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Dear Teacher on the Tired Days

June 6, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Dear Teacher on the Tired Days,

It’s all right, I know how you feel.
Let me tell you an experience so that you know I feel you.

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Last month, I was asked to be a substitute teacher at our local preschool and handle the toddlers (1.5-2.4) class. It was my first time to handle a class that was that young. When you think about handling a baby class, it might seem sooo easy. There are no “real” academics involved, no papers, no homework to check, and no “real” lesson plans.

But as soon as the Clean Up Song started, indicating that class was about to start, I was in deep, deep pressure I wanted to cry right then and there. There were toddlers who didn’t want to separate from their moms, parents who were watching from the glass window, children throwing toys around, yadda yadda. I came to class prepared–with my materials and activities, but I wasn’t prepared for them.

I took this job not really knowing how different it would be from my middle school class. I honestly thought “How bad could it be? Middle School is the most challenging anyway, because children are on puberty and in the phase of discovering what and who they like.” But my was it way, way different, and way more difficult!

Have you ever stood in front of a classroom, counting from 1-10 to yourself, thinking what should I do now? I have, and it was the worst day of my teaching life.

I cried after class as soon as I got to my car. I dreaded going back to school the next day. When I got home, I crashed and woke up in the middle of the night. Even if it was just 2.5hrs, I was dead tired. I got more tired when I woke up cause I dreamt of being back in the classroom with more crying toddlers! It was the worst. It was like that for the first 3 days.

Then I realized, these toddlers are looking up to me. I was the only figure that they are going to listen to. So I did my research that night and came to school the next day with a gun that blew bubbles and hi5 videos.

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Teaching is an on-going process of learning

The bubbles caught their attention, the hi5 videos made them want to dance. I danced with them, not for them. I played with them and did my activities with them. They needed to trust me so I showed them that they could. It was an on-going process of trust and learning for that whole month. Eventually, the days got better and the month ended with lots of love and laughter. They didn’t want to see me go!

Going to pre-school, I thought “How hard can this be? I’m a natural at teaching!” Coming out of preschool, I realized, “No one is born a toddler teacher.”

 

Sincerely,

A Sometimes Tired Teacher

Why Gentleness Is A Strong Classroom Management Strategy

May 6, 2016 / / 0 Comments

They said, when you raise your voice to someone, you just push them far back.

They also said that  you raise your voice to someone because your hearts are too far away from one other that you think the other person no longer hears you.

Sometimes, we can’t help but raise our voices to get our students’ attentions. Sometimes it might even be “inevitable not to shout.

BUT. Is it really inevitable? Think about it.

Do you really have to shout and be bigger and bolder than your students?
Do  you think that shouting will have a bigger impact on them?
Do you think that raising your voice and getting mad is the best way to control the classroom?

7891554524_60904bb696_zI don’t think so…

You see, I think, a smarter classroom management is to be gentle.
When your class gets too rowdy or too noisy, just keep quiet. Eventually, your class will notice that you’re being silent and they will feel a bigger impact because it won’t make sense in their minds. To their logic, it should be “NOISY = MAD TEACHER”. But if they see that you are calm, they will realize that you are not that kind of teacher. Use a gentle voice. They will see that you are the kind of teacher who listens and respects them, and that’s the reason why they should also listen and respect you. Gentleness is respected.

Also, gentleness will lower everybody’s stress levels. It will lower your stress and anxiety, it will lower the tension between you and your students.

There’s no harm in trying to be gentle. Try and use a gentle approach to your class. Gentleness feels good. It is good for you, it will be good for them. Gentleness is good for everyone, and it will lead to a happy classroom!

How To Manage Cellphones in the Classroom

April 22, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Technology can be a friend of teachers, but it can somewhat be a nightmare to them too. Especially when a student gets the latest iPhone and brings it to class, suddenly everyone just wants to see it, hold it and feel the luxury phone on their own hands. It’s hard for some to control students that do not want to be controlled. It’s hard to control a classroom when there’s a buzzing sound of a cellphone from time to time.

There are many ways to approach a ‘cellphone-infested’ classroom. By ‘cellphone-infested’, I mean students don’t want to separate from their phones, and you can see them texting or fiddling with their phones from time to time. You can be hard and strict, but let’s face it, that approach will just make them rebel (especially in Middle School). You can just, like how Elsa said it, “let it go”. Let them have their phones, let them text in class, however, that is the ultimate distraction for you, the teacher.

I’d like to help you out. I found these online, and maybe you can try them for yourself. I can wait to try them for my classes too! Here are some cute, fun ideas on managing cell phones in the classroom:

 

  1. Phone Hotel

Before classes begin, have your students check-in their cellphones into the phone hotel. Each student has his or her own cubby for his or her phone.

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  1. Hanging Phone Holder

Same as the phone hotel, but this one can also be your attendance tracker. You’re hitting two birds with one stone on this one!

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  1. Phone Prison

Don’t want the liability of “taking care” of your students’ phones? You always have the choice to let them have their phones in class, but state a law that once they get caught using their phones, their phones will have to do some jail time.

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  1. Put a Sign

Let them know that you know if they’re using their phones even when you’re not directly looking. Have a fun sign by the door so everyone can read it and will be aware of what you know.

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This one made me laugh so hard. It’s so smart!

 

There you go! See, managing cell phones in the classroom can be fun too. I hope even just one method works for you. Let me know how it goes!

 

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