The Learning Environment Blues

If I’m going to be honest with myself, my classroom and its subsequent effect on the learning environment aren’t where I would like them to be. I have made very few changes to my classroom since the beginning of the year. I don’t utilize the marble jars as much as I planned. They just fill up too fast to be used consistently (I'd need to buy cookies every other week...); I think I need larger jars. I haven’t hung up any ‘Star Student’ work since the first test (in first term). My walls could use a few more posters and decorations. I stopped using my consequence tracker on the board after the first few weeks of the semester. I’ve found it easier to keep track on my seating chart, which I carry with me around the classroom.

The friendlier I feel with my students, the chattier they get. I have procedures in place – some are even practiced on a daily basis – but my students don’t seem that concerned with following them as precisely as I would like. (Again, the lack of consistency is my fault.) I’m fairly certain my students wouldn’t be able to tell you all the classroom rules. I am getting along better with my students, but at what cost? I have slacked off too much on enforcing classroom rules and procedures. Some days, it is like wrangling cats and just doesn’t feel like it is worth the effort as long as they are generally doing what they are supposed to do. Writing assignments typically result in unwanted outbursts, so I don’t often progress past second warnings. On the other hand, warnings are enough to stop talking for a majority of students.

I’m happy that my students are feeling more comfortable in the classroom, but I think there is such a thing as too comfortable. My students have a tendency to chat with their neighbor, even when I’m talking. I think that’s what bothers me most of all: my students talking to each other throughout the class no matter if it’s me or another student speaking. There’s a lack of respect for the speaker. In these specific instances, I find it difficult to give individual consequences when 5+ people are talking at once, which means I default to general class-wide warnings that have little to no effect. For next semester, I’m going to re-hit classroom rules and procedures. For the time being, I’m still working on handing out consequences and handing them out consistently.

My biggest failing in regulating the learning environment has been keeping in contact with parents. I know it’s helpful and beneficial, but it’s so low on my totem pole of things to do. I already feel like I’m constantly justifying classwork to my students that I can’t handle having to do that with parents as well. Parent interactions cause me intense anxiety, and everyone’s placations of “It’ll get easier,” don’t actually help me or make the process less stressful for me personally. This term, I do plan to keep in more frequent contact with parents of specific students, such as those who are struggling or failing.

I’m not sure my classroom could be considered welcoming to all students. I really only teach to the average student, so everyone is forced to move at the same pace no matter where they are skill-wise. I don’t have nearly enough time to differentiate my lessons or give students as much one-on-one time as I would like. My individual students need extra attention, which I can’t always give them. I try to give them reasons for why we are learning or why I have them reading materials in a certain way. They are resistant to reading and writing, for the most part, and I really don’t know what to tell them. English class is almost exclusively reading and writing and that's just the way it is.

If I had more money, I would do like to add the following to my classroom:

1.     An overhead projector – The cart is just super annoying and blocks my ability to freely walk up and down one of the middle aisles of my classroom. It would also be one less thing for my students to touch.

2.     A class-wide set of laptops – Last I heard from my principal, he was trying to procure us some Google Chromebooks; whether these were for the whole school to share or for each classroom, I’m still not sure. I want my students to get used to writing in whatever form it may take. If they had a chance to type more, I think they may be less resistant to writing. On the other hand, not many of them realize that a one page handwritten does not remotely equal one page typed. I think they need more experience with typing and extended writing assignments, which is hard to do when we have limited access to computers.

3.     More posters – I need more stuff on my walls, but I also don’t want to spend more of my own money on classroom things than necessary. I have EEF money, but I prefer to use that on paper and other usable materials within the classroom.

The only picture I have of me teaching. (Thank you, Sarah!)