The Total Teacher

Understanding the Three Dimensions that Define Effective Educators

Danny Steele

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781000412253
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Professional Development

What are the keys to thriving as an educator? This insightful book from bestselling author Danny Steele reveals how the most effective teachers are well-rounded and three-dimensional: (1) grounded in the technical side (classroom management, instruction, and professional growth); (2) dedicated to the relationship work (the purpose of what we do); and (3) committed to the vital role they play in building the school's culture. The book is organized into three sections, one for each dimension, and provides strategies, inspirational stories, and helpful examples from educators who are doing the work. Perfect for new and experienced teachers, this unique book will help you reflect on the art of being a teacher so you can enhance your professional practice.

Part I

The First Dimension

The Technical Perspective

1
Managing the Classroom

I remember a veteran teacher sharing with me his frustrations about his fifth-period class. He felt as though he had exhausted his bag of tricks, and students still were not cooperating. They didn’t seem to care about his carrots OR his sticks. Finally, he quipped, “I just don’t like ’em.” I remember having classes like that, even when I felt as though I was good at classroom management. Most teachers, if they are honest, will admit that there have been some days, weeks, or even years, when a certain class got the better of them. And those classes can really leave a bad taste in your mouth. A particularly challenging group of students can ruin your day and, in some cases, make you question your profession.

Conventional wisdom maintains that classroom management is required before effective instruction can take place, and I suspect most educators could confirm the truth of this adage. Wang, Haertel, and Walberg (December 1993/January 1994) reviewed 50 years of research and found that classroom management had the single highest impact on student learning. Maintaining an orderly classroom and ensuring good student behavior is foundational. The teacher who shows up on the first day without a plan will undoubtedly find out just how foundational it is. So, we begin by focusing on classroom management, including the role of organization, routines, and student discipline.

Organization

Many experts have written about the ins and outs of classroom management, but none have made a bigger impact than First Days of School by Harry and Rosemary Wong (2005). Given the title of their book, it is not surprising that they write, “Your success during the school year will be determined by what you do the first days of school.” (3) They talk about the importance of establishing control over the class through consistency and high expectations. They maintain that how your class looks, how you are dressed, how you communicate, and how well-prepared you are, all impact your level of effectiveness. They caution, “Nothing will send kids into orbit faster than letting them suspect that their teacher is disorganized.” (84) According to the Wongs, the organized classroom is task oriented; there are clear expectations for students; and there is little wasted time. In these classrooms teachers prepare themselves, the learning space, and the learning materials.

In The Organized Teacher, Springer, Alexander, and Persiani (2012) provide an exhaustive checklist of supplies for teachers to make sure they have in their classrooms. They go on to provide examples of effective room setups, behavior charts, work center structures, filing systems, record keeping, and sub-folders.

I once had a colleague who had a bulletin board in his class that had group assignments for the nine weeks. Every time he wanted students in groups, everyone knew where to go and who was in their group. There was no wasted time during class organizing into groups, figuring out who was going where. It was an investment of the teacher’s time at the beginning of each quarter, but this level of organization and preparation paid big dividends in saving instructional time throughout the year.

Routines

In some classrooms, there is a lot of wasted time. Teachers continually have to provide directions, and inevitably repeat themselves over and over again. In other classrooms, students walk into class and immediately begin working. They know the “drill.” Quite often, the varying levels of productivity within different classrooms can be attributed to the extent to which routines are in place. Routines are important. These are the ritual behaviors that have been taught and practiced from the beginning of the school year. These could include practices such as “bell-ringer” activities, procedures for collecting makeup work, and expectations for using classroom supplies. The younger the students, the more important and prevalent the routines. Kindergarteners for example, may have routines for washing hands, sitting on the floor, lining up for lunch, and walking down the hallway. It is important to remember that one size will never fit all. Routines that work for one teacher may seem cumbersome for another. Procedures that some teachers cannot live without may seem unwieldy to others. Early in my career I found a couple routines that worked for me. In my ninth-grade class, we had several jobs that rotated every nine weeks.

The first job was the timekeeper. I would often get carried away with my own teaching and lose track of time. The bell would ring, and I had not yet brought closure to the lesson, or even talked about the homework. So, I assigned one student to give me a discreet signal every day when there were two minutes left in class. I found these reminders to be quite helpful.

