Introduction My career in teaching really began by a series of coincidences. I did not originally set out to become a teacher, so I did not follow an intentional and methodical teaching path. Thus, in the years that I have been teaching, (both part-time at Chinese School and now in my third year of full-time teaching), I have learned much through trial and error as well as guidance and advice from my mentors and administrators. Now that I am in a specific program of study to help me become a better (and certified) teacher, I am learning about the necessity of proper planning, organization, and establishing policies and procedures in the classroom. In a way, I wish I had learned this material back when I began teaching. However, as Dr. Wong says in his book, it’s never too late to begin establishing policies and procedures. Also, I can apply what I read and learn about right away, and it is truly gratifying to see when things work the way the book says it will!
Philosophy Statement I want my students to be achievement-driven, not reward-driven. The satisfaction of learning should be a reward in and of itself. Thus in my classroom, I will not give out stickers, stamps, candy, or visits to the “treasure box” as rewards for correct answers and good behavior. What I WILL give is praise for the students’ accomplishments, and in my classroom, all students are given an equal opportunity to be successful.
Positive Expectations When my own children were in preschool, I learned about a program called “Conscious Discipline,” developed by Dr. Becky Bailey. Conscious Discipline is used at many schools, including my daughters’ preschool. It integrates classroom management with social-emotional learning, and the techniques used in Conscious Discipline work both in school and at home. We attended a series of workshop sessions to learn how to apply Conscious Discipline at home, and as a teacher, I continue to incorporate Conscious Discipline techniques in my classroom.
The basis for Conscious Discipline incorporates a combination of “7 Powers for Conscious Adults” and the “7 Skills of Discipline” which form the foundation for problem-solving. These are detailed in Appendices 1 and 2. There are two specific principles I wanted to detail regarding Conscious Discipline in my classroom. First, I encourage all of my students and I view each student from the perspective that they have unlimited potential and the innate ability to succeed. I also provide encouragement by empowering the students to be able to do things for themselves. When they do, I praise them with words like “You did it!” or “Way to go!” instead of “Good Job!” (which then judges or places a value on their answer). I compliment them on their achievement—and what they were able to accomplish.
“Positive Intent” is another important aspect of my attitude when teaching. I approach every issue from a compassionate point of view—that there may be a valid explanation for any issue, whether it’s missed homework, a behavioral issue, or difficulty learning a concept. For example, a missed homework assignment could have been due to an unplanned visit to the ER the night before, or a behavioral issue could be the result of family turmoil. While it may not always be possible to dig into the underlying reasons for behavior issues, I make it a point to give each student the “benefit of the doubt” and not label a child with any type of negative labels.
Classroom Rules and Procedures Prior to taking this class, I significantly underestimated the necessity for classroom rules and procedures. In fact, I didn’t really have any rules and procedures in mind. Needless to say, classroom management was definitely my biggest challenge during my first year of teaching.
Beginning last year, I started using a classroom song to teach my students (in Chinese) the words for the three primary rules of my classroom. The first rule is to sit properly. The second rule is to be quiet. The third rule is to raise your hand and wait to be called upon. In the youngest grades, we sing the song and do the movements, and practice them during the first several classes. We reinforce the language with coloring sheets that have the words written and the picture that models the desired behavior.
I did not start out doing this in the older grades, but after reading the method for implementing procedures in Dr. Wong’s book, I decided to try it in the older grades as well. Earlier in the year, I would say the rule and demonstrate the action, and some of the students would react appropriately, but others would not. After reading about how much Dr. Wong stresses the importance of rehearsing and practicing procedures, I decided to try it, even though we were already 2 weeks into the new semester. I said the rules in Chinese; I told them what it means and the procedure for the rule. We practiced, rehearsed, and practiced each rule many times. I was so pleased to see that it actually worked! We do this in each of my classes now—and for some classes, I’ve had to reiterate the procedure and practice until they “get it right” but it does bring the class into the right frame of mind to get back to learning (rather than my getting louder and louder to try to be heard over the voices of the students).
Classroom Arrangement We maintain a classroom that is warm and inviting, but set up for learning. (I share the classroom with the Spanish teacher). There are thematic decorations for both Chinese and Hispanic cultures. There are language posters, vocabulary, sentence strips, and multi-lingual labels identifying classroom objects. There is a carpeted space that allows for “circle time” or “storytime” for our younger students.
Our classroom has 4 large tables around which students sit. Our classroom can comfortably handle 20 students, which is currently the size of our 4th grade class, the largest that we teach. In a class that has fewer than 20 students, we make every effort to seat the students to avoid having a student with a back facing the teacher or the board.
When I initially started teaching, I significantly underestimated the importance of having a good seating chart. After reading Dr. Wong’s book, I realize that a seating chart is not just an option, but a necessity. I look back and see how many precious minutes of teaching time I have squandered because of students trying to decide on a place to sit, or have had to mediate disagreements because of students who either did or did not want to sit in a particular spot. Last year, I did use seating charts, which did help with some aspects of classroom management, but this year I (mistakenly) thought that empowering students by giving them the ability to choose where to sit would be a positive thing. Fortunately it has not detracted from teaching time as significantly as it has in the past, but I will definitely be setting up seating charts, especially as I know most of the students better—so I know who can sit together and who needs to be separated from each other.
