If Your Classroom Management Skills Are Weak, Can You Still Be Considered an Outstanding Teacher?
There are numerous aspects of teaching that most people do not even consider when entering into the realm of education. You may believe that you just have to educate the students on the certain subjects adequately and everything will go fine. But to be an outstanding teacher, you have to be considered the total package. You have to be entertaining, educational, a strong communicator, and, yes, you must have good classroom management skills.
What Is Classroom Management?
An administrator could come into your classroom today and inform you that your classroom management skills are weak. But what does that mean exactly? Classroom management covers a wide variety of topics and while you may indeed be weak in some areas, you could be rather strong in others. Here are some classroom management skills that you must implement with your class if you are going to be considered an outstanding teacher in the future.
Have a Plan in Place Every Morning
If you have ever tried to show up for the day without a lesson plan firmly in place, you know that chaos can erupt at any moment. If you even have five minutes during the school day where you don’t have anything planned, the students will find a way to entertain themselves, and this is not usually a good thing. By having a good idea of what comes next at each moment in the classroom, you have a better chance of eliminating disruptive behavior.
Create and Stick With Routines
Whether you are a brand new teacher or someone with 30 years under their belt, you probably have it figured out by now that routines are needed in the classroom. For instance, when the students enter into the classroom first thing in the morning, they should know automatically what to do to let you know they are either having a hot or cold lunch. Another example would be what they are supposed to do when they finish an assignment earlier than the rest of the class. Do you allow them to just sit there in their seat and bother the other students? Hopefully, you have a routine in place where they either automatically take out a book for some independent reading or they go through their assignment notebook and complete other assignments that they do not have done.
Set a Good Example
If you set a good example for your students, they will most likely follow your lead. If you raise your voice, yell and shout, and act like someone that has an attitude problem, they will follow that behavior as well. You may be their only positive role model in their life, so go above and beyond with good manners and communication. Be their Mary Poppins!
Have the Rules on the Board
Instead of having to remind the students when they are breaking a rule, just make eye contact with them and point at the board. They will understand and you will not have to draw the classroom’s attention away from their studies.
Hold Students Accountable
This is where teachers often have the most problems. We have all been in the classroom where teachers threaten their students that if they don’t behave, then they will call their parents or keep them in for recess or some other similar discipline tactic. However, two weeks into the school year, if you are still issuing these warnings and not following through on them, they recognize this. And they will take advantage of you. No teacher likes to call parents when there is an issue at school. It can be very awkward and it takes time out of your busy day. But if you don’t hold students accountable then you might as well throw everything else out the window because you will be seen as a weak teacher that is afraid of confrontation.
Don’t Fret
The good news is that if your classroom management skills are a bit weak and you realize this, then you can always improve upon them if you want to take the initiative. This is definitely something that iAchieve can help with. We offer professional development that will have your classroom running drama free in no time! Classroom management skills can be taught, but a love for teaching comes from within. As long as you maintain that love, you can learn the rest.
