CI 442Courtney RunyonReflection

In this class, I learned that great classroom management is at the core of a successful school year, and that procedures set the tone of the classroom. Also, I learned, first-hand, the importance of the first day of school and how imperative it is that the teacher be prepared for anything. According to Harry Wong, the first day of school can make or break you. The class needs to be prepared, the classroom needs to be prepared, and, most importantly, the teacher needs to be prepared.

Before this class, I never realized all the procedures that needed to be taught and enforced in the classroom. When I’m observing in a classroom, some of these procedures either do not exist or the students have picked them up so well that it seems second nature to them. I, now, see how procedures can squash any potential misbehavior. When it comes to rules and procedures, students not only need to know what to do, but they need to know how and why they must do it. Also, I never knew all countless, and effective, strategies a teacher can use to redirect or stop an undesired behavior, such as simply touching a student’s arm or standing closer to them to get them to quit being disruptive. I plan on trying all of these strategies in my student-teaching to see which strategies work best for me.

Lastly, I learned that every student is different; therefore, not every student can be managed the same way. For example, a student may have a terrible home life, which causes their misbehavior. In such cases, the teacher needs to get to the bottom of the misbehavior, talk to the student about their issues, and create an individualized management plan that fits this student’s needs.