My afternoon

So yesterday I got the challenge of taking over the class for the full afternoon while my mentor teacher needed to leave early. She did hire a sub, but made it clear to the class that I was the one in charge for the afternoon. The sub really did stay in the background. It was a chaotic day to say the least. I think the kids were testing me. But I ended up being more firm then I usually am in the classroom. When my mentor teacher and I talked this morning, she realized that if the class will become so chaotic when she leaves, that means they are relying on her to keep them on task. So today we decided things needed to change up. We went with "killing them with kindness." We noticed how the students need to learn to regulate themselves more so we don't come off too firm. We had a class meeting and my mentor teacher stressed that she did not want to use her grumpy voice today. The atmosphere was a lot better then yesterday. It is a challenge to have a good balance sometimes of being gentle and firm. But I am learning. Classroom management and working with behaviors is definitely an area I'd like to work on this year.