Fine Tuning Behaviour Management as a Relief Teacher

I found a series of short videos on YouTube by Dr Bill Rogers who is a behaviour management specialist. I have watched a few of these and found this one below to be really interesting. This clip focuses on settling a class at the beginning of the day.





I really liked this short clip and can definitely see how as a relief teacher I could use this on a daily basis to establish control of a class. It made me think about the type of language I use in the classroom and whether or not I use positive language enough when I interact with the class. The aspect of calmness was also interesting. I would like to think of myself as a clam and relaxed teacher but I have been finding this a bit hard to achieve with some of the relief classes I have had recently. Maybe if I consciously started off each day in this positive and calm fashion it would help me set the tone for the day. I think this would also give the class a better perspective of the sort of teacher I aim to be.

A Better Way To Say Sorry

I came across this article about teaching children how to apologise properly rather than just saying sorry. I can see how this would be useful to use in the classroom, or at home with my own children, to teach them why it is important to say sorry and to mean what they say. The structure of the apology also ensures that the child saying sorry actually thinks about what they are saying and why they are saying sorry. I will have to give it a go and see what the results are.

Relief Teaching

Finally I have finished my teaching course and I am able to get out into the big wide world of teaching. I have to admit it is not exactly as I thought it would be. Due to a job shortage I have spent the last six months earning my stripes as a relief teacher. It has been tough work but I have learnt so much. In a way I feel as though a year of relief before I am able to have a classroom of my own will do me a lot of good. I have been able to experience different school, different classroom organisation and teaching styles. I have become more confident at walking into a room and assuming control straight away. I am more confident in my behavioural management techniques and more aware of who I am as a teacher.

Its not all bad, I have had some amazing days as a relief teacher, especially teaching music to pre-primary students. But I can not wait for a classroom of my own. I think that I am really going to appreciate that in a way I could not have before if I had not experienced the life of a relief teacher.