Kate Martin- Secrets 6

I think this is a very appropriate chapter for this point in my placement. In the beginning, students were well behaved and I had very few discipline problems. At this point, I can tell the newness of the student teacher has worn off and students are starting to try to push my buttons. I’m doing my best to manage the issues while remaining in control of myself. I’ve noticed that the calmer I am about the problem, the better the students respond. I think I handle situations really well when it’s only one or two students attempting to push my buttons, but some days it seems like almost half of the class exhibits irritating behaviors and I have trouble staying calm. This chapter was helpful and gave several tips for making this experience better (instead of bitter). I have done really well not arguing and bargaining with students. I hand out retraining slips and simply say “see me after class” and end it there. Several students want to argue their retraining, but I ignore what they say and continue on with class like nothing happened. This works for off task behavior and minor behavioral problems really well. The key is to stay calm and not say anything else about the issue until after the class is over, and it’s on their time (not class time). I’m going to try some of their psychology techniques to manage my classroom in the future. I really think it’s a good idea to build students up as much as possible, and not just belittle them in front of their peers. I try to compliment student whenever I can and praise them for ideas in class. When allowing them time to think-pair-share, I come around, especially to struggling students, to hear what they’re discussing. I guide them to the answer I want and tell them to remember it because I would call on them. I can’t believe how well that works at keeping them on task! They practice what they’re going to say after I walk away, they hold their place in their notes, and they raise their hands to answer the question I asked them to. In these situations, students that are normally yelled at in class have a duty to participate and do much better throughout class.