“Ms. Herbert, how old are you?”
“You don’t look old enough to be a teacher…”
“Um, student teacher? What?”
As a student teacher, I face such questions/statements on a daily basis. Just this morning, during first hour, my CT asked me to watch the class of seniors while she ran an errand to the office. I agreed and as she walked out the door, she shouted, “The class will be just fine!” Man, she couldn’t have been more wrong. Not even thirty seconds after she left, my classroom turned into a zoo. Three students (who are strategically placed in separate corners of the room) began shouting and throwing paper wads, leading the rest of the students down a dark path of unfocused, off-task behavior. I panicked. I did not know what to do.
Long story short, I was able to get the class under control before Mrs. Bradley got back, but it wasn’t easy. On top of that, I felt wholly disrespected by my students. Who could blame them though? I am just a student teacher in their eyes. I mean, I get mistaken for a student in the hallways. Clearly, they think they can bend the rules when it’s merely me in charge. So my question is, how can I look and act more like a teacher to my students, rather than just another one of them? I need some serious help in the management department, friends.
Long story short, I was able to get the class under control before Mrs. Bradley got back, but it wasn’t easy. On top of that, I felt wholly disrespected by my students. Who could blame them though? I am just a student teacher in their eyes. I mean, I get mistaken for a student in the hallways. Clearly, they think they can bend the rules when it’s merely me in charge. So my question is, how can I look and act more like a teacher to my students, rather than just another one of them? I need some serious help in the management department, friends.
In The First Days of School, Harry and Rosemary Wong convey the importance of establishing solid routines and procedures on the first few days of the school year or semester. However, since I am entering a classroom that is not mine during the middle of the school year, I feel defeated. Nonetheless, I brainstormed a list of ideas I can try out in my student teaching experience. Please feel free to share your own and evaluate mine.
1. Continue to dress and act professionally – Thus far, I believe I have maintained a personal disposition and appearance in my placement. If I continue to do this, I believe it will reinforce that I am here as a teacher, not as a friend to my students.
2. Stop students’ misbehavior before it starts – I believe that when students are actively engaged and participating in their learning, the chances of misbehavior significantly decrease. When I begin implementing my own lessons, I will ensure that my students are constantly working on something so that they are too busy to misbehave.
3. Be consistent – If I catch Molly texting on her phone during class, I need to follow the same procedure as I did when I caught John on his phone. When students see that I act consistently and fairly with every student, they will see that I am a polished and professional teacher.
4. Ask for help – As a professional, I will constantly ask my colleagues and fellow student teachers for guidance and thoughts about what I am doing and how I can do better. Veteran teachers may have some tricks up their sleeve that could potentially help me with my management concerns.
Now two weeks into student teaching, I still need to establish myself as a figure of authority to my students. My sophomore classes are willing to share their ideas with me and ask me for help on assignments, but the senior classes very much want to challenge my authority and test my patience. Hopefully I can change this with my own list of ideas and with the responses I receive.
Thanks for reading!
*All names have been changed to pseudonyms to protect privacy.
