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Mr. J's Book:
Mr. J's Class Rules!
Think back to your own educational experience. What teachers stand out? In my experience as a student and as a teacher I have seen some of the most amazing teachers and I have also seen some terrible ones.
What separates the two? What makes a great teacher and what makes a bad one? While there are many different opinions, I think there are 5 keys to success in the teaching profession:
Number 1: Be positive about teaching and kids. Attitude is the most important thing in your classroom. Have a positive outlook on your job, your school, your classes and your kids. If you do, the majority of the kids will too. If you do not, neither will the kids. Nothing has ever been accomplished by people who felt they couldn't do it. I have seen teachers that are constantly negative about anything and everything and wonder why the kids are so negative about school. I have also noticed that many of these teachers that constantly complain have classroom management issues and problems with kids that I never have problems with. Interesting...
Number 2: Be passionate about what you teach. In my own class, I am truly excited about history and teaching my students about it. If I didn't really care about it, the kids wouldn't really care about it either. If the kids don't really care about it, they will have very little motivation to learn which means they will spend more time off-task and causing classroom management problems. On the other hand, if you are totally excited about what you are teaching, the kids will see that it must be important and they will want to learn it too. That will result in less fooling around and class disruption.
Number 3: You need to be organized. This is far more important and involved than simply writing out lesson plans. It is imperative that you have your class laid out beyond tomorrow...or, in some cases, next period. The ideal is to lay out your class (in pencil) at least a quarter at a time. This way you know what you can focus on and what you may need to skip. It also gives more time to develop teachings strategies. You can always change it later, but at least you have a basic outline to plan from. In addition, you need organized files so that you can always find what you want, when you want it. This will allow you to spend your time teaching and not hunting for stuff. Moreover, you can add to your units and get farther ahead because you do not have to reinvent the same lesson plans over and over again.
Number 4: Get along with administration, staff and parents. Learn to pick your battles and how to fight them. I have seen countless teachers go head to head with the principal or parents or, worse yet, the secretaries over nothing. I also see teachers that loudly and publicly second-guess absolutely every decision the principal makes. You would not want them going around the school publicly second-guessing everything you did in your classroom to anyone who would listen, so don't do it to them. You need to be part of a team to be successful, you can't do it alone. I know many teachers that fear parents or assume the principal is out to get them. Treat them how you want to be treated. In my experience, if you are respectful to the principal and parents, they will (usually) be positive and respectful to you. In addition, if you have a solid classroom structure with all the pieces I am giving you in this book, your principal and parents will see and hear good things about you and your class and they will tend to give you the benefit of the doubt.
Number 5: Always treat the kids with respect. Last, but certainly not least, treat the kids the way you want them to treat you. If you yell at them and back them into a corner and are confrontational on a regular basis, they will be the same way to you. Most classroom management issues are created or exacerbated by the teacher. That means that the teacher can avoid, deflect, or otherwise prevent most classroom management issues. I have taught thousands of students and, in all that time, I have never had a kid yell at me in class or get in my face. That does not mean that I have never had "that kid" (You know "that kid," he is the kid that drives you nuts everyday. He will do anything to disrupt, antagonize or otherwise ruin your class everyday. Whenever you see "that kid" in this book, simply substitute your own "that kid's" name.) or classroom management issues, but they are few and far between and I handle them in a respectful manner that allows me to defuse the issue and maintain a positive relationship with the student(s).
I have known lots of teachers that have huge battles and confrontations and discipline issues with many of the same students that I never have problems with. Often those teachers describe how they yell or threaten but the kids do not listen. I never do either of those things because I do not have to. I do want to make clear that this does NOT mean that the kids simply walk over you. The teachers that allow kids to swing from the lights in their classes are not treating the kids with respect and the kids do not respect them. I am very firmly in charge in my classroom but the kids respect me and I respect them. That makes all the difference.
This book will show you step by step how to be the very best teacher you can be. Each chapter will focus on one of the 5 keys to success. I also want it to be one that you refer to often. This book is a resource for teachers of all levels of experience, all grades and all types of schools. It is full of helpful tips for you to use often and that can help you on a daily basis. It is not simply a book on classroom management. It is a book on classroom structure and teaching strategies. There are many parts of this book that will overlap and maybe even repeat. This is not due to poor editing but due to the fact that all aspects of teaching are interconnected. They all build on each other. Without a positive attitude it will be hard to be passionate, which makes it difficult to establish a respectful classroom management plan or get along with parents or organize yourself. That does not mean that you have to do it all my way, but you need these ingredients in some form to be an exceptional teacher.
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