A report from the National Council on Teacher Quality on teacher training programs summarizes the reality all too many teachers face: “New teachers deserve better. It is time for teacher prep programs to focus on classroom management so that first-year teachers are prepared on day one to head off potential disruption before it starts” (Greenberg, Putman, & Walsh, 2014, p. i).
If research identifies the lack of classroom management training as a problem, why don’t teacher preparation programs tackle it in order to better prepare and equip future educators? While I have struggled to find research on this, I would hypothesize that classroom management is more difficult to address than other education domains. Why? Because to manage classrooms well, teacher educators and universities would need to evaluate and confront the middle-class cultural norms that are interwoven into the fabric of U.S. school systems (Nieto, 2002; Rist, 1970).
The structural inequities in schools and throughout the history of U.S. public education created norms about behavior and expectations that prioritize white, middle-class values. These cultural norms, which no longer represent most of the students we serve, are particularly evident in classroom management because the discipline in schools is highly cultural—subject to a person’s race, gender, and socioeconomic upbringing (Deschenes, Cuban, & Tyack, 2001). Taking on these historical inequities in public education systems would require a deep analysis of culture and race, something that may be uncomfortable, yet necessary for all educators to evaluate.
The Impact
Research indicates the issues that result from ineffective classroom management training have a profoundly negative impact on both teachers and their students.
Noting this lack of classroom management training and its impact are important for two reasons. First, teacher preparation programs need to better prepare future teachers’ abilities to manage classrooms and build strong cultures. It is imperative for all teachers to receive training to effectively establish environments that serve all students from their first day. It is my hope that this book provides a start to this solution, leading teachers and schools to create classroom cultures conducive to student achievement.
Second, if you are reading this book and struggling with classroom management and culture, it is not your fault! You likely never received the proper training or feedback to support the wide variety of student needs and personalities in your classroom. However, it is your professional responsibility to improve your practice as an educator. Reading this book, working through the activities, and reflecting on your current practice support this professional obligation.
I also suggest administrators consider using this book strategically with the professional learning community (PLC) model and as professional development in an effort to align a coherent vision for classroom culture, establish a common language, and set a schoolwide approach to support staff and students. Immense growth occurs in schools when staff work collectively toward practices that embody empowered mindsets and efficacy (Hattie, 2016).
Mindsets refers to the beliefs that affect educators’ attitudes and how they view, interpret, and respond to interactions with students and their families. Teachers’ cultural beliefs influence their mindsets and impact their points of view, values, and assumptions. Mindsets influence decision making and can empower or disempower relationships with students. However, when teachers understand and reflect on their own mindsets, they can transform them to help build stronger relationships and increase student achievement (Dweck, 2007).
The reality is, the overwhelming majority of teachers, particularly those teaching in traditionally disenfranchised communities or diverse communities, unknowingly harbor disempowering mindsets about the abilities and cultural experiences of their students (Hudson, 2012; Marzano, 2010; Siwatu, 2011). While this may be unintentional, harm to students is immeasurable, as it reflects the larger deficit narrative that much of the education system harbors. Often, this deficit orientation is magnified when teachers haven’t had opportunities to reflect on how their mindsets may be impacting their actions. Mindsets impact classroom management more than any other part of education. Why? Because as we manage our classrooms and work to establish cultures for academic success, we bring in our own cultural norms that may or may not match those of our students (Aloe et al., 2014; Hammond, 2015).
Approximately 82 percent of teachers in U.S. public education are of European descent, while only 50 percent of students share a similar background (U.S. Department of Education, 2016). Students in U.S. classrooms are far more diverse than their teachers, and this can be cause for miscommunications and misinterpretations when it comes to classroom expectations. Understanding the cultural and socioeconomic similarities and differences teachers share with students can significantly improve our abilities to support, build relationships with, and teach our students. The authentic relationships we build with students empower our mindsets because they teach us about what is important to students in their communities and in their homes. It is only when we build authentic, deep relationships and learn about students’ cultural experiences that we can provide highly engaging, student-focused classrooms.
Overcoming disempowering mindsets, therefore, is essential to teach all students. The good news is that research and experience highlight the most effective way to dismantle disempowering mindsets—by building relationships with students. Students can teach us about their cultures. They can teach us what we need to know about them. Relationships are going to form in your classroom, one way or another, and they need to benefit both you and your students!
Even when educators do not share the same cultural or socioeconomic background as their students, they can still be very effective. While some teachers we studied shared backgrounds with their students, the majority did not (Klei Borrero & Canter, 2018). In short, regardless of your culture and background, you can become a No-Nonsense Nurturer and support the needs of every student, every day. It requires a deep desire to unlearn some of your assumptions about students with humility and through self-reflection about your own learning and teaching, and passion for building meaningful relationships.
The Need for No-Nonsense Nurturers
As a young administrator, I failed to adequately support teachers in my school with classroom management. This was a harsh but true reality of my early administrative years. However, my failures were not for a lack of trying. I bought every book I could find, watched any video I could get my hands on, and sent teachers to seminars and professional development sessions that promised to help them improve classroom management. None of these books, videos, or seminars, however, seemed to answer the one question we needed answered: Why can some teachers establish a classroom culture where students are on task, engaged, and achieving at high academic levels, while their peers struggle?
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