Serena Pariser - Real Talk about Classroom Management: 50 Best Practices That Work and Show You Believe in Your Students

50 Best Practices That Work and Show You Believe in Your Students

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ISBN: 978-1-5443-1775-5

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Ill tell it to you like it really is: teacher to teacher. Ill share real best practices that worked time after time, real anecdotes to illustrate the best practices, real conversations Ive had with my students and real classroom management scenarios Ive experienced in my classroom. The only aspect of the book that isnt real is the student names. I would like to share what I have learned with those who are in need or perhaps just curious to build on what they already know.

The first classroom management strategy I tried in my first year was good old-fashioned yelling. I figured if I could get my voice louder and stronger than theirs, I could startle them into listening. Its really all I could think to do with a rowdy class of twenty-nine sixth graders. I eventually realized yelling is only a short-, very short-term and detrimental solution.

The first time I realized yelling can be detrimental, not only to a classroom but also to your health, was around the middle of my very first year in the classroom. I noticed my ears would ache after class. The pain became so unbearable that I eventually went to an ear doctor. The doctor looked in my ears and told me both of my ear drums were very swollen, which was causing the pain. He asked what I did for a living and I told him I was a sixth-grade teacher. He chuckled, and replied, Thats why your ear drums are swollen. I was put on steroidal medication to alleviate the pain and swelling. My ears did return to normal, but it was literally a painful wakeup call to how much I was raising my voice in the classroom. Something had to change. If my ears were in pain, I couldnt even imagine how my students felt in my classroom. Something was off, and I was determined to find a better way to teach. This is where my quest to find the best practices in teaching began.

Ive always considered myself fearless. I bungee jumped and skydived in New Zealand on the same day, rafted through Class 4 rapids, free fall jumped from casinos in Las Vegas, snorkeled with sharks, backpacked solo through Australia, Costa Rica, Turkey, Namibia, Botswana, and five other countries, canoed down deadly hippopotamus-infested waters in Zimbabwe, and jumped in frozen lakes for funtwice. None of these adventures comes close to the accomplishment I felt when I finally figured out what makes classrooms work. Most of us, including myself, make mistakes trying to figure out what works. Most new teachers have little help, a few teaching books, and maybe a classroom management course or two to guide them. Id like to give back to the profession and tell you everything I know that has worked over and over again with students, and direct you to everything that most teachers say works. Im here to make it easier for you.

I am not claiming to have the right way to teach. What makes teaching so difficult, so complex, and so beautiful is that there are many right ways, and more are being discovered every day. However, many best practices form a common thread among good teachers. I am sharing my knowledge and insights about what has worked for me and my peers. What is revealed in this book is just the tip of the iceberg, and it took me seven-plus years to figure it out through trial and error, through tears and triumph. I hope to save you some of the mistakes I made and share with you the many joys I had in the classroom and how I came to have them. I wrote this for you, so you can spend less time on the errors and discovering what works for you and your students. Many of my practices are inspired by real questions teachers would ask me as we were walking down the hallway, during lunch, during my prep period, after school, or through e-mail. Every time a teacher asked me a question, I immediately started developing a new practice for this book, because if one person is asking, theres every chance that other people have the same question.

Learning these insights took me years of practice, trying every-and-any teaching method, reading the research, working closely with a mentor, and working in challenging school settings. Through my growing determination, reflective practices, curiosity about what works in teaching, passion to always be better, and love of the students, I earned Teacher of the Year in my school and was awarded a Fulbright Distinguished Teacher grant to coach educators in Botswana, Africa, on student engagement, technology, interdisciplinary problem based units, and student-centered lessons. Ive coached teachers in Kathmandu, Nepal, on student-centered lessons and empowering students. Ive worked with students from Eastern Europe and Russia and taught K12 classes in Turkey.

What I found from coaching teachers and working with students around the world is that even through language barriers, there are universal best practices that consistently bring success to teachers and students. I knew I had to share what I learned and accomplished with others. These positive and powerful moments are what got me up way too early in the morning and what kept me working countless hours after school. I hope you can use this book to build on my experiences for even greater successes in your own classrooms and homes.