Prompt #6: Go to educationworld.com and read one article on some aspect of Classroom Management. Post a reflection to your blog based on your practice as it relates to what you learn from the article. How effectively is your well classroom management system working at this point in the year? What are your struggles? What are your successes? Reflect with honest hearts and minds!

I choose the article Classroom Management: Ten Teacher-tested Tips to read. The article gives many tips on ways to stop a classroom that is being troublesome like having a system to stop certain students from disrupting the class or stop the class as a whole from being too loud once they have already started. They also give advice on the mindset teachers should have for better outcomes from students. One the points stressed was having teachers like the students, find something to like and let it be real because students respond well to comments coming from a individuals that are not negative towards them. I honestly do not check how my attitude is during class, but I will assume it is not very sunny. Improving that is a definite must.

My classroom management is not very good. I was just recently moved from a school campus, (same overall school) that is more for troubled kids and the system I used before just did not work. I had to adopt practices that I never had to implement like punishments for extreme behavior. The biggest problem is having students focus and not start up side conversations. I'd like to say that it has become easier over time, but it has not. One of the major problems are couple students that instigate unwanted behavior within other students and after repeated warnings one student was suspended. While that student was gone classroom instruction become better and students stayed on task and assignments were finished in a timely manner. The other students have issues but the techniques I've done work. Hopefully, the other student becomes receptive to the negative outcome that could come if his behavior continues, but after several warnings, it seems unlikely.

One of the techniques I started using, that the article has as well, was a three strike rule. The students have three strikes and on the third, they will get a referral. I'm not sure what the minimum punishment is for referrals, but the last one was one week suspension. After the students heard that and since I started implementing the technique, behavior improved for most students; except for the one that I've already mentioned. It almost feels he's trying to pick up the slack for the other student that was suspended!