A gentle reminder ...

The goal of this blog initially was for Mr. Mc to show his students and friends what he doing while in Pennsylvania and DC in 2011. Now it's being used as a place for him, travelling colleagues and former students to discuss edumacation and history related "stuff" as well as ... well, anything which pops into his head. Mr. Mc would never knowingly embarrass either the school he loves or the family he is devoted to. By joining in the discussion, he expects the same of you.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Talking to students as teachers versus coaches




I was in a conversation with a parent the other day. It was one of those informal ones; neither of us had it on our 'to do' list, but the casual chat has had me thinking of late.

The question: Can (Should) a teacher manage their classroom the way a coach manages their practice?

That was the jist of our conversation. I had said that I favor more of a coach's model of classroom management. You see a concern. You address that concern. You move on. I try to be aware of specific situations, but, generally, I'm going to deal with the issue in class and not in the hallway or after class. I'm direct. I'm respectful. It lasts seconds. We then go back to our regularly scheduled programming.

The parent really didn't have a problem with the approach perse but asked how students responded to it. I said that every once in a while a student misses that its a momentary correction and lets it spiral. In most cases, I can get them back in the midst of our conversation. I think, in those situations, they wonder if I'm really mad at them (I'm not) or have they lost face amongst their peers (no they have not).

I haven't done any research on best practices. Frankly, I'm not too worried about it. After almost a decade in the classroom, I think I have a good grasp of how I best manage a classroom. I want to get better  and wrestling with stufff like this on the blog helps me put voice to ideas.

Thoughts?

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