Classroom management help!

amother

Sat, Aug 31 2024, 8:41 pm

First time teacher here and so nervous in terms of classroom management.

I’m teaching 8th grade girls and I’m planning to mostly have projects and not much homework.

What can I do as a reward or incentive program so that the girls will want to participate well and the class will run smoothly? Something that’s not too babyish and would work with 8th grade girls please! Any advice would be very much appreciated!

amother

Chocolate ↓

Sat, Aug 31 2024, 9:29 pm

One piece of advice I would give that I wish I knew my first year. You want them to feel like this is your classroom and they come in to learn. Not that this is their room and you come in to teach. Your not a guest in this room. Little subtle things that make a difference. For example knowing where everything in the classroom is like markers and supplies... Don't think this is appropriate for 8th but for younger grade after recess I would stand by the door and welcome every kid into class. Hello to Sury, Ruchy... When I changed this my 2nd year I felt like these was a big dynamic shift and it made a difference. Lots of luck!!

Genius ↓

Sat, Aug 31 2024, 10:26 pm

1. You need excellent lesson plans. It should be stimulating— at least some new information, motivating— make it about them or guide them to figure out the new info instead of spelling it out for them, and long enough so you don’t have to fill the time with fluff. The foundation to discipline is good lesson planning.
2. You need to have presence. Straight back and confidence. Wear heels and a scarf if it makes you feel more “teacherish”.
3. As someone mentioned above, own the classroom. Walk between their desks, invade their space a little. Touch desks when you pass. Little subtle details to show it’s all yours. Don’t be afraid to turn around so you see everything. No funny faces behind YOUR back lol.
4. Notice the girls, look them in the eyes. Call on girls who aren’t raising their hands. If you do this, you have to create an atmosphere where you and the students are very comfortable with wrong answers. Use them (wrong answers) as an opportunity to learn.

Loads of luck. Eighth graders are the best.

amother

Clematis

Sat, Aug 31 2024, 10:31 pm

Genius wrote:

OMG I hated this as a student!

amother

DarkGray

Sat, Aug 31 2024, 10:48 pm

As the mother of daughter who was recently in 8th grade, here is my best piece of advice. The most successful teachers are the one that the girls are mildly intimidated by but also feel loved. My daughter's teacher was successful because she was super strict at the beginning of the year and she slowly eased up as the year progressed. As she eased up, she showered the girls with love and warmth.
I strongly feel that if she would've just shown love and warmth, the girls would've walked all over her immediately. Had she just been strict, the girls would've hated her and begun misbehaving to retaliate.

honey bunny

Sat, Aug 31 2024, 10:53 pm

If your school has a smart board use it! Try to find activities and games that are topic related. Use it as an incentive if the girls are well behaved. I usually find that the max amount of time you have their concentration is 35 min. Last 10 mins should be a game to review.

Work with them, not against them. I sometimes let them color or doodle or play with alittle slime if they can agree it helps them concentrate and theyre still participating

Also, try to get to know each one individually besides just as a class. Maybe pick one girl a day or a week for schmooze time during recess or lunch.

That age is very impressionable-- theyll prob remember 5% of what you taught and 95% of how you treated them

amother

Cyan

Sun, Sep 01 2024, 12:55 am

There’s a great book First Days of School and one of the best things I learned was to have a routine for everything. And then teach your expectations the first time each of the scenarios takes place.
What happens when the bell rings for class to start? Are you at the door and they stand up for you? Are you at the desk?
How do you hand out papers? One girl walks around, do you hand out per row to the first girl?
What happens when they finish a quiz, how do they hand in their sheets? Every girl walks up one by one and puts on your desk? Everyone passes up at your signal?
How do you return papers?
What is a girl responsible for when she misses a period and by when? What’s the makeup quiz/test rules?
Own the classroom.

amother

Skyblue

Sun, Sep 01 2024, 4:29 am

First of all, it takes time and as a new teacher, when people say to be strict but caring it's really hard to understand what that means, and yes it actually is the best way to manage a class. Here are some things that work for me.

1. Follow through. If you say the next girl to speak out of turn has to leave, that actually has to happen.

2. Walk around the classroom a lot. I don't think you need to touch desks. Standing near students is enough. If girls are ignoring you and chatting, walk up to them, and without saying anything personal, stand next to them and just continue teaching. I love to teach from the back of the class. I project what I need onto the board and just walk to the back and keep talking. It works.

3. Praise the good students! Give compliments to girls who participate, come on time, bring all their books. A huge mistake new teachers make is getting so flustered and embarrassed that they can't control the class that they forget to pay attention to the good students.

4. Personal conversations. If a girl is really disruptive, make time to talk to her after class and set realistic goals (like if you participate for the first 20 minutes you can go out for 5 etc.)

5. Don't allow bullying! This is huge. Most of the girls won't stand up to bullies because they are afraid of being a target. You need your classroom to feel safe for everyone. Create a culture of compliments and positivity. It actually helps with classroom management. I like modeling (ex: girl 1 to girl 2: You're so disgusting. My response: we don't speak like that in this classroom. Let's say something positive. Girl 1: she's my friend! She knows I'm joking! Response: words have power. This is MY classroom and we don't speak to other people like that here. Let's try some positive words: Shprintzee I'm so glad you are my friend. You are a wonderful person. That's how we talk to friends)

6. Use the disruptive girls! Lots of times they just have shpilkes or want attention, so use that. If you need to copy a list onto the board, call up the most disruptive students to write it for you (sometimes two at a time is better because they write more slowly). Forgot something in the teachers room? Need a new marker or eraser, left your photocopies by the machine? Send a disruptive student to get them!

balance

Sun, Sep 01 2024, 5:41 am

OP do you have any training?
Walking into a classroom with no training is not fair either to you or to your students.

Experience comes with time but you must have training in classroom technique. It's not something you can learn from imamother.
Teaching is dealing with neshamos. You must make sure to be properly prepared.
If you have no training, at the very least ask the school for one of their older, more experienced teachers to mentor you and spend time with her going through your plans thoroughly. You should continue with mentoring for at least six months if not two years.

Posting under my username because I feel very strongly about this. People can throw eggs if they want to but it's just wrong to throw unprepared, unsupported teachers into a classroom. Every school should have a proper program for new teachers.

amother

↑ Chocolate

Sun, Sep 01 2024, 11:38 am

Reading these responses must be so intimidating for op!
Another thing that helps. Have prepared different type of work on generic topics. Extra time leads to sometimes. If some kids finish work give them extra credit sheets. Sometimes work takes a lot quicker than you think. It's good to have extra sheets copied and a mini lesson on something prepared and an activity... A few extra things ready that in the moment you can push in if needed

BrachaVHatzlocha

Sun, Sep 01 2024, 1:54 pm

amother Chocolate wrote:

Yes! Always be overprepared !!! Esp at the beginning