If there’s anything I wouldn’t change about my first year in the classroom, it’d be my sometimes epic failures in the areas of classroom management. I’m not sure why, but I’ve been hesitant to gleefully admit defeat in this area. However, after some careful reflection in this area (and re-reading some blog posts on this very topic from some of my favorite teachers, such as this one from The Meek Moose), I’m fine with it.
My classroom management needs a serious overhaul. I know that because of my epic failures, and I’m happy to do something about it because I know that failing is the first step to success as a teacher. Critical reflection and all that!
So here are the top three things I learned, sometimes the hard way last year — that I’m going to work to improve this year:
1) Start early and review often. I completely underestimated the need for procedures. I thought sure, I need them, but do I really need to write them down? Yes. Do I really need to explicitly teach them every day for the first month? Yes. Do I really need to review them multiple times a month — even after I think my kiddos have “mastered it”? Yes. Do I really need to re-write my procedures and re-teach them based upon the changing climate on my classroom? YES.
I could have saved myself so much grief and “managing” of behaviors if I did a better job of teaching procedures, modeling, correcting, and reviewing (until blue in the face). Front-loading those efforts could have made me more effective in the long run, and it 100% without a doubt (of the run out and buy a lottery-ticket variety!) could have reduced “negative” behaviors in my room.
2) Be. Consistent. Ohhhhhh. Oh. Just oh. If there’s anything I regret about my first year, it’s about not being consistent enough — in modeling and correcting procedures/expectations, in applying consequences, etc. If I’m being honest (and my goal here is to be honest), I was so overwhelmed at times by trying to get my sea legs in my own classroom that I lost sight of the importance of consistency.
And just like explicitly teaching and modeling, being consistent in absolutely every area of management could have made my year — and more importantly, my students’ year, so much better.
3) You really can just be positive. Or, as it’s otherwise known, ditch the clipchart and communicate better. (Disclaimer: Clipcharts just might be your thing and work wonderfully for you. No judgment here — this is really and truly about me and my classroom!) I must have gone through three or four clipchart iterations last year, trying to find one that worked. I never did. It’s pretty easy to see why — clipcharts worked well for my students that had excellent behavior because they were always reaping the benefits, but all it did for my students that struggled with making good choices is put them on the defensive and in a sour mood and — you guessed it! — led them to making even worse choices.
I don’t know why, but I was afraid that my classroom would become Lord of the Flies if I focused on the positive, didn’t “clip down to red” multiple students a day, but I was. I was terrified that without the threat of orange/yellow/red or whatever iteration it was that my students wouldn’t be motivated to perform. Boy was I wrong.
So — what does this translate to? This translates to balancing out the equation and sharing the responsibility with my students. I’ll be better equipped to start my students out on a level-playing field this year by being aware of explicitly teaching procedures and expectations, providing supports in consistent application of consequences (communicate, communicate, communicate), and most importantly, ditching the clipchart and learning to love the art (and it is an art!) of praise.
I’ve started this journey to improving my classroom management skill-set with something small — my “rewards” this year. Last year I tried classroom coupons, a treasure box, etc. and nothing felt quite right to me. Enter brag tags. You’ve seen them in various forms — necklaces with cards or tags that recognize a specific moment, trait, or success for students.
Above all this upcoming year, I want to recognize even the smallest of successes — because for some of my students, that small success may be the only success they have that day and building upon that is key. [We’re a PBIS school this year, so this is especially important.] I wanted to find something that could be a year-long “reward” and a source of pride for students, something beyond the five-minute joy of a trip to the prize box. That’s when I settled on Brag Tags.
Miss Nelson has a fabulous set of her version, Behavior Beads, which I’ll be using for sure. But I wanted something to fit my personality as teacher too, and something that goes along with the classroom theme I’ve already got in place.
So I started making these. I wanted to recognize both academic and behavioral successes, so the included tags do just that — in keeping with my Oz-Inspired classroom.
