This chapter of Teaching Young Adolescents has been my favorite so far. It was interesting to see the similarities and differences between these authors' ideas of classroom management, those of other people, and myself. I think this chapter gave me a better idea of how I want my classroom to managed.
If all the management procedures discussed in this chapter were expressed to students, I think they would be very overwhelmed. For the most part, I think middle school level students already have a good idea of what they are expected to do- As the authors point out, "Too many procedural expectations at first can be restricting and even confusing to students. Unless they are recent newcomers, most middle grade students already know these things so you shouldn't have to spend much time on the topic... " (p.122). However, every teacher is different, and that is why it is important that basic procedures should definitely be discussed no matter how old the student is.
Students should know what is expected of them- this will cause less anxiety, and less room for students to act inappropriately. I believe the students should be able to notice that teachers (should) have expectations for themselves as well. Teachers should model good behavior, thus showing students that they are not "above" the procedures. This also demonstrates to students that everyone is a part of the classroom community, including the teacher. In this , all members of the community share expectations, respect each other, and are willing to help each other out.
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