Thinking Ahead

The school year is coming to a close and as I apply for licensure and submit my application for employment I also look ahead and think about my future classroom. Watching the students come in on the first day, tentatively take a seat at their desks, most calmly regarding this new teacher they may have only seen in passing. I think about my dry erase board, the announcement board on the left wall, the artwork hanging from the walls, the packed bookshelf at the back of the classroom and the expectation printed above the whiteboard at the front of the classroom.

The first thing I hope the students will see when they come in is a welcoming place where they feel comfortable expressing who they are in a courteous manner. And I know the only way they will know what to expect is by having a clear list of expectation where the students can see them as soon as they walk in. In the book What Great Teachers Do Differently, the author, Todd Whitaker, takes a whole chapter to explain the importance of setting clear expectations. “[Great teachers] establish clear expectations at the start of the year and follow them consistently as the year progresses.” (pg. 17) Whitaker goes on to talk about daily routines and how they help to guard against unforeseen interruptions. He tells a story about an announcement that pulls the students away from their classroom work and redirects them to the activity the students were warned not to do in the first place. Again, Whitaker harps on the importance of establishing routines and setting classroom expectations from the beginning of the year.

While reading the chapter I think about the tentative students entering my classroom for the first time and what they will see when they look at the expectations posted above the whiteboard. I would like my classroom expectations to include being respectful to ourselves and others, being on time, and being prepared but I think that these may have become a little outdated in today’s society. Maybe it is just me but something seems missing from these rules. Can you think of any new expectations that these don’t encompass?

Can you think of a different way to introduce your future students to your classroom expectations? Do you think that routines are as important as Whitaker makes them out to be? Do you know of any ways to redirect students’ attention when they become distracted?

What Great Teachers Do Differently by Todd Whitaker, ISBN 9781930556690