“Mom, I Mean Ms…” Classroom Management Ideas I Learned From My Mom

My mother is an amazing woman.  She has a calm sense about her in every situation I have ever observed her in.  She has four unique and different children she has watched struggle, grow, develop, fail and succeed.  She is my center and what I strive to be.  In the classroom, we are mothers to our children.  I am sure we have all heard, “Mom,” followed by a slight embarrassed giggle and, “I mean Ms…”  These are the things I have learned from my mom for successful classroom management.

•  If I told you once, I told you a thousand times!  Teachers, if you allow yourselves, could repeat directions forever.  This is done with love and often exasperation.  In the classroom, it is important NOT to repeat.   I require my students to listen when I give instructions and then they are to seek advice from a friend.  This creates a classroom environment where students listen to and respect whoever is speaking.

• Are we there yet? The age-old question from family vacations or a trip to grandma’s house continues today in the classroom to the tune of “I’m done!”  But unlike the family trip, in the classroom we are never “there”.  Learning is a lifelong process.  My students know when they are done with an assignment they should check for accuracy and effort and then find something else meaningful, in that subject, to do.  This is also a time for students to peer teach and help others who are still on the journey.

• If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it too?  Individuality and creativity are celebrated and respected in our classroom.  Students learn they have to be happy with who they are, the work they do, and the projects they create.  I have my students make a list of things they are experts at so we know who to go for to find help.  Everyone is good at something and nobody is good at everything.

• When I was your age…This is a lesson from mom I use when a lesson starts going bad or attention begins to lag.  Stop and tell a story that relates to the topic but from “back in the day”.  This little diversion gives the kids a break and then allows me to alter the lesson or pull us back on track.’

• I’m your mother, not your maid!  Learning is a messy job and I teach my students to be a community, help each other, and take responsibility for their environment.  I don’t clean up for my kids and I don’t do something for them they could do themselves.

My mom is not an educator but she is one of the best teachers I know.  She has patience, love, respect, and an open mind that allows everyone around her to learn and grow and become better than they thought possible.  It is because of this amazing woman I am the teacher I am today.  Thank you, Teresa Weixelman, for the life lessons that bring family and community to my little classroom every year.