One of the most challenging aspects of being a teacher is behaviour management. This also happens to be one of my weaknesses and is something I need to control once I become a trainee teacher. I tend to go for the calm approach when I am faced with bad behaviour, when I should be raising my voice and showing my disapproval. In my head, the scenario is different. I raise my voice, give a speech on how disappointed I am and the child responds in a positive way. Unfortunately, the good old-fashioned telling off is rubbing off on today’s generation of children. They are so used to being shouted and screamed at by their parents at home, that when they are being told off in school it has little to no effect. Today I had to tell a child off (I work as a teaching assistant) who persistently ignored my instructions for him to move places and when punishment was mentioned, he replied with ‘So what?‘.
Throughout my education, I always had respect for my teachers, even the ones I didn’t like very much. I knew it was wrong to answer back or argue with a teacher, yet I have witnessed such events in the school where I work and it shocks me. Children don’t have the same respect for adults as they used to. This is something that I really want to work on as a trainee teacher. It is important to develop a behaviour management plan or strategy that will work for both the teacher and class, creating a positive learning environment. Another thing that concerns me is manners! There are not as many ‘Please’ or ‘Thank you’s anymore and some children want, want, want… then get, get, get. Is it silly to think that all children should be taught, maybe once a week, how to use manners? Even if it was for 15 minutes, I think it would make a big difference and could help improve relationships within the classroom.
I have a lot of ideas of what I expect from a class and I musn’t be afraid to show my assertiveness. We must remember that no school and no class is the same. On a teaching placement, you might be given a horrible class with no respect and no manners… or you might be given a class full of angels who hang on to your every word. Either way, tailor your behaviour management plan or strategies so that they are specific and relevant to all children in that class.
Here are some links to websites which I have found useful:
http://headguruteacher.com/2013/01/06/behaviour-management-a-bill-rogers-top-10/
http://www.theguardian.com/society/joepublic/2010/feb/09/pupil-behaviour-management-tips
http://www.huntingenglish.com/2013/12/10/top-ten-tips-behaviour-management/
Hopefully when I start my teaching placements, I will be able to reflect upon and share with you how my behaviour management progresses. In a way I am glad I’ve been able to experience bad behaviour; it will be less of a shock if I come across it as a trainee teacher and I will be able to deal with the situation as professionally as possible. Undoubtedly, there will be a few people on the course who haven’t seen a badly behaved child, or at least had to deal with one!
Rachel
Becoming a Primary Teacher 