What is classroom management?

I love to go over to Technorati and type in “teacher blog” and see what comes up. This is how I like to to find newcomers who have learned a bit about blogging and care about teaching.

You really have to go find the newcomers intentionally unless sometimes, by commenting, they find you!

I particularly like this definition of Classroom Management from the Classroom Management 101 blog.

Some people think that classroom management is only effective if you control the behavior of your pupils, but actually control is impossible. Effective classroom management is where you influence the behavior of the students you teach in a positive way. We all have free will, and teaching has changed. You will never achieve total control over anyone (unless you’re a hypnotist which sounds fun!), but you can influence the behavior of others.

And here’s the thing. Influencing your students so that you promote positive behavior in the classroom is actually a lot more powerful than just trying to control it.

Also, a spoof on all of these classroom management things people try to get us to buy that will “solve all of our problems.” I looked on youtube and one teacher actually thought this was a real product. I think this is funny!

I think the point is that classroom management isn't something you can buy in a book. The research continues to show that the most important thing in a classroom continues to be: the teacher. That is the person who sets the standard, sets the pace, and sets the behavior expectations.

I will tell you that I find that at the end of the year it is a little harder for me, not to management my class, but to have patience. For me, it is so important that I have sleep and eat right. For, when I'm tired, I'm cranky. When I'm cranky, I make mistakes. A classroom teacher who is rested and not overly stressed is a better teacher than one who has unrealistic expectations set up on them. (And sometimes, as in my case, I'm putting my own unrealistic expectations upon myself for most it is an immediate 20 point jump in test scores!)

My favorite book on Classroom Management is Marzano's Classroom Management that Works! Great book which is based upon research.