The career of the timid teacher is always in jeopardy. She is too scared to take control of her classroom and too soft to confront the negligence of administration, if necessary. Her students are aware of her softness and the administration ignores her concerns.
If you are a timid teacher and wants to take control of your classroom, the solution is found in performing this: identify the mentality that is keeping you trapped and confront it completely. This is the only way
There are three mentalities that must be dealt with before a teacher can establish her authority in the classroom and her resolve against administration.
# 1 Fear of Confrontation
Rebellious students are in every school. In order to manage your classroom, you must not be afraid to be challenged by these toxic students. This will happen. You will be put on the spot from time to time. How will you respond? You can either stand there embarrassed or firmly make it clear to the student that he or she is In Your Classroom!
One of the best ways to let students know that you rule the class is in the morning as soon as they step foot in the classroom. Greet them at the door. Correct anything that looks out of order at this time. Students should enter the classroom prepared for morning seat work. They also should turn in homework before being seated.
Students who know what is expected of them when they step into the classroom will have little chance to mess around and challenge your authority.
#2 Fear of being Toppled
We have all heard of classrooms getting completely taking over by students while the teacher stands cowering in the corner. We have perhaps seen this on T.V. news stories or we have seen it in the reality of a colleague or we have experienced it ourselves.
The sad truth is that incidents of this nature happen every day in schools across America. Teachers who find themselves in this type of situation feared it all alone. The students sensed this fear and plotted together to bring it to pass.
A toppled teacher doesn’t really know what to expect the next day. Often they are afraid of getting up in the morning and heading to school. They have also lost hope in the administration, most of who are covertly on the student’s side. You are told one thing, but the ax is raised against your head if you don’t bring things under control.
If you feel that you are a toppled teacher, you must muster your courage and regain control of your classroom, regardless of the humiliation it may bring. This is your only hope.
If taking control means keeping students inside for recess, counseling all fieldtrips, repeatedly practicing rules and expectations and calling up every parent and inviting them to the classroom, this is what you must do. Your reputation is damaged and must be restored. The desperation is worth the investment.
#3 Fear of Administration’s Response
By all means, respect administration, but never fear their response if you are attempting to get control of your classroom. It is a trap to fear an angry response from those who are not in the classroom experiencing what you experience do in and day out. Administration may not appreciate some of your tactics when it comes to regaining control of your classroom. They may accuse you of being too harsh, or too strict on the students. Even some teachers may secretly question your tactics.
However, in today’s classroom, you must not back down from anyone if it means staying in control of your classroom. The timid teacher will bow to the pressure, but a skillful teacher will risk the very job she depends on to establish a safe and secure learning environment. Even if you do get fired, you can take delight that you have restored your integrity and dignity.
The bottom line is the courage is not an alternative when it comes to eliminating timidity and managing a classroom of challenging students. Courage is a must and a godsend. Boldly taking charge when things look chaotic is the hallmark of teaching with skill, poise and power.
