1. Directly reward your students for their work. Throw pizza parties following between classroom competitions. Keep class progress charts on the wall to show how well they are doing compared to other classes.
2. The first week of school is a very important time to firmly stick to class rules. Be consistent in enforcing them, even if some of the lesson time is lost. You can cover the rest of the lesson the next day.
3. Logical consequences are a good way to handle discipline. Discipline strategies are rarely discussed in alternative teacher training programs. Over the years, I adopted Logical Consequences. When I was teaching high school, I made sure my students understood why they were receiving the punishment they got. If the student didn’t do homework, he or she had to stay afterschool to finish it. If the class was talking, during instruction time, I timed the seconds and made them stay that long after the bell. But, I also gave them chances to earn their way back from upcoming consequences of they worked quietly or did their homework during lunch. Special Connections at http://www.specialconnections.ku.edu/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/specconn/main.php?cat=behavior§ion=main&subsection=classroom/natural features an article on Natural and Logical Consequences
Conscience Discipline is another method I have heard of.
4. Read about a specific teaching method program that integrates classroom management and do class simulations or role plays with other teachers in training. The New York Times Magazine features a few of these teaching methods collections in the article Building a Better Teacher by Elizabeth Green http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/07/magazine/07Teachers-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
The article tells of how a teacher-in-training practiced Doug Lemov’s Taxonomy of Effective Teaching Practices with her fellow teachers in training using class simulations. I wish I had gathered together some fellow teachers in training to role-play teacher and student scenarios. I felt I was sorely unprepared for that aspect of teaching. My teacher training program was good but it didn’t touch on the classroom management aspect of the profession.
5. To make your classroom a place where students show respect requires a firm hand.
I asked one teacher how she handled the tough students she had in her classroom that year. She said, “I just don’t let their disrespectful behavior bother me." She said she held them accountable for their actions. When they complain about having to endure the consequences of their actions, she just says, “You made me do it.”
No: Why kids of all ages need to hear it by David Walsh is a book that claims children are bombarded with yes messages through popular culture. He advocates parents teach children self-descipline by saying no to some of their desires.
6. I suggest any new teacher observe other teachers during conference times. Don’t just stay in your classroom. For teachers who have left the profession to raise children, substitute teaching part-time will help you develop a broader perspective of the profession because it allows you to observe the teaching methods and policies of different teachers and schools you would not normally have access to.
7. Read about current issues in education. Subscribe to the teacher focused Phi Delta Kappan magazine or use the internet to find free articles. Keyword searches on current topics can provide lots of information.
8. Join a teacher union. The American Federation of Teachers does not allow administrators to join. The Association of Teachers and Professional Educators is also a good teacher union which provides free legal advice.
9. Conducting class in a consistent way helps your students to know what to expect from you as a new teacher.
10. Until you have established a relationship of respect from your students, pushing them too hard academically will only make them resent you. Academics are only a part of teaching. Once you have created a productive, learning environment, you can assess your class to determine how hard they can be pushed academically.
