"The Reluctant Disciplinarian." My initial thoughts of this title were somewhat interesting, I guess. Although I heard this book was a fun read, I did not want to read it because I've never seen myself as a reluctant disciplinarian. If anything, I discipline my class too much (which really isn't possible). The information in the book was very useful, nonetheless. The anecdotal evidence was a great explanation of how dynamic the process of classroom management is. So far this summer, I haven't had any discipline issues. But the classroom environment is much more controlled because of the presence of other teachers and the overall consistency of the summer school staff. That will not be a luxury that I am allowed to enjoy once I have my own classroom. My class already understands that I don't play games with them and I am very consistent with doling out consequences. The advice in the book included a lot of information about "dressing the part." I totally agree with that because the students immediately see you as someone who is a professional and is at school to work and get things done. I think the most interesting aspect of the book was the talk about the "teacher persona." I am the king of stoicism at this point. The kids all say that "Mr. King is mean!" They don't say this because I do or say mean things; they say it because they cannot get a read on me. They know that I very rarely smile, and I am never hesitant with consequences. Nevertheless, I don't want to be seen as the unapproachable teacher. I want them to feel like they can come to me if they have a question about anything. That's why the author's quest to find a good balance, or as he stated, "his journey to being a human," really struck a chord with me. I'm not anticipating many discipline issues that are a result of my poor classroom management, what I am anticipating is a year-long trial and error exercise where I try to figure out how much of my personal self to invest into my students and the interactions we have.
Good points. You will find the balance you are looking for in time.
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