As a first year special education teacher, I am sure to be presented with many situations that no amount of preparation could prepare me for. I used to feel that if I had a strong and clear classroom management plan, I would be able to confidently approach any situation I am presented with but after spending the last 3 months in a classroom as a teacher I realized that as strong and clear as my management plan was it was not beneficial to my teaching style and my students. I have been presented with situations I would never have dreamed of and had to address each student and situation in completely different manners.
I realized that allowing my students to set their own rules and consequences is not always going to work in the classroom or at least not in the way I had planned. I now will teach my students about choices. I will teach them that they choose how their day will go. If they make good choices they can have a day without incident receiving all of their free time and enjoyable activities but if they make bad choices there will be consequences that will not be desirable.
In the school I student taught at as much as I would have loved for parents to be involved in their child’s education it is not realistic in many cases. Many parents used the school as a day care service and set no academic expectations for their children because academics are not a priority in their homes. So in cases like these I must have a strong personal relationship with my students so that my academic and behavioral expectations are enough to encourage my students on a day to day basis.
I have no doubt that as the years go by my plan for classroom management will change many times and with this realization I can accept that there is no absolute solution and all you can do is try your best and use the education you were given to its fullest extent.
