When I started thinking about pursuing a degree in Teacher Education, I wondered if I would ever be able to handle a classroom of high school students. I have learned since that there are very few discipline problems in a well managed classroom. I believe that the key to a well managed classroom is to start on the first day of school with clear classroom procedures and practice them with your students.
"Get to know your students as people," is stated by Kellough in chapter 4. I think that teachers who develop relationships with their students are more likely to have students who are motivated to learn. I don't think that we should exchange phone numbers, or become Facebook friends with our students, but sharing a little bit of ourselves can be beneficial to the learning environment.
Getting to know the students is very important. I do not know of very many people who wouldn't be slightly intimidated about entering a high school room....seems normal. Lines are blurred socially now. social media makes everyone's life very accessible and you find "friend requests" coming from students constantly. Students often want more than is acceptable and feel hurt when a line must be drawn. I have seen this a lot in middle school too.
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