There was a lot to take from this chapter, but I don’t feel I need to discuss it all. The one topic that did upset me was in regards to student discipline. The author stated that the lack of student discipline is one of the main problems schools face today and in the past. I think it frustrates me because as a teacher our hands are tied. For example, the student I worked with was known for hurting other students. However, if he was on top of a child, punching or kicking him, we were told to pull the abused child away and not touch the aggressive one. Why, you may ask? This is because his mother threatened to sue the school if we ever touched her son. How do we deal with this? I am sorry, but I feel if a child is hurting another child, we should be able to grab them to pull them off. What kind of society do we live in that we protect the aggressive children over the abused? This is a really sensitive subject to me because of what I went through in my past job. I know I am not the only one frustrated by this situation. No wonder discipline is lacking, we aren’t permitted to do anything.
The other topic that interested me was the whole beginning of the chapter, discussing the importance of classroom management. The one thing that I couldn’t help but think about was the importance of the first few weeks of class. My first day as a teacher (as I am sure everyone’s is) is going to be full of insecurities and stress. We won’t know what to expect and being in a new situation is always nerve-racking to begin with. Now on top of all of those original thoughts I had, I am going to focus on how important a smooth day is because it sets a precedent for the rest of the school year. I could have gone without reading that part, but at the same time it is important for me to know. I am going to make a point to mark this chapter for future references, as it had great suggestions on managing a classroom.
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