Elementary Classroom Management Tips

Has your classroom environment turned from serene and peaceful to jungle fever? Are you out of control and at the end of your rope? All teachers find themselves out of control and unsure what to do next from time to time, even those who have been teaching for dozens of years. This can happen at any grade level, including the elementary classroom environment. Managing the elementary classroom can be daunting, and requires tons of energy and mounds of patience - not to mention better-than-average organizational skills. The classroom that is organized and filled with students who listen to and respect their teacher is a classroom that can almost run itself. Getting there (to this well-managed utopia) is an uphill journey that definitely has its rewards. Let's look at the fundamentals of elementary classroom management.

Getting Organized

Organization is the number one key to a classroom that runs like a well-oiled machine. Files, forms and supplies are easier to find when labeled, and you definitely want a system that allows you to identify and locate records for your students, forms and more. By day one's end, you should have a chart for seating that will allow you to identify your students easily. Having your lesson plans done up well in advance will allow you to plan each day more effectively. Keeping a calendar on your desk (the big kind with lots of room for writing) will keep you on task. Invest in some hanging files for your drawers, and keep a folder for everything. Some teachers have a plastic storage tote for each "unit" that they work on, and everything goes back into the labeled tote at the unit's end, ready for next year. Find ways to get your "stuff" and your students organized and you'll be on your way towards a classroom that you're in control of.

Establishing Policies and Rules

What is a world without rules? Every "society", including your classroom, must have an established set of policies and rules to go by. Absent all rules, chaos and disorder will ensue. Make sure that you establish your classroom rules and policies from the beginning of the academic year and follow through with them. Don't get too complex, especially for younger kids, but have a few (less than five for grades three and lower) and as many as ten (for grades four and up) rules that are easy to understand and remember. Just because you have understandable rules, however, does not mean that all students will actually understand them. Begin your school year with an orientation session for the rules, and make sure that everyone does in fact know what you mean. You might even consider a short "quiz" to confirm that they know the rules. But more important than having rules in place is showing your students that you mean business. For example, explain to them that you expect them to respect you and each other, that they must complete their homework assignments, bring their library books back to school, etc., and when they do not, make sure that a fitting punishment is administered immediately and consistently. Also be sure to praise and reward students when they follow the rules consistently.

The chore of managing the elementary classroom can certainly be stressful, but with organization of yourself, your "stuff" and your students, and by abiding by set-in-stone classroom rules, it can be done much easier!