Deliberate and Intentional

There is not much going on in the classroom to report on this week so I thought I would just muse a little bit about what I've been thinking about on my drive home these first 6 weeks of teaching.

But first, a funny comment said to me on Monday:

Boy to me: (Gasp of shock and perhaps horror) You are wearing MAN shoes!

Well, thanks. Now, I'll never look at those shoes the same again. Maybe it's time to go shopping.

Classroom management is about being deliberate. It's hard because I just want them to know and remember what to do every second of every day. It is easy for me to forget that they are just still figuring out how to behave and act accordingly in the world. It's tiring to remember to repeat the expectations and rules every other minute or two. It's also easy to get frustrated and feel helpless when the boy you just reminded NOT to play in the bathroom is hanging from the stall doors. It's easy to get frustrated when you turn around and see three kids holding scissors, one eating/chewing on a pencil, and two crawling under their desks when they are supposed to be listening or working or looking at books or doing anything productive except all of the aforementioned things. But then I stop and think for a minute about WHY they're doing it. Because when kids do all these things, it isn't because they like to be bad or like getting in trouble. It's probably because they're just kids. Just kids who are five years old and don't have an attention span longer than 3 minutes--especially for just sitting and listening. It's probably because I'M not being very exciting or engaging and probably didn't remind them of what they ARE supposed to be doing. It's probably my fault because managing a classroom is about being deliberate.

DELIBERATELY planning engaging lessons

DELIBERATELY pointing out good behaviors instead of giving the attention to negative ones

DELIBERATELY repeating myself about what is expected

DELIBERATELY modeling everything I want them to repeat

DELIBERATELY explaining directions step by step

DELIBERATELY and consistently enforcing the rules with consequences

There is no assuming that everyone understands or "gets it."

There is no assuming that everyone knows what to do.

There is no assuming that these 5 year olds will start acting like adults tomorrow.

The more deliberate and intentional I am about EVERYTHING I do. The better my day goes for me and the students.

Will they EVER get it? Will I ever have any control? Do I have any control? Well, yeah, they will and I do. How do I know? Well, it isn't in those frustrating moments that's for sure. However, it is clear when I'm able to take a step back. Like when the sub only wrote positive comments and the parent helper for picture day said our class was "the best" at sitting and waiting our turn. You see, sometimes I wonder what my class looks like from the other side. I wonder if people are watching us go by and say "Wow, there goes THAT class" and "SHE must be the new teacher. Look at THEM" because sometimes it feels like that ALL the time. I wonder what if I'm doing anything right. UNTIL, one moment, one time, they do exactly as they are told, the first time, exactly as they should. And I realize that I have done something right and most of the time they do get it. It's just this reality that they are just 5 years old, crammed full of too much energy, never think before they do anything, and just dying to chew on something that gets in the way.