Final Reflection 

        For this observation, they were working on a scripted reading lesson so there was not too much for me to help out with. They break the pod into reading groups containing one enrichment group, two on level, and one remediation group. The teacher which I observed had one of the on level groups. All of the students sit on the floor and the teacher reads from a script. The students respond accordingly.

            A lot of the time, she has to go through and ask the children to go through the letter sounds individually. During this time the students that are not being asked to go through the sounds are often bored which increases their tendency to misbehave. One easy way to decrease the management problems that the teachers have in the classroom is to increase the amount of time that the students are engaged. The school uses aspects of Whole Brain Teaching, and I feel as though this would be an excellent time to use Whole Brain Teaching strategies to reinforce the phonics of for the children and keep them engaged. However, it is hard to keep the students engaged when you are required to read from a repetitive and boring script. I know that repetition is beneficial in helping the children learn their phonics, but I also think that there is a better way to keep all of the students involved. I think that one solution to the problem of having to go ask each student individually to name all of the letter sounds would be to only do it as a group at first. Then, later on when all of the students are working on a worksheet, the teacher could call all of the students to her desk one-by-one and have a short informal conference where they ask them to name the sounds. This would still assess each child individually, but it does not require all of the other students to sit there doing nothing while each child goes through the sounds.

            Over the past twelve weeks, I have realized that even though I was worried about management in the classroom that it is common for all teachers to feel that way because management is such a complex issue. I think that for my first year teaching that I will rely heavily on the Whole Brain Teaching system of management because it encompasses a lot of different management strategies. By using that strategy in my classroom the first year along with a few other strategies that I laid out in my REP, I can then see first-hand what modifications that may need to be made to Whole Brain Teaching in my classroom.

            I have also come to the realization that I am most likely not going to be able to escape the behaviorally challenging children because they are so vast. However, I know that I will not just write those children off. I will still try and find ways to reach out and try and connect to them in order to figure out a solution or possible cause to their behavior. I think that teachers are too quick to forget about those children, and these children just make it through the system without ever getting the help they need.

            I feel as though a large part of classroom management has to be learned through experience. You never know what type of developmental disorders your students will have or what behaviors may result from it. Therefore, you cannot expect to have a management plan that does not change. All children do not fit in the “cookie cutter” strategy of management, and therefore, may need modifications in order to meet their needs. I think that the main think that I learned is that you have to create an atmosphere of mutual respect and keep the children engaged.