I look back on my own college experiences. Granted, we took the usual “Classroom Management Methods” courses and did the educational labs at various elementary schools. However, it seems to be now that they were not at all “in-depth” in the way that I needed them to be.
For example, our “Classroom Management” course barely skimmed the surface of what a teacher needs to know about the mechanics of running a class. There was no discussion about taking a roll or utilizing a grade book. These are essential and take up time in every class.
Other time-consuming items, to mention just a few, include adjusting window shades and room temperature, dealing with audiovisual equipment, and distributing supplies, including helping students locate lost pens or pencils. Construction noise, broken alarm systems or public address speakers, doorknobs that fall off chairs or tables that break, people who go missing, get sick, or are simply lost – the list of possible disruptions to class time can be seemingly endless. These can take up the minutes of class.
Adding up all of the time wasters by the bell rings, signaling the end of the class and/or day, you can find you have had very little time to actually teach or, more importantly, for your students to learn. You may have had little or no preparation in college courses for how to deal with these ongoing (and often irritating) problems.
This is the only profession I am aware of that expects a teacher fresh out of college to perform like a 20-year veteran – which is ridiculous to me.
All the best,
Steve
You may find my book on classroom management of interest:
Get Started on the Right Foot
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