One of the things I have often struggled with in classroom management is the balance between letting students do what they need (or sometimes even what they want) and doing what I want them to do. There are moment though, that I realize that what I want them to do really isn't that important. Yes they need to do their work. Yes I would like them to do it neatly. Yes I would like them to be quiet enough for a pin to drop. No they may not sit at a friend's desk. But sometimes I find that these are things that I need not thing that they need.
Please don't get me wrong. I think it is incredibly important for students to learn how to follow directions, how to work together and function in a variety of contexts without self-imploding or causing a fuss. But regularly I need to check myself and ask, does this really matter? Is this mountain I'm standing on really a molehill? And very often it doesn't and it is.
So here is the official, all encompassing list of things that matter and things that don't. (Just kidding, here are some things I've been thinking about that matter and don't matter).
Things that Matter
- Student Safety - If a student is in physical or emotional damage (i.e. does your body hurt? does your heart hurt?) that is a problem. I know this sounds obvious, but I find that the emotional jabs have very lasting impressions and consequences are very necessary.
- Kindness - As the introvert that I am, I often find that some of my favourite people-interactions come from chatting with strangers. Wouldn't it be great if we could teach our children and our students how to have positive, kind conversations with each other?
- Learn Something, and Like It! -
Things that Don't Matter
- Quiet All the Time - This is a tough one for me because I really like quiet. And I know that many of my students do too. However, waiting for quiet is often ineffective. Plus, just because they're quiet doesn't mean they're listening. Sometimes I do my best daydreaming when its quiet :). This week we were supposed to be silent reading and I came upon two students whispering in the corner. After a quick reprimand they asked me if I had heard about the new planet that NASA had found that has water on it. Now, I don't know about you, nor do I know if that is actually true, but to me, that sounds a lot like life-long learning in action right there. Why shush it?
- Standing in a Perfect Line - Really though, how often in your life has it been crucial for you to stand, facing forward, staring at the back of someone's head? Can you talk in the grocery line? Can you talk when you're waiting to get out of a packed theatre? Maybe you shouldn't talk if you're escaping from a burning building, but then again, a few encouraging words might help in that moment.
- Don't Learn Everything - Let's face it, it is not super necessary for a Grade 4 student to learn that a wheel is made up of a bunch of tiny levers. I bet you didn't even know that. Acknowledge that some things might be learned in the present, but they are absolutely not "Twenty Year Learning"