Are you a new or veteran middle school teacher? Are you brainstorming ways to improve your classroom? Middle school can be tricky...stuck in the middle between elementary and high school. You want to train your students to be responsible learners, yet you know they have no clue where to begin on their own.
So often the structure middle school students need falls to the teacher--the classroom manager. Classroom management encompasses many areas including expectations and consequences, procedures, and routines. Join me over the next few posts as I address each area in my math classroom.
But let's start with my top 3 preventative measures. It's true. You must have a plan in place to address concerns and misbehavior. But I believe it's equally important to be proactive!
Tip #1: Greet your students at the door. Welcome them with a smile and call them by name. When possible, I make a personal comment (ex: Great hustle in the basketball game last night!).
Tip #2: Greet your class once everyone has arrived or the tardy bell has sounded. I always say, "Ladies and gentlemen, Good morning to you!" (And then I give them a 1-minute overview of what we have on deck for the class period.)
Tip #3: Set a classroom environment based on mutual respect. I expect my students to use their manners. I require my students to say "Yes, ma'am" and "No, ma'am" when responding to me or another adult in our room. However, I usually only correct a "yeah" or "huh" or "what" response. I know. I'm a Southern girly. But it's amazing the tone this sets in our classroom.
I'm linking up with Stephanie over at Teaching in Room 6. Be sure to hop over and follow the great posts on classroom management!
Stay tuned for more posts on classroom management!
Have a great weekend...make it count!
