Reflecting on Concerns/Fears

           When it comes to managing behavior in my classroom, and I think I am very on-paper prepared for most of what can be thrown my way. This module did a great job introducing us to different things that could happen in our classroom. After completing all of the activities in this module and working with my cohort members to bounce ideas off of each other, I feel relatively confident in my theoretical understanding of behavior monitoring. Setting up classroom norms, rules, and procedures is something that I feel especially confident in, and I think that if I could do that well, a lot of potential behavior issues will be stopped before they even have a chance to begin.

            My biggest concern heading into teaching is that all of my preparation with classroom management is theoretical. I guess it is something that you have to learn as you go during your first year or so of teaching. To a point, I feel like I know a lot of what not to do, but I do not yet know what will work with my teaching style and with my individual students. I think that I am well prepared for students who have mild to moderate behavioral difficulties, but I cannot imagine having to figure out solutions for a student who, say, throws chairs across the room. I was at an interview recently, and another one of the prospective teachers was telling me about one of her students who regularly throws chairs and turns over tables, and she only taught elementary school! Because I am going to be teaching middle school, a student throwing large items is all the more dangerous. I am not quite sure how I would handle something like that that is ongoing. This module has prepared me for single incidents of severe problem behavior, but I am worried that I am underprepared for more long-term severe issues. I am not sure there is really a way to feel completely prepared for something like that though, especially since each case is so different. I think that as long as I approach situations that make me feel uneasy with confidence and I use the strategies we have learned in this unit, I will be able to successfully monitor behavior.

            As far as professional development is concerned, I plan to do some classroom observation for the rest of the school year and to work with my soon-to-be mother-in-law, Lisa, who teaches seventh grade English over the summer to develop a comprehensive plan for my classroom. I have already started my observation, and I can so for sure that establishing expectations early on is important, as is having a positive relationship with students. By observing a middle school classroom, I can see first hand techniques that do and do not work with that age group. I also can get some practice handling minor behavioral issues since I will be helping in the classroom while I am observing. Once the school year ends, I am going to work closely with Lisa to develop exciting lesson plans, discuss behavioral expectations, and prepare an organizational system that will help keep my first year on track. Having someone I am close to as a mentor is fantastic because I feel completely comfortable sharing my concerns and expressing new, different ideas that I think could help students. It is so nice to have someone who has been through this before to talk to about what to expect and to help prepare me for my first year. Additionally, I would like to work closely with other teachers at the school where I will teach to get an idea of different ways they approach behavioral expectations and monitoring. Because different teachers have different styles that work for them, I would like to get as many ideas as I can before I head into my own classroom. Things that work for one teacher may not work for me, even if we have the same student, and that is okay. I have to be flexible and willing to adapt based on my own style, my relationship with my students, and the overall climate of my class. I also would like to have a mentor observe my classroom once I get into the swing of the year to give me pointers on how to improve my behavioral monitoring, whether that is a mentor at my school or a virtual mentor through Teach-Now.

            While I am nervous about being a first year teacher, I am very excited to get to put all of the things I have learned into practice. Having a theoretical understanding of being a teacher is great, but until I get into the classroom, I will not know which strategies work best for me. I am really looking forward to finding myself as a teacher and to developing strategies that work for me. I know that the first few years will be the most difficult of my teaching career, but I also think they give me the most room for growth and learning. Of course, I will be learning throughout my career, but these first few years of teaching will set the framework for the rest of my life. One thing that I hope to remember is that everyone was a first year teacher once, and they all got through it. Teaching is what I love, and I cannot wait for all of the challenges that come along with it.