Paul Pearson

ECUI 531
Scott Reilly
Classroom Management Reflection
Our discussion with Peter Kolankoski concerning his classroom management techniues
!ro"ided me with great insight onto a crucial as!ect o# teaching$ %hen !eo!le #ind out that I
intend to teach high school !hysics& they tend to gi"e similar comments' I am usually told that I
will ha"e the (good kids) or the (smart kids$) *y time in this !rogram has shown me that this is
a !ro"incial attitude to ha"e towards the issue o# classroom management$ +he su,-ect matter o# a
class does not im!ly the ,eha"ioral issues a teacher may #ace in his or her career$ E"ery teacher
must ,e !re!ared to handle all issues in class !ro#essionally and res!onsi,ly$
Peter.s e/!erience in the secondary school en"ironment has hel!ed him de"elo! his
classroom management techniues$ +he #irst characteristic I identi#ied was his consistency&
which is a key com!onent o# e##ecti"e classroom management$ Peter maintains a !ro#essional
and !ositi"e attitude towards all o# his students& regardless o# the situation he is handling$ Peter
readily shows the students that their actions do not im!act him& ,ut will only ha"e an e##ect on
their e/!erience in school$ 0is system o# disci!linary actions is consistent and a!!ro!riate& ,ut as
he mentioned& they are tailored to the s!eci#ic student$ %hat struck me the most is how his
knowledge o# each o# his students determines how he handles their ,eha"ior$ In a sense& he had
de"elo!ed his (,attle1!icking) skills #or his students& and he acknowledges the instruction o# the
entire grou! as !riority$ 0e knows how to handle indi"idual discre!ancies in ,eha"ior without
sacri#icing attention to the entire class$
Peter has also demonstrated his a,ility to s!eak to the students and their interests while
maintaining !ro#essionalism amongst them$ 0is e/am!le o# discussing !hysical training with
students who are interested in -ust one e/am!le o# how you can e/!ress interest in your students.
healthy and constructi"e e/tracurricular acti"ities$ 2y !ositi"ely en#orcing this ,eha"ior in your
students& they may ,e less likely to act in negati"e attention1seeking ,eha"iors$
Peter also lent "alua,le insight as to how to !ro!erly handle !hysical altercations among
students$ %hile it may ,e one.s #irst inclination to !hysically se!arate students& we li"e in an age
where at times a teacher must e/ercise sel#1!reser"ation and the sa#ety o# an entire class
!o!ulation o"er maintaining order ,etween two uarrelling students$ 3 teacher must a,ide ,y the
!olicies set #orth ,y the district ,y which he or she is em!loyed& ,ut one must ,e !re!ared to
e/ercise sound -udgment in scenarios where !hysical "iolence is in"ol"ed$
It was "ery hel!#ul to ha"e someone #rom the #ield with the e/!erience Peter has to gi"e
us a real !ers!ecti"e on the issues concerning classroom management and how to handle student
,eha"ior$ 4o teacher wants to ,e in a situation where he or she is #orced to re!rimand a student
or issue negati"e conseuences in any way& ,ut Peter has #ound the way that works #or him& and
as #uture teachers& we must also #ind ours$