Chapter 4: Classroom Organization and Management

What I Believe About
Designing my classroom environment (furniture grouping, accessories, bulletin boards, etc.)...
Establishing classroom climate...
Establishing routines and procedures (exits, entrances, materials use, bathroom, wastebasket, water, etc.)...
Using monitors...

There are so many variables in a classroom. I feel pretty confident about my ability to establish a classroom climate, and in my methods and other courses we have discussed classroom procedures at length. Out of these topics, the actual physical organization of the desks is probably what I am least certain about. I have no idea what types of desks or tables I'll be given. I know that I want to do a circle discussion one a week or once every other week on Fridays, but that doesn't help me for the rest of the week. My guess is that the first year will be a lot of trial and error, and hopefully I have students who are patient with me.

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In what ways, if any, has the chapter changed by beliefs?

I really appreciated a lot of the organizational advice from experienced teachers in this chapter. The ideas of having color coded work and binders for different periods is a great way to stay organized. I'm fond of binders, so I think that procedure will come naturally to me.

I already have some posters and things that I want to hang in my classroom, but the idea of actually doing themed bulletin boards (almost like those I'm used to doing as an RA!) wasn't something I had considered. Bulletin boards in classrooms, in my mind, are for announcements, hanging student work, class rules, etc.

The checklist for the furniture layout is great, and I will definitely use that when I am actually figuring out how I want my students desks to be set up.

Questions I Still Have . . .

Can I really have a pet in my class? I'll have to ask my administrators about that...
If I have room for a small reading center in my class, how do you determine who gets to use it since all the students couldn't fit together?
What are my personal beliefs about bathroom passes/water breaks? How much will those procedures depend on the age of my students?