Although my time teaching 7th Grade Life Science has come to an end, my journey teaching continues on!
The past two months were quite the adventure. There was much hair-pulling and late-night worrying, but it was ultimately worth it. Not only am I developing my skills professionally, but I am also learning how to let myself shine through as a teacher. My personality will no longer be shoved to the gutter! Certainly, this will be a refreshing change for my students just as much as it is for me.
One skill I’ve improved on by leaps and bounds is giving clear, firm instruction to my students. Instead of timidly asking them things such as “I need you to please do this…” I have learned to maintain friendly authority by choosing my words more carefully, such as calmly instructing my students to “Get started on this activity now.” I maintain a friendly persona, demonstrating that I have respect for my students; however, I also make it clear that following my directions is an expectation, not a choice.
I’m learning more and more every day that confidence in myself is essential to my successful classroom management. If the students observe that I’m unsure, they are more likely to test my boundaries. I know this is one of the most fundamental concepts behind classroom management; however, since I have always been an introvert, it is an area of controversial growth for me and I wear this new skill with pride!
To many more adventures to come,
Miss Phillips
inspiredmath 
Sounds like you are taking the time to reflect on what skills you are already bringing to the table, and how you can grow some of your strengths to further help your students. This is an awesome attitude to have as an educator! Thank you for the read and the reminder to always be learning on we can help our students by being aware of ourselves.
LikeLike