EDU 6945: Instruction (2)

Throughout my internship, I have been researching and implementing various strategies for establishing an effective classroom structure. As the teacher of record for my classroom, I have great need in finding strategies that not only worked, but that made my initial year of teaching less stressful.

Classroom organization was the first place I needed useful strategies. Having four periods of Language Arts, a period of Advisory, and a period of Introduction to Art created a need for specifically designated places for student’s daily materials, completed work, no-name work, absent work, etc. Pinterest was a first resource filled with many quick ideas. Coworkers were also sources for ideas. The first strategy I implemented was a completed work turn-in system. This came from a coworker by recommendation of my son who had had her the previous year. It is a simply labeled system of drawers by class period or subject. Having been in classrooms where teachers use baskets, I like this idea more. It provided a secure system in which papers could not be easily knocked out and possibly lost.

The next borrowed strategy came later in the year through a discussion with yet another coworker. I was expressing my frustration with students not having pencils. I had tried a previously read about strategy called pencil upgrades in which the teacher upgrades a worn-down pencil of a student with a new pencil, and the student without a pencil gets the old pencil. While this was not a bad system, it did interrupt the class learning to implement. My coworker shared her system of providing a cup with student labeled pencils for frequent no pencil students. Students collected their pencil upon entering the classroom and returned it at the end of the period. It was a quick, easy, effective system that did not interrupt the class, and students could collect their pencil when collecting their class folder.

Perhaps the best strategy I received was a piece of advice. A veteran teacher shared the fact that not all work needs to be graded. A teacher can save their time and sanity by being selective in what they grade. Many activities are best used as practice and should not be subject to grading or if graded, grade for participation. This was a powerful idea for a new teacher. Knowing that it was okay to not grade everything my students did. This advice was further added to by my ELA coach who related a good practice is to grade for specific areas the class is working on. For example, if you are working on writing maybe you only grade on word choice and organization because those are the areas the class is working on.  These are key strategies for teachers as time management is often an obstacle.

Overall, I know that finding strategies and systems that work for my classroom will be an evolving process, but creating a learning environment in which the classroom runs effectively will go a long way to reducing the stress of being a new teacher.