Managing Your Classroom With Heart: A Guide for Nurturing Adolescent Learners

189 Pages·2006·0.8 MB·English

by  Katy Ridnouer

M
Managing Your Classroom
a
n
Heart a Managing Your Classroom
g
i
n
g
with
Y Heart
o
u
r

C
l
a
s
s
r
o
o
m
w
i
t
h

H
e
a
r
t
A Guide for Nurturing
Adolescent Learners
Katy Ridnouer
R
i
d
n
o
u
e
r

Managing Your Classroom
with
Heart
A Guide for Nurturing Adolescent Learners
Katy Ridnouer
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
Alexandria, Virginia USA
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
1703 N. Beauregard St. • Alexandria, VA 22311 1714 USA
Phone: [phone] or 703-578-9600 • Fax: [phone]
Web site: www.ascd.org • E-mail: [email protected]
Author guidelines: www.ascd.org/write
Gene R. Carter, Executive Director; Nancy Modrak, Director of Publishing; Julie
Houtz, Director of Book Editing & Production; Katie Martin, Project Manager;
Catherine Guyer, Senior Graphic Designer; Circle Graphics, Typesetter; Vivian Coss,
Production Specialist
Copyright © 2006 by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Develop-
ment (ASCD). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without per-
mission from ASCD. Readers who wish to duplicate material copyrighted by ASCD
may do so for a small fee by contacting the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), 222
Rosewood Dr., Danvers, MA 01923, USA (phone: [phone]; fax: [phone];
Web: www.copyright.com). For requests to reprint rather than photocopy, contact
ASCD’s permissions ofi ce: 703-578-9600 or [email protected]. Translation
inquiries: [email protected].
Printed in the United States of America. Cover art copyright © 2006 by ASCD. ASCD
publications present a variety of viewpoints. The views expressed or implied in this
book should not be interpreted as ofi cial positions of the Association.
ASCD Member Book, No. FY07-3 (December 2006, P). ASCD Member Books mail to
Premium (P), Comprehensive (C), and Regular (R) members on this schedule: Jan.,
PC; Feb., P; Apr., PCR; May, P; July, PC; Aug., P; Sept., PCR; Nov., PC; Dec., P.
PAPERBACK ISBN-13: 978-1-4166-0462-4 ASCD product #107013
PAPERBACK ISBN-10: 1-4166-0462-6
Also available as an e-book through ebrary, netLibrary, and many online booksell-
ers (see Books in Print for the ISBNs).
Quantity discounts for the paperback edition only: 10–49 copies, 10%; 50+ copies,
15%; for 1,000 or more copies, call 800-933-2723, ext. 5634, or 703-575-5634. For desk
copies: [email protected].
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ridnouer, Katy.
Managing your classroom with heart : a guide for nurturing adolescent
learners / Katy Ridnouer.
p. cm.
ISBN-13: 978-1-4166-0462-4 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 1-4166-0462-6 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Classroom management. 2. Teenagers--Education. 3. Teacher-student
relationships. I. Title.
LB3013.R526 2006
371.102'4—dc22
2006025718
17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
For Terry McCaffery, my omnipresent
source of encouragement and care;
Mike and Marilyn Ridnouer, my everyday
inspirations; and Sean, James, and
Will McCaffery, my daily teachers of
innumerable lessons.
Managing Your Classroom
with
Heart
A Guide for Nurturing Adolescent Learners
Introduction .....................................................................................1
1. Choosing to Care .........................................................................9
A Look into an Uncaring Classroom .....................................................10
Caring as an Avenue to Teaching ..........................................................14
Questions for Rel ection ........................................................................18
2. Interacting with Students ............................................................1
Four Guidelines for Interacting with Students ....................................21
Caring Comes First..................................................................................27
Students’ Anger Isn’t Necessarily About You ......................................31
Learn to Hold Your Tongue ....................................................................33
Your Words Matter ..................................................................................34
Every Interaction Is an Opportunity to Learn .....................................35
Questions for Rel ection ........................................................................37
3. Balancing Care and Discipline ..................................................38
Getting Past Personality Conl icts ........................................................39
Creating Boundaries ...............................................................................41
A Four-Step Process for Caring Discipline ...........................................42
Choosing Your Battles ............................................................................45
Referrals to the Ofi ce ............................................................................47
Helping a Student Change His or Her Behavior ..................................49
In-School Suspension..............................................................................51
Finding Solutions and Making Mistakes ...............................................51
Questions for Rel ection ........................................................................53
4. Handling Common Challenges ..................................................54
Hallway Noise and Conl ict ....................................................................55
Classroom Noise .....................................................................................57
Off-Task Group Work...............................................................................59
Cooperative Work That’s Less Than Cooperative ..............................61
“Undersupplied” Students .....................................................................62
Food and Drink in Class .........................................................................64
Speech That’s Hard to Understand .......................................................66
Poor Attendance .....................................................................................67
Outside Interruptions .............................................................................68
Poor Concentration ................................................................................68
Strange Clothing Habits .........................................................................69
Disrespectful Language ..........................................................................71
Incomplete Work and Poor Motivation ................................................73
Questions for Rel ection ........................................................................75
5. Giving Kids What They Need ....................................................76
