Case
Less Fortunate Teammate

You have a colleague that is does not have a strength when it comes to classroom management. She's in the adjoining classroom to yours, and each time you look around, you can hear her classroom getting out of control. You have spoken to her a few times about the noise level and how it sometimes distracts your students from learning, but you don't see a difference. You find yourself taking over her class in order to get the students quiet for you to be able to effectively teach your class. It's becoming tiring and frustrating. What do you do next?

Posted on: 03/10/15 | Views: 937
Solution #1
I would request some PL on classroom management be given to the entire grade level. This way she doesn't feel singled out or intimidated. We can all always use extra PL opportunities.

Would you let your team mate know about this or give a heads up? I feel like if I do this then she will kinda know that it is me. However, there is always something to knew and this PL would benefit everyone.

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Solution #2
That has put you in a difficult situation. One of the teachers in my grade sounds a lot like this teacher. I am sure she has become very overwhelmed with what she is dealing with. Maybe, at the end of the day, you could pull her aside and talk to her. Ask her if everything is okay. Sometimes, we as teachers, need another teacher to talk and confide in. Maybe, with the class she has this year, she is very overwhelmed and too afraid to ask for her. When you take over her class, you may be hurting more than helping because her students may not take her as a joke.
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Solution #3
Giving your colleague some tips and pointers can help. Maybe make her a chart for her classroom with classroom rules or some sort of behavioral chart. This may kick start some great classroom management skills.
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Solution #4
I am currently in this situation and it is hard. At the end of the day, I am exhausted. I have spoken with my team mate about how to use different management strategies and how positive reinforcement works. Also, as a team we have talked following the rules and not making changing because a student is cute or cries. The students should know the guidelines and the limits.
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Solution #5
I wonder if anything will change if the teacher doesn't think there is a problem? I have visited classrooms where I personally think the students are out-of-control but the teacher doesn't see any problem with what is happening. Unfortunately in this scenario, the teacher and students on the other side are being affected. Since you only have control over yourself and what is happening in your classroom, I would problem solve with the students how to control what is happening in your classroom. For example, 'okay class. We have found that the noise level is distracting for us when we are working independently on our math. We can only control ourselves, what should we do to solve this problem?' This will potentially help the students understand that we can solve problems with other people by changing our actions and choices.
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