Classroom management is perhaps the most difficult part of teaching but it is also by far the most important. Without a calm and organized classroom you will not have effective learning. My overall philosophy of classroom management revolves around withitness, or total control over your classroom. Students should understand that the classroom belongs to the teacher and they are all guests for whom a particular decorum is required. Students should learn to be aware of your policies and procedures from as early of a date as possible. They should be conditioned to see you as an authority figure from the start of the school year. A teacher must also ‘sweat the small stuff’ so to speak, if students realize that they can get away with certain things, however minor, they will constantly try to push boundaries. Procedures must be established to ensure that your classroom functions smoothly. Changing from one activity to the next can take up much time and distract from the learning process.
In terms of withitness a teacher must constantly be aware of what is occurring in their classroom, they need to have figurative eyes in the back of their head. If a teacher has an encompassing presence in the classroom they are more likely to have order, it is usually when students think they can get away with things that they will misbehave. A teacher must also have a cool exterior, if they show that they are annoyed or bothered by things then students are more likely to attempt to push their buttons at a later date. A teacher who has established themselves as an authority, who has set up good procedures, and who has an encompassing presence in the classroom is likely to have success.