The Behavior Battle

     Classroom Behavior Management.  That is a daunting phrase at this stage in my teaching career.  This week tested our preparedness in regards to controlling classroom behavior.  We have a GREAT class.  They are smart and happy students.  There are times however, as is common with any group of children, that they can be loud and difficult to manage.  For instance, my co-teaching partner and I have to take our fourth graders into a small office adjacent to their classroom for their social studies lesson in the mornings.  Our mentor teacher teaches her fifth graders math at this time too.  Rather than having us talk over each other about different subjects, we take the fourth graders to another room.  Eleven fourth graders. One girl and ten energetic boys sardined into one small space.  Something is bound happen. 

     Our most common issue is the noise level.  We have the students each read a paragraph in their social studies textbook out loud while the rest of their peers follow along in their books.  While one of the students is reading, other students often talk though.  Also, when my co-teaching partner and I are asking questions to monitor understanding, the room turns into a circus at times.  There are side conversations and other distractions that occur.  A student in particular tries to get his classmates to laugh at noises that he makes, pictures in the textbook, or actions that he does.  We remind the students to focus, respect their peers while they read, as well as respect us when we are instructing.  Oftentimes these reminders turn into small fits of agitation after repeatedly redirecting their behavior. 

     My co-teaching partner is much better in my opinion at getting the students on task.  I am thankful to be partnered with her because she is a great model, along with our mentor teacher.  I am going to really focus on appropriate behavior management in the last week of our pre-internship.  I would like to research more appropriate ways of behavior management as well as ask veteran teachers their strategies.  I want to be a warm demander, but not a dictator.  I understand that a certain amount of chatter and rowdiness is to be expected and encouraged.  I just do not want my classroom to be a hub of disrespect or outlandish behavior.  I need to make sure that I have enough authority while also giving my students enough leeway to interact with one another.  I wonder which methods of behavior management work best as well as what my methods of behavior management will be in my future classroom?