Apart from imparting knowledge to students, teaching is an art that when perfected can produce some of the best results and satisfaction to the teacher and the society at large.
This is because when you are in the classroom you are taxed with the responsibility of creating an environment that allows information to be shared, understood, and demonstrated within the classroom and in the day to day activities of the students (Larrivee, 1985).
The environment should be characterized by mutual respect amongst the students and the teacher and this will facilitate the classroom to listen, ask questions, make constructive comments and generally when this is done freely the teacher will get a valuable insight to the strengths and weaknesses in each and every student in the classroom and thus in my view one of the best strategy in classroom control is teacher student relationship (Lewis and Sugai, 1999).
Each student has a different way of approaching things molded by his immediate environment at home, school and the societies he has interacted with and needless to say they have different academic, social, and physical skills.
Thus, it is the responsibility of the teacher to evaluate and understand the students he/she is dealing with and come up with a strategy to impart knowledge smoothly while catering for the needs of the curriculum. The students must understand and acknowledge the supremacy of the teacher and thus should unquestionably take direction from him or her.
For this to happen an environment of mutual respect must be there, cultivated by the confidence of the teacher and the way he deals with his student; which should be based on trust, respect, and friendship (Tauber, 2007). To a large extent, mastery of the subject is important as well as the way of delivering to the students.
Believing in the abilities of the students, their inner good and their potential to excel in academics, social as well extracurricular activities is a great boost to the students and they way they perform.
When this belief is genuinely felt by the students and when they are made aware by genuine acknowledgement of their progress and improvements then the teacher will have undoubtedly created a desire for success in the classroom and he will stimulate the desire for learning and this will be manifested by a struggle to excel in the students.
When handled well even the most uninterested person in the classroom will follow suit and real learning will take place (Tauber, 2007).
Being completely in charge of the classroom is never easy because eventually there will be incidences where the laid down rules and regulation will be broken by way of disruptions by some elements in the class or by freak accidents. This may be through noise, physical confrontations or unorthodox language.
Each institution has explicit instructions for dealing with each scenario and it’s in the sole discretion of the teacher to decide the best way to bring the students back to order. By being a friend and having a good rapport with the students the teacher should first determine the root cause of the problem before dealing with the cases (Runte, 1995).
This will help the teacher to understand well what the student is going through and find other ways of helping the said students as opposed to hurriedly meting out punishment. Many students just need a small degree of concern and a feeling that they are appreciated and listened to.
The teacher should try to counsel the kids first before referring them to professional help provided by the institutions in the case he/she realizes that there are other prevailing problems disturbing the children.
To gain control, the laid down punishment should be administered without fail followed by an apology deemed appropriate by the teacher. This will prevent discord arising from impartiality (Runte, 1995).
A teacher should develop a well articulated voice that reaches to all corners of the class, clear and well regulated to maintain authority and stimulate the class to listen. Varying the speed and tone according to the key areas will help the class pay attention to the areas necessary for the lesson to be successful.
Having an acceptable mode of asking questions, comments or seeking for clarifications is invaluable and this chance should be provided as necessary. Making sure every pupil is doing what the rest of the class is doing is very important and the teacher should continuously check each pupil’s book during the course of the lesson.
By doing this, each student appreciates the seriousness of the lesson and in general will make the teacher successful in the classroom as everyone is kept occupied (Mastropieri and Scruggs, 2004).
The academic ability of most classes is not in the same level and you may have array of levels in understanding subject matter amongst the students. This may further be evidenced in different subjects with some students doing better in certain subjects and lagging behind in others.
Thus, the teacher should specifically help each student when a problem is detected and this should be done when the class is working out exercises during the lesson. With this individual touch to each pupil, progress will be made and will avoid students getting frustrated when the gist of the subject gets complicated.
By being understanding and patient, most students will come to you for assistance when they are faced with a task they cannot accomplish and by continued guidance good results will be seen.
To me teaching to make students excel in academics is important but it is even more beneficial when we create people who are better and who can be able to make the right choices for themselves. Many a time is when we find exceptionally bright students getting lost in drugs, peer groups and other negative behaviors that eventually erode their academic potential.
Without proper and effective guidance, this happens to a large number of students all over the world. Possibly this happens due to overemphasis on performance by the society and everybody forgets to impart other virtues necessary to make one independent.
As a teacher, treating each student as an individual and avoiding generalization will help each pupil recognize his or her importance and also appreciate that each and every person is different from one another. This will bring about self acceptance.
With progressive motivation, counseling, and support it is possible to help a student choose his or her destiny depending on his talents. We as teachers should help and guide our students to build their careers on the fields they love so that they can develop a passion for advancement in the fields they choose.
Reference List
Larrivee, B. (1985). Effective Teaching for Successful Mainstreaming. New York: Longman
Lewis, T. J., & Sugai, G. (1999). Effective Behavior Support: A Systems Approach To Proactive School-Wide Management. Focus on Exceptional Children, 31(6), 1-24
Mastropieri , M.,& Sruggs,T. (ed). (2004). The Inclusive Classroom: Strategies for Effective Instruction (2nd ed) Ohio: Merill Prentice Hall.
Runte, R. (1995). “Education and Schooling Revisited.”In taylor,G,D and Runte, Roberts,(ed)(1995) Thinking about teaching Toronto: Harcourt Brace.
Tauber, R.T (2007). Classroom Management: Sound Theory and Effective Practice. (14th ed.) West,CT: Praeger Publishers