Classroom Management, Part I

By Paula Lempert and Lori Belzman

To find a classroom, just look around.  A classroom can be around the dinner table, on the playing field, at the mall, and, of course, where we go for our ABCs and 123s.  A classroom is anywhere where we help young people learn and grow to become respectful, responsible, and productive members of society.  It’s where a solid foundation is placed for more abstract and meaningful ideas to come.  Understanding that a classroom can be anywhere also means that anyone can be an educator.  Teachers, family members, and coaches all play a role in creating unique learning environments where children and young people learn and grow.

Building a Foundation
 
The foundation of your classroom is based on positive assumptions about your students.  Assume and believe every student wants to and can learn content and behavior. Assume and believe students want to and can do their best. This is positive, open, and always keeps students the focus of your practice.
 
It’s not about believing only in your students.  We have to believe in ourselves and our own impact on our learners. More importantly, we have to believe that we teach people—not just content. We need to know our learners to teach them and involve them in their learning. We must believe we are the key to their success.

Possible Teacher Layoffs Would Have Big Impact

By Jennifer Medina, New York Times, January 28, 2010

For more than three decades, New York City schools have soldiered on through turmoil, politics, recessions, budget crises and a changing cast of mayors and chancellors. But since 1976, the system has never carried out significant layoffs of teachers.