Coni dence ...............................................................................................76
A Connection with the Curriculum .......................................................78
A Model of Self-Control ..........................................................................80
A Sympathetic Ear ..................................................................................82
A Sense of Possibility .............................................................................84
Order ........................................................................................................86
Respect .....................................................................................................88
Acceptance ..............................................................................................89
Questions for Rel ection ........................................................................91
6. Underpinnings of a Caring Classroom ............................................92
Getting to Know Your Students .............................................................93
Marshalling Your Own Coni dence .......................................................96
Assessing Multiple Components of Understanding............................98
Making Grades Make Sense .................................................................100
The Importance of an Informative Grade Book ................................102
You Are the Company You Keep .........................................................103
Noninstructional Duties .......................................................................104
Hugging Students ..................................................................................106
The Rise and Fall of Student Effort .....................................................107
Questions for Rel ection ......................................................................108
7. It’s the Little Things That Can Throw Off Your Day ...............109
Getting Class Started ............................................................................110
Daily Agendas, Directions, and Discussions ......................................112
Treacherous Transitions ......................................................................115
Wrapping Up a Lesson ..........................................................................116
Paperwork: “Teacher Division” ...........................................................117
Paperwork: “Student Division” ............................................................118
Substitute Teachers ..............................................................................120
Textbook Management ........................................................................122
Bathroom Passes ..................................................................................125
Homework Assignments ......................................................................126
Reading Assignments ...........................................................................127
Project Assignments .............................................................................129
Test Administration ..............................................................................132
Questions for Rel ection ......................................................................132
8. Expectations and Accountability ...............................................134
Attendance .............................................................................................135
Make-Up Work .......................................................................................136
Sharing Your Concerns .........................................................................140
When a Student Chooses to Fail .........................................................146
Encouraging Exploration .....................................................................148
Unorthodox Engagement ....................................................................149
Keeping Expectations High ..................................................................150
In Praise of Praise (and a Little Candy)..............................................153
Questions for Rel ection ......................................................................154
9. The Students, the Curriculum, and You....................................156
Rekindling a Love of Learning .............................................................157
Life Lessons ...........................................................................................160
Teach to What Students Know ............................................................161
The Value of Education ........................................................................162
How to Tap into Students’ Interests ...................................................165
Creating “Relatable” Assignments ......................................................166
Flexibility with Lesson Plans ...............................................................168
Questions for Rel ection ......................................................................170
Epilogue .............................................................................................171
Index ..................................................................................................173
About the Author ..............................................................................179

Introduction
Although the United States trains more than enough teachers to
meet its needs, the attrition rate for educators is higher than
that of any other professional occupation. According to a report
from the National Commission for Teaching and America’s Future,
up to one-third of new U.S. teachers leave the profession within the
i rst few years.* I was one of them.
In my second year, I taught 8th grade language arts in a school full
of challenges. I felt isolated, unsafe, and incapable, but I trudged on.
I met with parents, I brainstormed with colleagues, and I discussed
issues with members of the administration. Nothing changed. At the
end of the year, I decided to leave teaching for the quiet solitude of
the bookseller’s life.
For six months or so, I convinced myself that I had made a good
choice. Then the dreams about my classroom started. I was in front
of my 8th graders, leading a grammar lesson. I saw their willing
faces. I saw them. I then realized that I had expected everyone else
to change while I remained the same. I expected the surly child to
be pleasant, but I did nothing to encourage this behavior. I expected
the underachieving child to work to his potential, but I did nothing
*Fulton, K., Yoon, I., & Lee, C. (2005, August). Induction into learning communities. Wash-
ington, DC: National Commission for Teaching and America’s Future. Available: 2100 M
Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037. http://www.nctaf.org.
1