Teacher Interview

 Teacher Interview

 

 My interview provided a lot of great insight into how the principles of classroom management are applied in a real classroom. For example, Woolfolk discusses the importance of the physical classroom environment in chapter 13, saying on page 520 that teacher should "avoid dead spaces and racetracks" and "design seating so that students can see instruction without moving chairs or desks." Setting up your classroom so that there are as few potential distractions, or opportunities for disruption, as possible, to avoid problems from arising in the first place--as Woolfolk later says on page 522, preventing problems is always more effective that dealing with them after they come up. Ms. Becker discussed how in her classroom, one of the first things she does is evaluate what kind of class and what kinds of students she's dealing with, and pinpoints the cause of any behavioral issues, which allows her to get ahead of disruption by eliminating enablers or triggers. She told me that when she has students who like to act out or have an audience, she will usually put them closer to the door so that they can't take advantage of walking across the classroom to cause disruption. Woolfolk's suggestion to design seating so that everyone is already facing the teacher goes toward the same effect; minimize the window of opportunity for disruption that even small moments of loss of control, like walking across the room or moving chairs, create. I've worked with students who get very confrontational and aggressive when they become frustrated, too, and so setting up the space so that they don't need to move around and walk near other students, and making enough room for students to walk the aisles without bumping into desks or chairs, would help to diffuse potential conflicts and prevent sparking confrontation. 

 

I also thought that Ms. Becker's comments about planned ignoring were very helpful. Woolfolk discusses the praise-and-ignore strategy in chapter 7, saying on page 273 that it, "can be helpful, but don't expect it to solve all classroom management problems." Ms. Becker pointed out that for some students, planned ignoring is part of their IEP, and it's a necessary part of supporting them. This highlighted an useful example of when this strategy can be helpful, and Ms. Becker's emphasis on knowing your students, building a relationship with them, and making their success and their needs your primary teaching goal provides further context and guidance for using an ignore strategy. If a student is being ignored because the teacher finds them annoying, or is simply tired of redirecting, then this strategy isn't helpful at all; it doesn't establish consistent expectations and consequences, and communicates frustration and dislike rather than a desire to create an effective learning environment, which is incredibly alienating. Woolfolk says in chapter 7 that a foundational principle of classroom management is specificity and consistency, writing on page 272 that teachers must, "clearly specify the behavior to be changed and the goal." Random ignoring, rather than planned ignoring, does not make either the behavior or the goal clear, and leaves the student in a negative emotional place without anywhere to go moving forward.  

Ms. Becker also talked about developing a management style as a teacher, and how even though everyone has different approaches, it's always best to have a basis of care, respect, and genuine connection. She made a point of saying that she is never sarcastic with her students, treating them with kindness and looking at them as people, rather than becoming snarky or derisive to shut disruptive behavior down. Ms. Becker also mentioned how she and her co-teachers build rapport with their students by sharing interests and having fun with the class, like her co-teacher's "Fresh Kicks Fridays." This is a perfect example of what Woolfolk talks about on page 524: "Students respect teachers who maintain their authority without being rigid or harsh, and who are fair and honest with them...Students also value teachers who show academic and personal caring by acting like real people." Speaking to students kindly and with respect, and even opening up to them by talking about normal, everyday things closes the distance between yourself and your students, showing them that you care about them beyond an academic context--you care about them because they're people, too. I think that this not only gets students to like you, and therefore more willing to cooperate, but also that getting students to see you as a person first pushes them to respect you and treat you with kindness. We're always more successful when we have positive, respectful relationships with our students, because when we know our students we know their needs, we know how to reach them, and they know that we're involved because we care.