Unfortunately, classrooms do not come "well managed".

They have to be made into well-managed classrooms. Nowadays there is a broad diversity of students with different backgrounds in classrooms and it adds up more challenges to teachers to manage their classes. I believe that every child has a right to be himself/herself, that everyone is different. My goal as a teacher is not to make robots out of my students, who would agree to do what ever I tell them to do, but to create a positive and inspiring learning classroom environment that would lead my students to becoming successful and happy learners. There are three levels of control approaches in the classroom management: low, medium, and high. Each of them includes a few theories, and each of those theories holds useful suggestions and information on how to manage this or that particular situation. My examination of all these theories revealed that I am inclined to use the medium control approach in my teaching practice more often than the other two. At the same time, if I find that the context of my classroom and the actual events cause me to shift from that model and use elements of other approaches then that’s what I will do.

       Among the low control approaches in the classroom management, I support the original ideas of Alfie Kohn. In his theory he suggests providing an engaging curriculum, developing a caring community, and allowing students to make choices. The purposes of creating a sense of community in the classroom are: to help students to feel safe, to encourage them to make decisions, to express their opinions, and to work cooperatively toward solutions that benefit the class.  I see classroom meetings as valuable tools to create a community and to address classroom problems and issues. As examples of what I would like my students to do at those meetings, my students can be involved in the following: sharing, such as talking about interesting events; deciding about issues that affect the class, such as procedures for working on projects; planning for various curricular or instructional issues; reflecting about issues such as what has been learned, what might have worked better, or what changes might improve the class (Burden, 2003 -23). I want my students to feel cared about and to be encouraged to care about each other. I want them to feel valued and respected, and to matter to one another and me as the teacher. I believe also that building relationships between teachers and students can help a great deal in managing the class.

       As Curwin and Mendler I also recognize the relationship between discipline and the process of teaching. In their book “Discipline with Dignity” (1999), they point out that discipline problems may be caused by student boredom, feelings of powerlessness, unclear limits, a lack of acceptable outlets for feelings, and attacks on dignity (Burden, 2003). As a solution they suggest to develop a three-dimensional discipline plan dealing with prevention, action, and resolution. Their theory of the classroom management relates to the medium control approach, which I would like to implement in my teaching. I believe that it is important to teach children to make responsible choices and this model of discipline involves working with students to develop the discipline plan, which is called the Responsibility Model, which promotes critical thinking and shared decision-making. This model has another benefit: students get a chance to learn that teachers also have rights, power, knowledge, and leadership. I realize that dealing with student behavior is part of the job; that acting out is sometimes an act of sanity. I believe that the teacher always needs to treat students with dignity. One of the ways to deal with discipline problems is writing a social contract with students. I would involve my students in this process. I would make sure that the rules are clear. We would develop predictable consequences, not punishments. This contract can be changed with the classroom needs.

       Among the high control approaches I prefer and use Skinner’s theory of classroom management. This method works best when used in an organized, systematic, and consistent way. In his book “Beyond Freedom and Dignity” (1971) Skinner claimed, “Our choices are determined by the environmental conditions under which we live and what has happen to us” (Burden, 2003, p.30). I like the idea of implementing the behavior modification in the classroom practice, a technique that uses reinforcement to shape behavior.

       I will have certain expectations of my students. I expect them to be respectful (of ma, as well as of themselves and their classmates). I expect them to do their utmost to perform to their potential. I expect them to be a team, so that they could work together to solve problems, do group projects and help each other out when it’s needed. I expect them to be prepared in mind, body, and spirit. This means having the right supplies, being ready to learn and to give full attention to the speaker. Finally I expect my students to have bad days. We are all human, but I hope they do their best to keep up with the learning done that day.  

        I will allow for different styles of learning, cultures, and circumstances by being flexible and open to change. I will try to adapt lessons to accommodate different learning styles and personalities. This means having variety. I think another thing that teachers can do is “expect the unexpected”, meaning that there is an awareness that nothing will ever go as planned. Finally, having a multi-cultural perspective is important. It should be something that is regularly part of a teacher’s curriculum and something that they should keep in the back of their head at all times.