Handling Critical Incidents in the Classroom

¶ … Classroom

Compare and contrast prior impressions of teaching with the reality of your experiences in the classroom.

The moment teachers fresh out of college to get into the class environment, what they might have expected and what they encounter in the class can often be different (Melnick & Meister, 2008). The education profession is often a more complex profession than what many anticipate. Individuals who choose teaching as a profession should review why they did so in the first place if they are to overcome what awaits them. When new teachers enter the classroom, they are usually shocked by the challenges that come with being a teacher in the real world. At times, the reality is much more different than what the teacher anticipated. Beginning teachers often describe their first year in the classroom as a year of survival. Different studies have also backed this argument, labeling the first year in the classroom as a "sink or swim" situation for new teachers. The new teachers are expected to learn how to cope with the challenges in the classroom environment and also the challenges that accompany dealing with guardians, fellow teachers and administrators. When novice teachers get into the classroom environment, the shock often comes because they had idealistic expectations about being in the teaching workforce while they were under training (Nahal).

The beginning of a new school year is not only filled with excitement for children who are getting back to school, but also for beginning teachers. However, the excitement of beginning one's teaching career often dissipates as the start date for the school year gets closer. The excitement is replaced by anxiety and unsettling thoughts. Thoughts like whether one will be able to fill all the hours before lunch, or if a parent confronts one, will he or she be able to handle that situation in a professional manner. One also wonders whether they will be able to uphold the promises they made to themselves about treating all children in a fair and loving manner. Many fears can face an individual as the reality of becoming a teacher sets in. To put those fears into perspective, one just needs to imagine that he or she is a teacher and is having his or her perfect first year. Imagining the feel and the climate of the classroom in the perfect first year is important in the goal setting process. For instance, many new teachers would imagine that in their perfect first-year, they would be innovative and competent, and would deliver all the expected learning outcomes. Envisioning oneself as fun, flexible, respected and relied upon by colleagues and parents alike can also help in the personal goal setting process. However, having such great expectations can often leave one feeling burdened by their goals or expectations (Bluestein, 2004).

Being assigned a class for the very first time was both terrifying and exciting at the same time. It was a huge event for me. I had a mixture of feelings, and also felt a great sense of responsibility. As the head teacher handed me the keys to the classroom, I felt a rush of excitement surge through my entire body as I took the key. At the time I was taking the key, many ideas, images, feelings and thoughts rushed through my mind that I nearly forgot to thank the principal. I hurried to the class I was assigned and opened the room that I had imagined and was expecting to be "my zone," "my dream theater" and the class that learners would lovingly call "home." As strange as the thoughts and expectations seemed, they were true. It was not my belief that the classroom was just a physical space where educators could walk in and speak continuously and the children listened; to me, my responsibilities were not to be restricted to talk and chalk. I had imagined and planned for my classes to be interactive, engaging and inspiring to both the learners and my colleagues. I was aware that for me to create such a learning environment there was a need for me to tend to the different learning styles and paces of students, and take into account the different intelligences; these were things I was not only ready, but also very eager to do (Dancer, 2012).

When I entered the classroom I had been assigned, I felt that something was amiss. The room was not what I expected. Upon closer investigation, I noticed what was setting me off. The room was not as equipped or as clean as I had expected. Regarding equipment, the room only had twenty five desks, a wooden teacher's chair, a teacher's table, which was broken on one side, and a blackboard. Upon further inspection of the room, I noticed that many of the desks were broken; some had various parts missing and others had nails exposed, which I thought was dangerous. Furthermore, I noticed all the windows had no curtains and that only two of the six fluorescent tubes that the class had were working. I was deflated, most of the excitement I had disappeared. I felt frustrated. However, I decided to make the most out of the place. I assessed the situation and came to the conclusion that what I had anticipated for my classroom was still achievable. I was the newly hired teacher and believed part of the reason why I was hired was to improve learning outcomes in the school. I believed, to do this, the class had to meet some minimum standards. I went to the school's administrator and asked about the situation and what was being done about it. The administrator responded that there was nothing that was being done and there was little we could do about it. He further said that it was the responsibility of the department of education to fix such problems, and that compared to other schools within the district, ours was paradise. Later, I asked the administrator whether the school had a video projector that I could use to teach some of my classes. The administrator responded that there was one video projector available for the entire school and that it was to be used for science classes only and that for me to have another one, I would have to write a letter to the Department of Education and wait for their correspondence. I immediately realized that that was just another way of saying that I was not getting one anytime soon. My frustrations got even worse. I had not expected what I was facing then. Even though I had not anticipated everything to be perfect, it never crossed my mind that things would be that bad. Just to get away from the situation and ease the anxieties in my mind, I went to a park that was near the school and lied down on one of the benches. The meditative environment, among the trees in the park, enabled me to calm down a bit, and started getting my thoughts together. I decided that I needed to succeed in teaching because this had been my dream job since I was a child. I resolved to push ahead and overcome the challenges. I was aware that this was not going to be easy, and that my plans about creative and innovative learning would not be easily implementable, but still, I said to myself that I would make the most of the equipments and facilities that I had at hand (Dancer, 2012).

