TEACHERS....I have some questions for you.?

Question

I have an assignment. I need to interview a teacher. Take a few minutes to respond to these questions please.

Thanks for your time.

1.What are some examples of typical, quick decisions teachers make on a daily basis?

2.What were the five most difficult school-related decisions you made this week? What made them difficult?

3.What was the impact of those decisions on the classroom environment? Were the decisions effective?

4.How do you settle a classroom down whenever you are attempting to give instruction and students are being disruptive?

5. What are some strategies that you utilize in the classroom to maintain being a caring professional when faced with a difficult situation?

Once again, thank you for your time!

Answer 1

1.  Whether the class is ready to move on to a deeper concept or do we need to spend more time on basic concepts.  Should I move a student away from another or let things play out?  Do we need a break and move around or can the students go a little bit longer?

2.  Our principal wanted us to start our reading book on the first day of school.  So I had to decide 1) IF I was going to do it, 2) how much I would modify it 3) how it would mesh with my new Daily 5 reading approach.  These were difficult because starting a curriculum on the first day of school goes against everything I know about teaching.  The first 2 weeks should really be spend on teaching the students classroom rules and procedures and then letting them practice.  I should also be doing some preliminary assessments in reading and math.  The other decisions I had to make had to do with modifying what I had planned because of Tropical Storm Faye and school possibly being cancelled.

3.  I did start the reading book but only slightly.  I did the read alouds and some "robust" vocabulary activities, but I mostly focused on The Daily 5 and getting my students reading to themselves without moving around--building up that stamina.  We worked on that most of the week and my students when from reading to themselves for 3 minutes to reading to themselves for 10 minutes.  I felt very successful in that way.

4.  I hold up my hand with my fingers spread apart and start to count down from 5.  If I get to 1 and they are still talking, I take away a behavior point.

5.  I try very hard not to "humiliate" in front of the class.  If a word or two don't work, I take the child aside for a conference.  This lets them know that I care enough to make sure they aren't embarassed.

Answer 2

Your questions are subjective & change with the grade level.  For example,  #4 > if it's kindergarten, you just have to ssssssshhhhhhh them, or maybe a time out.  If it's middle school, you start with a warning, name on the board, & after school detention.  

#5 also depends on what the difficult  situation would be > if a lunatic has just barged in & taken the classroom hostage, it would be different than a student who has just lost a close family member.  Whenever possible, it's best to involve counselors for those who are having difficulty coping with issues outside the classroom.   Otherwise, you can have a student see you after class if it involves issues related to the subject matter.  While we all want to be concerned about a student's issues that may be affecting his success in the classroom, we are teachers first.   And our responsibilities include getting the best out of every student.