Classroom Management A teacher is one who helps children

A teacher is one who helps children grow, helps them learn, helps them to discover their own potential and gives them the perfect knowledge and skill they require to succeed as adults.

A good teacher should be kind, patient, enthusiastic, be able to motivate students, etc. and it is only through these skills can a teacher be able to manage the classroom well.

Classroom management is a skill that develops through time. It requires a teacher to be well organized and systematic in his/her approach to teaching and handling students. Effective classroom management creates a healthy relationship between teachers and students and also a healthy environment for teaching and learning.

For a teacher to manage his/her class well, he/she should be patient. Many a times there might be behavioral problems in a classroom. Under such circumstances, the teacher should be calm and patient and handle the situation with common sense rather than with anger and frustration which would only make things worse. Eventually, it would only result in the teacher losing his/her respect with the students. Hence, it is very important for a teacher to maintain her calm and have friendly smile which would make students comfortable.

Another important skill a teacher should have is involving all students equally in classroom activities. This would help students feel a sense of belonging, worth and hence more interested in classroom activities. Since the students are involved equally there would be fewer chances of them behaving in an undisciplined manner. To involve students equally, it is important on the part of the teacher to create an interesting and motivating study material. The teacher can do so by adding a bit of humor, a few games, puzzles and by being flexible in his/her teaching approach. More the students are interested in the study material more they would be involved in learning and all this would eventually help the teacher to manage them well.

There might be a possibility that a student is uninterested or unmotivated due to a number of personal reasons. Here, a teacher should be sharp enough to notice such a student in a classroom. It is very important on the part of the teacher to get to the root of the problem. The teacher should deal with such a student in private and try and help the student open up. After doing so the teacher should also take care of the study material that is provided to the student. All this would definitely prove fruitful in getting the student right on the track with others.

Another important skill a teacher should have is being consistent in her approach. If at the beginning of an academic year, the teacher lays down certain set of rules and patterns that the teacher expects the students to follow, it is very impotent not only for the student but also for the teacher to abide by them. For e.g. if the teacher expects the student to reach the class on time, it also applies to the teacher to be punctual. Students are opening up to the world, they are facing new experiences. Hence they want a role model they can look up to. A teacher can prove the best role model as he/she is their friend, philosopher and guide.

Moreover a teacher should never make promises he/she can never keep. This would have a negative impact on the student's mind and can lead to indiscipline and misbehavior. A teacher should also avoid giving threats to students. Threats can affect a sensitive child psychologically thus making the child quiet, not willing to respond in class or even to the extent that the child starts getting scared to even attend the class. Hence it is very important on the part of a teacher to tactfully deal with any student related problem. A teacher should also take care while correcting wrong answers.

A teacher should make classroom arrangements in such a way that he/she is able to notice each and every student. A teacher should also correct and give feedbacks regularly so that the student remains motivated and interested. It is also important for a teacher to maintain a healthy relationship with the students' parents. This would help the teacher know the student more as well as his/her interest. It would also help in dealing with behavioral problems. A well organized teacher also manages the time well. The teacher can set target time for a task and also promise students that if they finish the task at the set time the remaining time can be used to play a game of their choice. This would help students feel more enthusiastic, confident and they would also learn the importance of time.

A teacher may be good at many skills but he/she should know how to appreciate his/her students. Appreciation at the right time and right amount does help the student to be more self-confident and responsible. Appreciation not only help students receiving it but also other students the motivation to perform better and receive appreciation like their fellow students.

A well organized teacher should also know when to use his/her body instead of mouth. During activities it is bad to interrupt students. Hence, non verbal cues help teacher to pass messages to specific students without disturbing the others at work. Also non verbal cues can help undisciplined students to maintain limits without uttering words they might not appreciate before their peers.

There are many such skills that help teacher leave a lasting impression on students. In short, a well organized structure and fairness along with clearly laid expectations from teachers, a enthusiastic, humorous lesson taught in a healthy, non threatening and caring environment are key elements of managing classroom efficiently.

References:

1. Internet sites:

www.education-world.com

www.teachers.net

www.eduref.org

www.ascd.org

www.educationworld.com

www.nwrel.org

2. Early childhood care and education course book series.