I had always thought that my teaching career would be a smooth ride. That all I ever needed was to be disciplined and committed for me to meet my job responsibilities; and that the commitment on my part would make the students have respect for me. I always expected that out of that respect and the kind of discipline I had, the students would sit there and attentively listen, as I gave them interesting bits of information. My thoughts were not all that unrealistic either, for I had anticipated the class to also have a few troublemakers. However, perhaps my expectations had been informed by the way students behaved when I was in elementary school. The classes were not that chaotic back then. It was my expectation that I could easily plan the activities for each day. What I did not realize was the kind of energy that I would need to spend in keeping the children attentive and motivated. The next time I set foot in the class I had been assigned to, I was downright terrified. The children were already in class. The scene looked like it was straight out of a junior high class in a low income neighborhood. The class was chaotic. Students were screaming, running around and not even one seemed to notice I was standing there. I went through the same kind of shock I had experienced the first time I saw this classroom when the students were not in. For the first few days, I believed there was no way I could be part of the system. What I experienced and witnessed was so different and opposite of what I had anticipated (Cole & Knowles, 1993).

Critical incidents that have occurred between teacher & children or among children.

Educators are usually faced with the management issue of creating positive learning environments while teaching, especially in classes with diverse student populations. Novice teachers usually feel challenged when it comes to teaching and maintaining such environments. There is a need for a trainee-teacher to be and feel properly prepared to cope with the challenges that they might face in the class environment (Carter, Orr, McGriff, Thompson, & Sonawane, 2014).

In the class I was assigned to, I had the duty of providing learning outcomes for a class that was made up of mainly six and 5-year-olds, in social studies, reading, science, mathematics, writing and arts. Since each classroom dealt specifically with a certain age group, there was no other teacher who was handling a class that was made up of 6-year-olds, thus, there was no one to plan the curriculum with. The students I was handling were from different racial and ethnic extractions, there were whites, blacks, Asians, and biracial students. Many of these kids came from middle income families. The other teachers, who I was also meeting for the first time, came from different communities around the school district, and had taught for many years. A few of them had completed master's programs. My teaching style was from a practitioner inquiry stance i.e. a teacher as a researcher, which is a model for teachers to inquire/research specific questions related to the student's learning and teaching practices (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 2009).

Incident 1

On the day that particular incident occurred, I had started my duties on a very enthusiastic and positive note, however, by lunch period, I was frustrated with the behaviors of the children in my class. The children couldn't concentrate for 45 minutes without being constantly reprimanded and corrected every time. Additionally, the situation was so bad that a teacher from an adjacent class later approached me to tell me her students had a hard time concentrating because of all the yelling and the noise from my class. I mumbled an explanation to the troubles I had faced that morning, but the teacher was sympathetic. The teacher then said, "Wait until those kids get to my class, they will shape up!" I felt embarrassed. It was obvious that this was not the first time the noise from my class had been troubling her, and that day, she had just had enough. And she was "giving it to me." The ball was definitely in my court; her statements had implied that I was not controlling my class as I should. I had always dreaded the 11:00 to 11:45 period; I felt that I needed a new way to handle the class. I began asking myself whether the reading set was interesting enough or the students were well motivated to concentrate in the class (Tripp, 2011).

Incident 2

This incident occurred during a library period. The new librarian did not reprimand or chastise any of the 4 children who did not bring library books, which were due. Instead, he calmly reminded them to bring back the books next time since there were others who would also want the opportunity to use them. The class was not as disorganized or as chaotic as it was on the first days. On the contrary, the children gathered quietly and sat to listen to a story. There was no talking or nudging, the kids just sat there as if they were spellbound by the reader's voice. The children I had tried for quite some time to control were finally quiet and fully attentive. They even asked the librarian for copies of the story book that had been read. I looked at this incident with amazement and an open mind. I knew there was something I could borrow from this experience that I could incorporate in my teaching classes. It certainly dawned upon me that I had cajoled, encouraged and assigned students to read, but I had not even once read a story for them to simply enjoy. I knew I had to do this. I had been aware that reading could help the children relieve themselves off pressure, giving them the space to enjoy; but, I had not really come around to incorporate it in my teaching practice. I decided then onwards to read them not just stories, at least twice a week, but also interesting topics from science and history. This would ensure that they not only enjoy the stories, but also get to learn interesting facts (Tripp, 2011).

Incident 3

Less than two weeks into the school year, the third incident occurred. This particular incident took place at the play ground. As a couple of the students approached a bench under a tree shade to take their snacks, a couple of teachers who were close by reprimanded them and told them not to use those benches as they were only for teachers. I watched in disbelief not knowing what to do as I wasn't aware of such a rule. I thought it was not proper to restrict the children in that manner. I felt that I had to do something, but I was aware of the power differential; they not only appeared to have a connection among themselves, but were also much older than I was. I thought the requirement was not fair, but I could not gather enough courage to confront the older colleagues. When the children were reprimanded, the way they acted manifested the injustice they felt; through the body language, stares in my direction and their silence. They tried to appeal to me to stand up for them as they moved away from the benches. I felt they were not in agreement with the demands of their teachers, but they could not express their feelings since it was expected of students to obey instructions from their teachers, without questioning them (Kuby, 2013).