judging harshly

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Home : 2002 : March : 8

judging harshly
By Carolyn

I don't want to judge you harshly, because you are posting here as a first year teacher, and evidently you asking for help, not criticism.

Getting kids to do what you want them to do requires a great deal of training--and
experience. I know that I did not have mastery of classroom management during my first year of teaching. It sounds as if you are in the same boat I was in during the beginning of my teaching career.
I know it's hard to swallow, but maybe your observer is making suggestions to help you. Most likely, he/she wants to help you feel more successful with your students, not as frustrated

as you sound. I have known other teachers who have had the same evaluation that you have had, and they were not always first year teachers. They took the suggestions to heart, then became excellent teachers. If they feel so negatively about your performance, perhaps they can assign a mentor to you to help you with the kids so that they will take their responsibilities as students more seriously.

Teaching is generally much easier to learn (at least it was for me) than learning how to manage a classroom full of kids. Perhaps you could attend a workshop, offered by your school, watch a video tape on classroom management, or read Harry Wong's "First Days of School." Although I have teaching experience, I read his book for other insights into classroom management. Although this is sort of a "cookie-cutter" approach to classroom management, it's worth a try. There are a lot of good ideas there.