Building relationships is one of the most important parts of classroom management. Students will not feel safe or be able to effectively learn if they do not have a positive relationship with their teacher. Listed below are a few ways that I will build relationships in my classroom.
Communicating Positive Expectations
When establishing rules and setting expectations, they should be given in a positive yet clear manner. It is also important that you have high expectations for each of your students. Students know when a teacher believes in them and when they are being pushed to succeed. Students need this push because it is what drives them to learn. I will do this by making sure my students all know they I believe in them and their abilities through private conferencing, individual help, and praise. I will also do this by helping them set goals and providing them with the resources and help to reach their goals.
Developing Positive Classroom Pride
In a middle school, it is sometimes hard to develop a sense of classroom pride because students are in your classroom for a short period of time. One way I will build the pride is by displaying student work. I believe that you are never told old to love having your work shown off. Whenever we do a project based problem or do some activity, I will display the work around the room and allow time for students to present their projects. I will also take the time to allow students to talk about accomplishments they may have outside of class, which will also serve as team building.
Preventing & Reducing Frustration & Stress
Middle school is a time when students start to really experience stress, and this comes from a variety of places including academics, social life, athletics, home-life, etc. I want my classroom to be an area wear students can relieve some of their stress. At the beginning and throughout the year, I would like to incorporate stress relief strategies and coping strategies. Playing soft music in the background during independent work time, and creating a cozy classroom is another goal I have. It is also important to make sure that I am managing my own stress because a stressed teacher is very harmful to student-teacher relationships. I will have to make sure to have personal time when I am away from the classroom, and to monitor my stress levels while I am at school.
Miss Wieberg 