Week Seven

         A high functioning classroom is like a well-oiled machine. An untold amount of decision-making and planning go into a classroom where expectations are clear, everything has its place, students are self-directed, and instructional time is maximized. These classrooms appear to operate with ease, but every detail is orchestrated and rehearsed, practiced and reinforced throughout the school year. 

        If I am honest, my first year of teaching was an accidental success. I did not know how I wanted procedures to look or what consequences I was prepared to implement when procedures were not followed. I didn't maintain consistency each and every day because I was just trying to figure it all out myself. My students were cooperative and motivated, so they were patient and receptive to my constant experimentation with how I wanted the classroom to look and run. 

        My second year of teaching was a reality check, a gut punch to be exact. The kids were tough, strong-willed, and untrained. My lack of confidence and clear expectations compounded challenging behaviors. I am certain my sheer will to not give up is why I did not walk away that year. I was defeated and knew I was doing nothing but glorified babysitting and surviving. I spent most days trying to keep from crying and walking away. 

        One day I decided that four and five year olds were not the problem. My paraprofessional who was giving false reports about me to administration was not the problem. I decided I would spend the summer and the next year commanding control of every classroom management aspect in order to have a classroom where I wanted to teach and students wanted to learn. I took classroom management courses through RESA, I read books about how to deal with difficult people in a positive way (to prepare for possibly mismatched paraprofessionals, difficult colleagues or parents), and I organized my classroom the way I knew students could maintain it and take ownership.

        Midway through that second year, everyone around me was recognizing how different I was professionally. My students were leaders, as Pre-K students, in our school. I was becoming a classroom and behavior management leader within our school and district. The change was evident in my energy level and patience at home with my own family. 

        My experience of fighting hard to overcome classroom management deficits have inspired me to lift up new and struggling teachers. I know what a difference one semester and a summer devoted to classroom management skills made for me as a professional and almost two hundred students since that time. Teachers I have mentored have also benefited from my experiences because I never pretend it came easily or that I have answers that will work for them. My goal is to feed a confidence and determination in any teacher I work with so they know they can decide on the culture and procedures and orchestrate exactly that outcome with diligent focus. 

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