Good behavior management is the key to a successful classroom and a successful school. You must build the foundation from the first day of school so students understand and know the expectations of their teacher and of the school as a whole.
At Ignite School we made the decision to take the first 2 weeks of school and focus on getting to know our students. It is very important to build a solid classroom environment from the beginning of the year so you will not have problems later on in the year. Some people feel as though we have lost time in the beginning by not starting to teach the curriculum right away, but in the end we know this is better for the students.
Each morning every classroom begins their day with a morning meeting which allows the students to focus on continuing to build relationships with their teacher and peers as well as using communication skills in English. At our school we want to teach the whole child, which means we focus on more than just academics. Yes, academics are important and our goal is to meet the needs of each student academically, but we also need to prepare our students for the global market. This includes being able to get along with peers and colleagues, take criticism and know how to respond appropriately, and how to be a kind and caring citizen.
I have been an educator for 20 years and I have seen schools begin at the start of the year and begin academics from week 1 and in the end that was a big problem because they never took the time to establish the rules and procedures and develop a strong foundation within the classroom. The classrooms that take the time at the beginning to do these things have a more successful school year.
When you are dealing with behavior management you have to have a system in place that keeps students and parents informed on the student’s behavior. We are choosing to use Class Dojo. The Class Dojo system allows students, parents and teachers to all be on the same page as it pertains to the student’s behavior. It also has many great features for communicating with the parents from the teacher and also the school through the school story.
So whatever behavior management system you decide to use just make sure it is in place from the start of the school year and is used consistently. Consistency is the key to success when it comes to behavior management!