I plan on starting off my students with the “There’s No Place Like Second Grade” tag in a special ceremony the first Friday of school. Every Friday thereafter I plan on awarding additional brag tags to students, recognizing them in front of their peers (with specific praise!), and allowing them to wear their necklaces all day (with lots of pride!). My entire team is implementing Whole Brain Teaching this year, so specific WBT-themed brag tags are next on my to-do list (any requests?).
And if one of my kiddos has an off day? An off week? I won’t have to feel like clipping down is my only (or any, because I won’t have a clipchart) option; I’ll be able to point to their success in a tangible form on their necklace — and give them a “Dream BIG” tag for encouragement — communicate (again and again) my expectations, and work with the student to find a solution.
SO, if you managed to make it through all that (it was seriously cathartic, y’all) I’d like to give away three copies of these brag tags. What did you learn most about classroom management your first years as a teacher? Leave me a comment and I’ll pick three winners Sunday night.
Last year was my first year of teaching, too!! And I was at a PBS school and I am moving to a WBT school 🙂
I love your honesty here because I've really be re-evaluating how I did things. I completely agree with all that you mentioned. The only thing I'd add that worked really well for my 2nd graders (that I regret not doing more of, but WILL do this year) is the try and try again method inspired by the 2 sisters. They use this method when they're teaching kids the Daily 5 routines. I realized this is necessary for all classroom routines.
Let me explain… for example, call your kiddos to line up quietly and quickly. If they can't, have them all sit down and try and try again until they can. This got to my students more quickly than anything else I could try – commenting on the good ones (PBIS!) or calling out the wrong-doers (never my favorite thing to do).
I've been thinking about brag tags because Miss Nelson has inspired me 🙂
Lauren
The Sweetest Thing
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Duuuuude! It was your first year- and you were preggers! (I did the SAME thing my first year BTW)Surviving = success. And, you're coming back for round two = CHAMPION – que Queen music. And if you think about it, I didn't figure a lot of these things out until my eleventh year. So go you!
Cool on WBT. I am upping my game with it this year to include some of the other elements. I do not believe I will go whole hog with it however. I'm really into baby steps- and there is a ton on the plate this year in every other area.
Nice tags! (cheesy pick up line) I have been contemplating these myself. Our school gives out plastic charms on bracelets each month for behavior goals, but I wanted to add in some Moose-themed ones for class goals.
~Heather
The Meek Moose
The Meek Moose on TpT
Oh gosh most definitely to be consistent! they will love you even if you have to be a bit strict; it makes it so much easier for later in the year!
kellybrown28021@gmail.com
I learned to talk it out and give plenty of examples and non-examples. "This is what good a student looks like at centers." Or "does someone reading in the class library look like this? Or like this?" I'll model something silly which make the students smile!
I love the OZ theme tags! I think what I have learned that has helped me the most is that students, in general, will act the way we expect them to. Meaning, if I have low expectations for a students' behavior, or if his/her previous teacher put a negative bug in my ear and I let that guide the way I treat them, they will pretty much sink to my expectations. Similarly, if I go easy on a student because of a difficult home-life situation or make allowances for them based on the baggage they bring with them to school, I am setting them up for failure. I learned really fast that students, ESPECIALLY those with hard life situations, can and will do amazing things if you expect them to. And those are the most rewarding of teaching experiences there can be. When a student, against all odds, rises to the occasion because they know that you believe in them even though no one else did– teaching magic.
❤ Karen
flamingofab@gmail.com
Flamingo Fabulous in Second Grade
Congrats to you for surviving your first year. (That really is all that is necessary your first year – just make it out alive:) I am not a fan of clip charts either and, as a matter of fact, I'm about as anti clip chart as you can get:) I discovered WBT when I got sucked into the land of Pinterest and couldn't be happier with the bits and pieces I've gleaned. It's like magic!
I found you through a comment on Heather's blog and realized that you are in VA, too. Glad to have found you!
~Nikki
Teaching in Progress
Savvy commentary – Coincidentally , people want a DA 31 , my family discovered a fillable document here http://pdf.ac/2QsD4w.