It's the end of July, and Ms. Decatur, newly hired, is getting ready to start a job as a second-grade teacher at Martin Elementary School. She excitedly enters her classroom for the first time, thinking about all the different decisions she'll need to make before school even gets started. It's overwhelming, but she decides to simply start from the most logical point for establishing a well-managed classroom. Which one of the following activities would you expect to see her do first?
a. developing procedures to ensure student accountability
b. considering the physical space and her instructional expectations, then working to arrange the furniture and supplies
c. reading all the students' cumulative files so she knows as much as possible about her class before they arrive
d. planning activities for the first day of school, making sure to include a motivating get-acquainted activity
Question 2
Students' cultural and experiential backgrounds, language skill levels, financial means, and other demographic characteristics are of little import in classroom management system design. Answer: False - Effective managers consider student characteristics as they develop their systems for managing the classroom and building relationships.
a. tell her that it is a good idea because it eliminates distractions while children are writing.
b. suggest that she remove the partition because it will interfere with her ability to supervise the children.
c. compliment her on the fact that her room has cozy nooks where children can have some privacy during the school day.
d. tell her that each teacher has his or her own style and that she should do what makes her happy.