Jun 12 2012

making year 2 matter.

by hill

I’m rewriting my vision and classroom over the summer, and I’d love some input from veteran TFAers about resources.

Something I really struggled with was creating a positive classroom culture. I yelled far too much, and though I improved by the end of the year, there’s still a lot of room to get better. I want to be a more motivational and positive presence in my first-grade classroom. Anyone have resources, books (beyond Teach Like a Champion), etc. that you’d recommend as I rewrite my vision and my classroom management plan?

 

 

Categories: Teach For America · 8 Comments

8 Responses

1. Ms. Math

   definitely go to TFAnet and post this question in the appropriate content community. There will be experienced mentors and a paid leader who spend hours pouring through resources of this type!
   Cameron
   PS I was leader for secondary calc and precalc and am not sure what to suggest to you.

   on June 12, 2012 at 10:03 pm · Reply
2. Parus

   The book “Teaching with Love and Logic” was a sanity saver early in my teaching career.

   on June 13, 2012 at 12:34 am · Reply
   • Deborah Chang

     I second Parus’s recommendation. Teaching with Love and Logic is the best book I’ve found on teaching.

     Also, subscribe to smartclassroommanagement.com for great tips every week.

     on June 13, 2012 at 1:46 am · Reply
3. HOU '08

   Check out Teaching with Love and Logic–it helps you stay calm & rational. We used this book at my current K-1 school for professional development.

   on June 13, 2012 at 12:36 am · Reply
   • Parus

     *high five*

     on June 13, 2012 at 1:00 am · Reply
4. Rebbeca

   I just finished reading Beyond Discipline. I like it’s approach to creating a community of students who had ownership over their classroom!

   on June 13, 2012 at 3:50 pm · Reply
5. hill

   Thank y’all so much for these suggestions! I can’t wait to get started.

   on June 13, 2012 at 6:52 pm · Reply
   • Parus

     You might also want to check out Ruby Payne’s “A Framework for Understanding Poverty.” It’s not a classroom management resource per se, and it’s not a perfect book by any means, but it can be useful to get started thinking about the differences between the behavioral expectations of the average public school, and the behavioral expectations of many students’ home environments.

     on June 13, 2012 at 7:02 pm · Reply