Shelby NcCann

Stuuent Teaching
Niuteim Reflection


I embaikeu on my stuuent teaching auventuie eight weeks ago anu the
expeiience thus fai has helpeu me iealize the key to a successful stuuent, a happy
teachei, anu a functioning classioom is classioom management. Classioom
management is the ioot of success in a stiuctuieu school setting. Ny stuuent
teaching expeiience has been veiy unique anu unlike any othei teaching expeiience
I've hau pievious to this. Cuiiently I am in a iemote village, in Alaska, teaching at a
veiy small school that has about Su total stuuents K-12, anu that is on a goou uay.
Ny stuuent teaching classioom expeiience is a combineu class of S
iu
, 4
th
, anu S
th

giaueis, total I have 1u stuuents all uay. Bue to the vaiiety of ages anu leaining
abilities anu uisabilities in the classioom theii neeus iange anu uiffei immensely on
a uaily basis. In oiuei foi me to be a successful teachei in this iaie classioom
setting, classioom management tools anu skills aie a N0ST.
When I aiiiveu into the village anu met with my coopeiating teachei one of
the veiy fiist questions I askeu was, "What is youi classioom management
philosophy. Anu what is youi biggest challenge with youi cuiient classioom of
stuuents." Bei ieply was, "Ny kius aie gieat, the class is small, anu theie aie iaiely
behavioial pioblems." Ny initial thought was, "That's incieuible, I've nevei heaiu a
teachei say they uon't have to manage theii classioom at all." I was cuiious to see
foi myself, anu boy was I in foi tieat. 0nfoitunately, theie is no classioom
management in the classioom I am spenuing a semestei in anu theie is inueeu A
L0T of behavioial pioblems. Bowevei, I'm veiy giateful foi my pievious
expeiiences anu knowleuge of what a successfully manageu classioom looks like.
I jumpeu iight into teaching within my fiist week of being in the village. Ny
fiist task was to get to know the kius. Next, I iecognize that these kius neeu to
unueistanu that theie aie iules in a classioom, anu that the iules will be consistent
anu enfoiceu. Foi an example, I woulu be in the miuule of a lesson anu a chilu woulu
get up anu eithei walk to get a uiink oi leave the classioom to use the bathioom
without any waining. If half of my class weie not so easily uistiacteu, something like
getting up anu using the iestioom woulu not be such a big ueal. Bowevei, it is an
issue in the classioom anu I finu it veiy uisiespectful to get up anu leave the ioom
while a teachei is giving instiuction. I nippeu that habit in the buu, I let the kius
know if they weie to get up anu walk out in the miuule of the lesson that they will
lose PE oi iecess time foi not only themselves but foi the entiie class. I talkeu to
them about what it means to show iespect, anu explaineu how time was being
wasteu as well. They quickly leaineu what it meant to be iespectful anu when theie
is an appiopiiate time to use the iest ioom oi get a uiink.
0nfoitunately, these kius uo lack quite a bit of iespect foi teacheis, as well as
they suffei fiom laziness. Anothei obstacle I woulu ovei come, woulu be teaching
woik ethic while cateiing to a chilu's specific neeus. Fifty peicent of my class has a
leaining uisability oi a specific neeu; two suffei seveie ABBB, one stuuent has a
speech impeuiment (anu uoes not ieceive any soit of speech theiapy), anothei is
neglecteu at home, as well as theie is one gifteu stuuent. Ny woik is cut out foi me.
I've woikeu to make appiopiiate leaining goals foi each stuuent as well as challenge
them to ieally "uo theii woik", like ieauing the entiie passage, explaining a math
pioblem using sentences when they've been askeu to "explain." etc. I have maue
suie to ieasonably set the bai as high as possible foi each inuiviuual stuuent, anu
that is how I've been able to measuie each stuuent's woik ethic. Also as a teachei
I've iealizeu that one of the best peisonality tiaits to biing to the classioom is being
flexible yet piouuctive. Being flexible means being comfoitable with changes on a
uaily basis, whethei it is with the entiie school, class oi an inuiviuual stuuent.
As well as being flexible, a teachei must be a iole mouel anu not a fiienu.
Being in a small school anu village, especially coming in as a new fiesh face, it's easy
to get caught up in wanting to be "likeu" by all the stuuents anu then suuuenly you
aie no longei a iespecteu iole mouel, but insteau just a "fiienu". I maue myself
awaie that these stuuents have enough fiienus; theiefoie they neeu a teachei who
sets a goou example, as well as loves on them. Foitunately I set the bounuaiies fiom
uay one, anu since then I iaiely iun into any uisiespect fiom any of the stuuents in
the school.
Aftei establishing myself as a iespecteu auult I staiteu in on setting
expectations in the classioom as well as consequences. Foi an example when I teach
my S
iu
anu 4
th
giaueis math, they L0vE to guess answeis, anu not ieau uiiections oi
show theii woik. I tolu them if they continue to keep guessing they will owe me a
push up foi eveiy time they guess, anu if they all showeu effoit anu nobouy guesseu
anu woikeu haiu that uay I then woulu uo push ups foi them. The kius quickly
iesponueu to this, anu now I uon't even have to ask them to uo a push up, they often
catch themselves not uoing the woik anu uiscipline themselves. I have iemaineu
consistent with my expectations anu consequences, anu kius love nothing moie than
consistency, whethei they aumit it oi not.
uetting to know my stuuents, uiscoveiing anu meeting theii specific neeus,
establishing cleai anu consistent iules, expectations, consequences, anu leaining
goals aie all classioom management tools anu skills that have helpeu me keep a
smile on my face, shown many stuuents success thus fai, as well as makes a
classioom thiive as a whole. As a beginning teachei I am at my "half way" maik
(miuteim), I am piouu of the piogiess I have maue anu I am exciteu to see my
piogiession uevelop moie in these next eight weeks.