The second job entailed being responsible for making sure our class set of textbooks were all accounted for and back neatly on the shelf. If you have been in a classroom for any length of time, you already know that items can walk out of your room, intentionally or unintentionally. This accountability for keeping up with our books was invaluable.

Students who walk across the classroom to throw away trash right in the middle of class can disrupt the lesson. Moreover, it can be embarrassing when visitors to your class in the afternoon get to witness the mess that results as trash has accumulated on the floor from all your earlier classes. We remedied these concerns with our third job. At the point that our timekeeper signaled that class was wrapping up, and one student was counting textbooks, a third student was walking around with the trash can to collect what the students needed to throw away. As we went over these jobs on the first day, I explained to my students that, “The bell does not dismiss you; I do.” And I assured the students that I would dismiss the students immediately on the ringing of the bell as long as all the books were accounted for and there was no trash on the floor.

With a little training and practice, even young students can learn many different routines. My ninth-graders learned these expectations quickly; and I did not have to worry about the bell sneaking up on me; I did not have to worry about books walking out of the room; and my room stayed clean all day.

Student Behavior

For years, I have asked prospective teachers who are interviewing for a job a question like this: “What’s the secret to good classroom management?” I usually get an answer such as: “Have a few clear rules posted in your room; communicate to your students at the beginning of the year what the consequences will be for the various infractions; and then be consistent in the enforcement of those rules.” This is not a bad answer, even if it is predictable. For the 22-year-olds who are interviewing, this could have been a script they had regurgitated not too long before on a college exam. But there is more to it than that.

As an administrator, I have always noticed that students behaved in some classes but not in others. Kids could be model students in some classrooms but could be disruptive and disrespectful in others. That tells me that teachers have the ability to influence student behavior. More often than not, teachers are the variable. I do, of course, realize that the chemistry in certain classrooms can make a difference, and sometimes even the time of day can impact the level of hyperactivity of certain students. These variables notwithstanding, teachers have enormous potential to impact student behavior simply by how they interact with them.

As it turns out, the first essential step in effective classroom management… is actually liking the students in your room. Students are much more responsive to teachers who genuinely like them, and this often translates into better behavior. But the best classroom management is not about controlling the behavior; it’s about winning over the kids—building personal connections. And we earn the respect of our students by how we treat them. Indeed, classroom management is not about having the right rules; it is about having the right relationships. Student discipline is so much easier when you have rapport with the kids. Getting to know your students truly does make all the difference. We also need to understand that when students act out, it is usually the result of an unmet need. Ginott (1972) noted, “Children often misbehave when they have difficulty with an assignment… A teacher’s best antidote to misbehavior is a willingness to be helpful. (51) Punishing a student may address the behavior, but it does not meet the need. Sometimes students need consequences for their misbehavior, but it is not usually the consequences that change the behavior, and very seldom will this win the student over. If we don’t get to the root of the misbehavior, it is unlikely that the punishment will solve the problem. Todd Whitaker (2012) writes, “Effective teachers want to prevent misbehavior, whereas ineffective teachers focus on punishing a student after he or she misbehaves. (25) Rather than focusing on managing kids, it works best when we try to understand them. It is also important to note that holding students accountable and demonstrating compassion are not mutually exclusive notions. You can always extend grace while you provide discipline. You can always respect the student’s dignity while you administer consequences.

We will devote an entire chapter later in the book to the importance of knowing your students but, at this point in our discussion of managing student behavior, it is crucial that we address one aspect of understanding students. The noted psychologist Abraham Maslow (1943) outlined an innovative theory of human motivation in a model that he described as a “hierarchy of needs.” Chances are good that you came across this theory as an undergraduate, and it has received copious attention over the decades in workshops, conferences, articles, and books. I suspect most teachers are familiar with this theory and, at an intuitive level, they get it. Maslow argued that we are all motivated to get certain needs met, and we...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Meet the Author
• Acknowledgements
• Author’s Note
• Introduction
• Part I: The First Dimension: The Technical Perspective
• Part II: The Second Dimension: The Relational Perspective
• Part III: The Third Dimension: The School Cultural Perspective
• Conclusion
• Epilogue: The Fourth Dimension: Teacher Self-Care
• References