Hands Back Hands Forward

Essentially, classroom management is a social agreement entered into by the students, teachers, and families of the learning community.  There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all plan, but there certainly are particular approaches that can help learning communities move toward creating a holistic, culturally-relevant management plan that works in their context.  The first aspect to consider is a practice of critical reflection, both as an individual, and as a group of engaged collaborators:

Aspect 1: Critical Reflection

• Collectively define:
  • Discipline
  • Management
  • Inclusive teaching practice
  • Behavior support

• Examine personal biases and assumptions that are the normal inclination of all people. Once we are aware of our own, we can learn how to work around them.

• Examine the roles of teachers in a historically and inherently inequitable schooling system

• In your classroom, consider:
  • Reparations instead of punishments
  • Preventative instead of reactive approaches
  • Collaborative instead of Us against Them
  • Strength-based instead of Diagnostic/Pathologizing language