Christian’s Blog

Mrs. Miller’s Health and PE Class

 

My classroom name is very simple, it’s Mrs. Miller only because I teach Health and PE and we usually work together as a group, except in Health when we either have our own class or we work with only one sex, which in my case is the females.

My classroom is set up for 7^th and 8^th graders. The layout helps with visibility and chattiness, which allows me to walk up and down the aisle while teaching, and to answer questions one on one when needed.   I am using my health room design for my representation, which is in a traditional layout.  I like this because it allows the students to work individually and this is sometimes necessary for the type work and the information I have to teach, such as mental health and sex education. The desks can be moved together for group work if and when needed.  This is a nice set up because I can use the dry erase board or the video system for notes, and the students still have the opportunity to feel comfortable writing about personal issues without someone seeing their work. An example is while covering Mental Health, and the portfolio they put together for me describing who they are and about their families. The students know that this information will be read by only me, which provides them greater comfort, and also gives me the opportunity to get to know my students.  I guess the next issue is what would I do in regular core class setting?  There my classroom would be the same, and I like to do a project called, “All About Me.” This project gives me further opportunity to get to know my students.  I ask them to tell me about themselves, their families, likes and dislikes, and hobbies. This help’s me be more attuned to their abilities and the methods that may work best in teaching them. 

If you noticed, I set my desk off to the side because I want to be able to see the entire class, but it also means that it’s not the center of attention while still being able to see the door and everything else that goes on.  I’m a teacher, not a dictator, and want my students to feel comfortable.  I keep the filing cabinet behind my desk so it is not readily accessible to the students, since it contains confidential information.  I like the book cases to have easy access so we can distribute books and other materials across or down the rows with very little disruption to the entire class.   The work table has in and out boxes for handing in assignments and for paperwork that students missed when being handed out.

I’m not a true believer in a ton of rules, but I do have a few basics one that I use:

1.      Be on time, in your seats and prepared when the bell rings.  Make sure you have your question of the day answered and ready for discussion.

2.      Raise your hand and wait for permission to speak. I can only answer one question at a time.

3.      Follow directions of all staff and teachers, including substitutes.

4.      Be respectful of all teachers, staff and students because you should always treat people as you want to be treated.

5.      Follow all school and county rules as well as individual classroom rules, this includes dress code, cell phone policies, bullying rules, etc.

Discipline is quite simple when the rules are broken. Of coarse you and I know that on occasion these need to be tightened up, or lessened, if there are students that have IEP’s or other issues that warrant.

1.      Warning (I never try to embarrass a student. If I cannot get their attention through eye contact, stepping closer to their desk, or speaking to them quietly at their desk, I take them in the hall and speak with them there).

2.      Lunch detention.

3.      Parental contact - phone call or conference depending on severity of the offense (this lets the parents know what is going on and what has occurred before, with the hope that they are willing to help).

4.      Referral to the office.

Some steps may be skipped due to severity, or counseling may be involved depending on the situation. These rules and regulations are handed out in a student letter at open house or on the first day of school. They are required to read and signed by the parents and the students, which avoids what I call the “I didn’t know” from the parents and the students.

I post a list of expectations and classroom rules on the wall and go over them the first day of class. These are basically as follows: (In a shorter format or as we know they will never read them)

1.      Students will not enter the classroom late without a pass or they are considered tardy, also if you are not in your seat.

2.      All students will enter the classroom quietly, be seated, get their materials ready and start on their daily question on the board.

3.      Students will not be able to leave the classroom unless they ask the teacher’s permission, including using the restroom.

4.      The bell does not release the students, the teacher does, and this will only happen when the class is quiet and seated. 

5.      Students may use the pencil sharpener, if needed, but there is to only be one student at the sharpener at a time.

6.      Homework is due the next day after it is assigned; if absent the student has five days to turn in missed work according to county policy. If a student is absent on a test day they are expected to take it the day they return. If they miss review day, they will be given one day of preparation to take the test. Missed work will be in a folder on the work table in a folder marked with your class period. It is your responsibility to pick it up.  Any student missing class for an extended period or for a planned absence should let me know two days in advanced in order to get their assignments ready before they leave.

7.      Points will be taken off for late work, and will not be accepted after three days.

In my classroom I always have the homework handed in from back to front, making sure their name, period, date, and assignment date are each one.  Handouts and other items are always passed backward and this helps eliminate a lot of movement and distraction during class. 

I enjoy this class set up because it allows me the freedom to roam around the classroom and check on or help students.  I don’t particularly like the lights out, bell approach etc. for middle schoolers when it comes to getting attention. For me, standing in front of the room silently seems to work, the students at that time know I’m waiting on them and it is by their choice. I always tell them that the more time they waste in class, the more work they have to do at home and the less questions I can help answer.  I don’t like to give tests on Mondays because I feel the students should and do deserve a timely review. I feel a weekend is a lot of time off to forget for this age, and students don’t have opportunity to get answers to any questions they may have.  I feel it is important to give out expectations and rules at the very beginning. To me this is actually quite simple, with no surprises for me and no surprises for them, except for the occasional fun day when earned.

Here is a link to my classroom layout:

christians-classroom-climate

 

 

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 7th, 2008 at 6:48 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.