Step 1: Classroom Management

The first step to becoming the Rock Star Teacher you want to be is improving your classroom management. Many teachers make the mistake of thinking discipline first when thinking classroom management. This mentality must change.
The first thing a Rock Star Teacher thinks of when thinking classroom management is procedures!

Teaching your procedures to your students is the single most important process in creating a productive classroom. Students need structure and they need to know what to expect. By teaching them classroom procedures you are ensuring they get the structure they need and they know what to expect. You also ensure you get the structure YOU need in order to effectively implement your lessons and YOU know what to expect from your students. I am not a fan of re-inventing the wheel, so rather than expounding on how to implement effective classroom management here, I am going to send you to the book THE FIRST DAYS OF SCHOOL by Harry K. Wong and Rosemary T. Wong. I can assure you this book provides all of the necessary steps to help you improve your classroom management which will help you become a Rock Star Teacher.

I had the good fortune of starting my teaching career in a district that uses THE FIRST DAYS OF SCHOOL with new teachers. I used this book as much as possible and it led me to the Rock Star Teacher status very quickly. As an administrator, I have referenced this book many times with new teachers and veteran teachers. I have post-it notes sticking out of the book everywhere! I have highlighted the text, I have underlined the text, I have quoted the text.

I cannot tell you enough how helpful this book is when setting up your classroom management.

My final comment on classroom management and Rock Star Teachers is in order for any classroom management plan to work, you must feel comfortable with the procedures you have put in place and you must uphold those procedures. It is the commitment to the plan you create, and the fidelity with which you implement it that will ensure you reach Rock Star Teacher status.

The Rock Star Teacher is Born

Picture yourself as a student in your own classroom.

• Are you listening to yourself (the teacher)?
• Are you actively involved in the day's lesson?
• Are you engaged in the content?
• Do you know what you are supposed to be learning?

If you answered "No" to any of these questions you are NOT a Rock Star Teacher.

But, today is your lucky day. From here on forward, if you follow this blog, you have the chance to become a Rock Star Teacher. Today is the birth of a new Rock Star Teacher.