There are essential questions posted on the board for every class. In addition, papers that are given out (3rd – 5th grades) are catalogued in an index system (Appendix 3). If papers are being given out, I will write on the board (beneath the essential question) the date, the section the papers should be kept in, and the name of the paper so they can record it on their index sheet.
Discipline and Consequences I will try to address all issues with student behavior within the classroom and give an immediate action. In most cases, I will try to encourage students to behave properly and appropriately with a verbal reminder or simply a stern look. I will remind the student of the classroom rules (or the specific rule that is being violated). I will also provide positive reinforcement by praising the good behavior, or by praising students that are providing a good behavior example.
Sometimes, however, this gentle encouragement to behave appropriately is not quite enough to elicit the desired behavior in class. In these cases, I may ask a student that is talking (out of turn) to another student to switch seats to a different part of the room. Sometimes I may need to remove an item that is distracting the student (such as a pencil or book). There may also be times when a brief “time-out” is necessary, and they are not permitted to participate in the activity with their other classmates for a short amount of time until they have calmed down and are ready to get back on task.
If a student is being particularly restless or distracting, I may bring that student closer to me and give them a “job” so they are my “special helper.” I would only use this in extreme cases, because I would not want all the students to then try to compete for the “privilege” of being my “special helper.” However, that is sometimes what it takes to get a student back on task.
If none of these methods seem to be working, or the student is being downright hostile, I would call in the administrator (Assistant Head of School) and have her take the student out of the classroom. This would be followed up with an e-mail to the parents explaining the behavior and how that behavior affected the student and the rest of the class. If necessary, parents will be called in for a conference to address any issues involving the student, address the behavior, and find ways to help the student succeed while adopting more appropriate classroom behavior. I also would document all instances of problematic behavior or issues, so that we can see whether there is a behavior pattern or a reason for any repetitive behavior issues. We would approach this as a troubleshooting mission where problem is with the behavior, not the child—and we would try to work as a team to find ways to encourage the good behavior I also will try to approach any issues arising in the classroom as potential teaching opportunities.
There are so many teachable moments in class—the challenge is to stay on task while taking advantage of such teachable moments. I make it a point to explain “why” when I tell a student to do something. I also try to focus on what TO do, rather than what NOT TO do. For example, if a student is leaning back in their chair, I will tell them to sit with all 4 legs of the chair on the floor, rather than say “don’t lean back in the chair.” This way we focus on what behavior we want, rather than the behavior we don’t want.
Communication I believe that parents and teachers are on the same team when it comes to what is in best interest of the students. Thus it is crucial to maintain regular, consistent communication with parents about classes, and what is going on in class, especially with regard to the performance of individual students. I believe it’s important to let parents know about the “good stuff” as well as any issues that may come up regarding their child in class. However, keeping communication open is key. Things I do to maintain regular communication with the parents include a monthly newsletter (sent to the parents of all my students), e-mails with photos or notes about their students’ progress (sent to individual parents and photos sent to classes), and face-to-face comments with the parents when they come to school, either at drop-off, pick-up, or when volunteering at school.
Effective Lesson Planning Effective lessons require significant thought and planning. While every teacher needs to be able to “think on their feet” and on occasion have out of necessity had to “wing it,” this cannot be the normal mode of operation. I’m honestly not sure how I made it through my first year, as I wrote very few lesson plans (and then only under duress). I had an idea of what I wanted to teach and it was all in my head, but I just didn’t take the time to write them down.
I’ve learned from my classwork in the EPI program that classes go so much smoother when unit plans and well thought-out lesson plans are written. I have learned to design lesson plans with objectives, figure out how and when to assess, and incorporate essential questions for every lesson which then directs the activities for the lessons. It’s also very helpful to plan for contingencies (for example, if the Internet is out or the server at school is down) – we need to have a mental “Plan B” for every lesson just in case things don’t go as planned (which is a good possibility). Incidentally, we are being asked to map our curriculum this year, and having thoroughly written unit and lesson plans will make that process go much more smoothly.
Being an Effective Teacher Effective teachers continue to learn, continue to improve, and always tweak their methods as they strive to bring their practice to an even higher level. I resolve to continue to learn and improve, from attending workshops and conferences, relevant coursework, from other teachers, and from my students.
My references are as follows:
Conscious Discipline: www.conscious discipline.com
Dr. Harry Wong: The First Days of School
My professor's comments are as follows:
Very well written submission. Good use of references (and admitting Mr. Wong got it Wight!). However, a reference page should be included in submissions.
I totally agree with your statement: "The satisfaction of learning should be a reward in and of itself." Unfortunately, too many of today's American students feel entitled to just about everything, including an education. Keep your ideals anyway. You can positively impact your students.