I'm now two months into my first year at my new school.
In some good ways and in some bad ways, I am having a much different teaching experience this year then compared to my first two. One of my biggest challenges has been in the handling of my classroom or "classroom management" in teacher talk. At times it's been good, but most times it's been very tough. You see, my students like to talk and while I lay the large, large majority of the blame at their feet, I have to think that maybe, just maybe it's me. Maybe I need to do something different. Maybe I need to be better (I did go to school for this right?)
Over the past few days I've finally realized that what I did in the past can't necessarily be what I'm doing now. Now, there are many aspects of my practice that I am very happy with (planning, learning from my coach) but something just wasn't clicking with my class. In the past I had handled the kids on a regular basis and rarely got publicly frustrated with them. This year, it's been the opposite. My kids can be tough, but it's nothing that can't be turned around, especially since I'm with these fine children for another 8 months.
I'm going to try a new management technique starting tomorrow; one that I've been averse to in the past, but could see the benefit in using. I'm going to post updates on how this change is going for a two reasons:
1)it makes me write/reflect which can only be positive
2)it makes me accountable to you, my (possibly non-existent) readers, because if I'm going to write about it, I'm going to have to do it.
Talk to you next week.
