Observations: Half Way There

After another observation at (blah blah) High School, I was asked to write about what I had observed and learned about classroom management. The head of the department told me what classes I would be able to observe, so I chose to observe an ELL Algebra I class, figuring there would be a lot to observe for classroom management. This is what I got out of it.

Having the option to observe several classrooms, I decide to observe an English Language Learners Algebra I class and learn about classroom management. The whole class primarily speaks Spanish, which the teacher is also fluent in. Before class starts, the teacher, whom I will refer to as Mr. Brown, tells me about the diversity of the classroom, saying that diversity is good in a classroom, but it is harder manage. With that, I prepare to see him greet his students and begin class.

As the students are entering, I begin to observe the relationship Mr. Brown has with his students. Some students high five him, or even fist bump, before they take their seats. The class, for the most part, finds their seats quietly, with the exception of one girl who comes in talking in a loud, screaming voice. Mr. Brown quickly gets her to quiet down by a change of tone, no longer friendly, but stern and in control. As the students are seated, Mr. Brown quietly takes attendance on his computer before he progresses the activity.

There is a Do-Now activity on the board, but half the class hasn’t started it yet. Mr. Brown talks loudly and sternly, again, to get the classes attention, which he does, and say “Do now, not do later.” Then, the girl who came in practically screaming got up and stepped out the exit door to see someone in the hallway and bam, instant detention. Mr. Brown didn’t even give it a second’s hesitation when she walked out of class, which lets the class know that he’s in control. After that, almost the whole class is quiet and working on their warm-up activity, with just a little bit of chitter-chatter.

Mr. Brown notices one student who doesn’t seem to be paying attention, so he calls on the student and asks him to explain the problem. He has no response, as Mr. Brown expected, so he asks another student to help him out. As this is an ELL classroom, Mr. Brown tells the student to explain the problem to him in English. As he calls on students for explanations, he walks across the room till he is standing in the front of the row where the student sits, this way he can look straight ahead at the student as his gestures encourage the student to continue explaining. He finally asks one girl what her equation was for the current problem. She responds with her equation and Mr. Brown asks her to write the equation on the board and says “Finally, someone who can think for themselves,” as he is relieved and proud that someone finally had a correct answer.

About twenty minutes has passed since class started and one girl walks in, late. As the rest of the class is still working on the Do-Now assignment, the girl takes a seat in a group and starts the activity, too.  Mr. Brown continues to call on groups and students to explain steps in the problem. One girl in another group starts whining at Mr. Brown, so he forces her to sit alone at the front of the class. Then, Mr. Brown begins to write out the solution on the board, continuing to ask students who are struggling what step to take next, guiding the group to get to the answer.

As time passes by in class and they are still trying to work on the activity, Mr. Brown says “Come on, let’s go,” in his stern voice, as he knows his time is precious and is drifting by. When he is instructing the students, he sounds very firm as he tells the students what to do, never sounding like just an option to the students. He sounds demanding, in a way where he’s not strict but the students know that what he tell them to do, they do. His relationship with the students allows him to be friendly and laugh with the students, but when he turns that around, the students know to behave and listen.

As the class comes to an end, Mr. Brown has to speak louder to gain the students’ attention. A few start to gather their belongings and line up by the door before the teacher tells them to. Mr. Brown motions the students to clean up their area, putting back their chairs and calculators, as sometimes physical cues work better than verbal cues, especially know that the students are scattered. When the bell rings, the students rush out the door before the teacher can properly dismiss them, as I’ve noticed happen in several other classrooms. The bell seems to have higher control than the teacher, whether it be dismissing students or telling them to get to class, which come students disregard anyways. Whenever there is something that lets students out of class, whether it is the dismissal bell or an announcement that lets certain students leave class to go to the college fair, students can’t be any more eager to get out of class. By the end of class, though, I can see how Mr. Brown’s relationship with the students and his ability to not let that affect his judgment allows him to manage this diverse classroom with great capability.