Classroom Climate
One of the things
I can remember as being a student is the first step into a new classroom at the
start of the school year. The environment that a student walks into sets the
precedent for the entire year to follow. If the environment isn’t welcoming or
supportive then there will be problems in the development of the student
emotionally and academically. This isn’t to say that the environment shouldn’t
be challenging, rather it should be a place where a student can learn from
mistakes and apply the corrections for use in the future. In turn, the teacher
should also be welcoming and understanding, but he or she should also put forth
an image that school is absolutely creative, but academia also exists for the
purpose of bettering a child’s future. Betterment cannot be displayed if there
are no obstacles to overcome.
When I first
started teaching, I remember my classroom being a clean slate that I was
supposed to color in with an array of shades. It was a blank canvas, and I
could decorate it any way that I wanted. So I did. I brought in boxes of books
on Spanish culture and language. I dug through my old philosophy texts from college
and tossed those on the shelves as well. I hung pictures of places from all
over the Spanish speaking world and images of religion in action. I hoped that
I was giving ideas from the material that would spark into a thirst for the
classroom subjects. Then it came time to give myself a clean slate. I didn’t
ask other teachers about my students. I didn’t want any preconceived notions. I
wanted to be surprised. And was I ever.
One
of my professors in college told me that you never forget your first class, and
I imagine he will be correct. No matter how many other students I teach or work
with or tutor, no one will ever be that 6th grade course. They were
wild and unruly, but they were kind and inviting. I don’t think I’ll ever love
anyone the way that I love them…sorry I am now getting emotional…back to it.
They were a new challenge, and I willingly welcomed that, but I was also a new challenge to them. For
the first time they had foreign language every single day. I was the grouch
imposing verb conjugations and direct object pronouns. The K-5 Spanish teacher
with her color, once a week classes, and number flashcards suddenly became “the
easiest teacher ever”, and I was “like so freaking hard”. Sorry y’all, homework
most certainly is important and yes, it is a travesty, but spelling does count.
Despite my enforcement of curriculum, I really had no clue how to run a
classroom, and as a result, some days were more difficult than others.
I
had modeled my classroom management style after two teachers that I had when I
was in K-12. Mr. Dufour was my 5th grade teacher, and rest his soul,
he was not the most patient man in the world, but he knew everything about how
to make learning fun and relevant to our lives. If we were studying plant life
in science, then we were dissecting flowers from the schoolyard to examine the
parts. If we were learning the preamble to the Declaration to Independence, we
were putting on a school wide play about it complete with singing and dancing
and a book report on a famous Revolutionary era figure. He just understood how
to make school seem like an adventure and not something to be endured every
day. So I tried to take his learning style to the best of my ability, but I
figured I would have more patience. I “stole” behavior ethics from my 11th
grade English teacher, Mrs. Horton.
Mrs.
Horton was the kind of woman that you stopped talking when she walked in the
classroom for no other reason that you absolutely had to. I still have never
quite figured out what her secret was, but either way I was going to crack it
and take it for all that it was worth. I learned quickly after a particularly
unfortunate day involving vacation vocabulary words that her secret was that
she never yelled or raised her voice. She was just stern and spoke levelly, and
good night, it was terrifying. I can still hear it in my head. Her calmness was
unnerving to us students, and I hoped it would translate to my classroom.
Spoiler alert: It does.
Also,
both Mr. Dufour and Mrs. Horton were incredibly difficult instructors. At a
minimum, in 5th grade, I’d be up till ten doing homework and copying
encyclopedias at the college library while my mom waited in the car for me to
be finished. However, to this day, I can recite the Declaration of Independence
and can tell you all about Richard Nixon’s presidency, so all the effort was
totally worthwhile. In 11th grade English, I never got higher than a
B average in Mrs. Horton’s class. I’d never had a B in any class before, ever.
It was humbling, but it also angered me to no end; however, I never got a B on
any paper in college or graduate school. Her persistence paid off in the end.
I
could be hard, but I could be fun. It is possible, and someone that says it’s
not doesn’t know how to do it. I could be in control without flying off the
handle, but admittedly, I was a little more concerned about that issue. Both
developments were crucial to the students’ development though, and that’s why I am here, so I was going
to make it work. And thus far I have because I really only abide by one
universal law: respect through communication. My theory is also supported by
Mary McGrann in her article Behavior
Management Strategies when she states
that, “[i]f we focus on positive behaviors and
build a trusting, respectful relationship with our students, we are ensuring a
successful school year for our students and for ourselves. We are allowing them
an opportunity to grow and made academic accomplishments in a safe environment”
(1). Sounds pretty good!
I’m
going to be honest here. I don’t have any method to my madness, and I don’t
think that anyone else’s experiences are ever going to be a helpful tool in my
eyes, at least not wholly. Every class is different, and every period of the
day is different. Mood swings fluctuate in the hallway and students’ emotions
swing between lunch and 6th period. There is absolutely no way to
have all the secrets, there is only a way to have a good plan in case of alarm.
The purpose of the classroom isn’t stunt development, but to encourage it. So
reward when deserved and reprimand when punished. Detention is a useless tool
in my eyes; therefore, I would make students come in during lunch and do
Spanish or Religion worksheets in silence. It was perfect in my eyes: they were
taken away from the one thing they wanted (free time with friends) and were
enforcing the classroom curriculum. If they weren’t cooperative during my lunch
time lock ins, it was cleaning time. They’d put my chairs up and sweep, clean
the whiteboard, clap erasers, sanitize the desks, or whatever else needed to be
done. Between those two options, I have found success. Mostly though, I have
found that the classroom environment is dependent on a teacher’s relationship
with the students.
If
I have a good rapport with my students, then they are going to respect me and
the rules of our shared classroom. Sharing thoughts and ideas and problems, as
long as done with patience and understanding, is the best way for all the cards
to be on the table. I’m fine if a kid is angry with me, I’d just like to know
why so that I can either talk with them about it or figure out a way to help
rectify the situation. They need advice? I’m here. They have a dilemma? I’m
here. They don’t quite get the homework? I’m here. All that needs be done is to
ask, and I am happy to help. It’s why I
want to be a teacher after all. Isn’t it? I asked my department head what the
simplest and cleanest way to wrangle a classroom, and he said, “You know Meg
[he is from Jersey, so you can get the accent], I think the only part to
remember is that you want to be here and you want to be involved. If you show
them that, then you’re golden” (Conversation with Brother T). And he’s right, I want to be there for my
students and I want to be involved in their lives, every aspect of it, and as
long as I can communicate that notion, then I think I my classroom will be a
place of education and creative cooperation.
Resources:
McGrann, Mary C.
"Behavior Management Strategies." Inspiring Teachers. Inspiring
Teachers Publishing, Inc., 2014. Web. 23 May 2014.
<http://www.inspiringteachers.com/classroom_resources/articles/classroom_management_and_discipline/behavior_management_strategies.html>.
Tafuri, Brother Spencer.
"Conversation with Brother T." Personal interview. Aug. 2013.
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