Well, I had certainly planned to write again before today but the beginning of the year madness gripped me yet again. We were sent off campus to a mindless inservice for an entire day (out of three days total) of preparation for the first day of school. I'm sure that many of you can relate. Anyway, I'm wondering how the first day went for all those new teachers out there. When you get over the relief of surviving your first day, what are you left thinking. If you're like me, you might be replaying a circumstance in your mind and wondering if you handled it the right way. That's probably a good thing because this means you reflect and, more importantly, you care. Even if you are judging yourself harshly right now, the good news is that you will have many chances to "right the ship". When a student was acting in a way that bothered you, did you address it? Or did you let it slide because you felt bad correcting a student so early in the year? I hope you addressed it because the time to set the stage is NOW and the students are in the process of figuring out where you stand and what you stand for. The best advice I can give you in this regard is to practice addressing negative behavior in a way that gets your point across strongly without eliciting an angry response. How can you redirect a student respectfully? The key is to frame your words in a way that makes it clear to students that the main reason their behavior is unacceptable is because it detracts from learning and prevents them (students) from reaching their potential. Avoid making it about you, making it too personal. One last comment on this subject. Carefully examine the motives for your actions/reactions in the classroom. As much as possible, try to act with selfless intentions. Are you struggling with classroom management, or with a particular student? Feel free to share or discuss by posting a comment.
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