels like when the students are not respecting you the same as they do to their teacher. I work at a school and I worked during the Summer for my school's Summer Program. I was placed to teach Project Based Learning with a 1st grade teacher. This teacher is highly respected and valuable in the school. I was completely honored to work with her. There were instances in which she needed to leave the classroom and I was left with the whole class. I was never intimidated with being alone, I just disliked how the student's attitudes changed when the teacher left. At first, it was completely disheartening. What I reccommend doing, is speak to the teacher about how you feel. This would help the teacher be aware of what is happening in the classroom once she leaves and will most likley result in the teacher talking to the class. Another thing I suggest is to always try your best to have small talks with all the students. Asking them how their day is going, if they have any questions, or any type of question that involves interaction, helps them build a relationship with you!