“Please come out right now,” the teacher pleaded. The little boy under the table ignored her, crawling around on  his knees and touching the other children’s feet as he laughed wildly. Some of the students looked annoyed while others looked on, laughing, as they observed the teacher and little boy. The teacher, unsure of what to do, repeated her statement again, this time more sternly: “Come out right now.” The little boy remained under the table, laughing, but eventually came out after a few minutes.

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“Hey. Let’s put the book down and pay attention to the teacher.” The little boy ignored the teacher-helper, continuing to read his book with even more intensity now, shutting the teacher out completely. After the teacher took his book away, the little boy sulked and tried to get the book back, to no avail, and retreated to a corner and sulked. Even though his book, the distraction, was gone, the little boy refused to pay attention to the teacher and spent the rest of the class in the corner breathing heavily with frustration as tears brimmed his eyes.

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I was the teacher and the teacher-helper in both of those situations. And in both of those situations, there were only 5-10 students on my hands. I was at a loss for what to do. I struggled with wanting to be the “nice” teacher as well as a firm teacher. Frankly, I had no idea what I should have done. In the class, I would sometimes warn students that if misbehaviour continued, I would have to discipline them (time-outs, leaving the room, etc), but when students pleaded for “one more chance!”, I would give in to them, which did not reinforce my authority or word.

As a teacher-candidate, I  will be responsible for up to 30 students per class during my long practicum. I will need to learn how to manage the classroom effectively. What better time is there to learn than from experienced teachers and by experience?

Inquiry: What are some effective classroom management strategies in the classroom?

You can read more about my inquiry investigation here.