Teacher Interview

My Teacher Interview    <----- Click the hyperlink to see the Interview!

My Response

I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing a teacher that I currently work with in summer school. Mrs. Ciocci is a teacher in my own school building during the regular school year, but I was not her program assistant in her classroom.

Working with her currently right now in the summer, I have learned so much from her in terms of classroom management. I believe she does a great job working with her students on a routine for them in school. Our students are brand new into the school world, and Mrs. Ciocci, I believe does an excellent job in helping our students understand and get the hang of the idea of school and that new world for them.

When re-watching the interview again I did hear some answers she talked about that correlate with the chapters assigned for this week. In chapter thirteen, in particular, page 512 talked about management means relationships. Mrs. Ciocci talked about having the students feel comfortable with her and in the classroom. When students feel caring and support from their teachers, they are more likely to cooperate with classroom activities. I have seen her in action with her students and many of our students trust a teacher they are familiar with and will only go with them. For example, Mrs. Ciccoi talked about students and their routines and if something were to not be in the order of a regular routine like picture day, most students would not enjoy it because it is something new to them. However, if a student trusts you enough, they will hold your hand and go along with it, but you have to try. I see this a lot working with the younger students. Another point she brought up was the routine inside of a classroom. In chapter thirteen page 514 in routine and procedures, efficient procedures and routines reduce confusion and opportunities for misbehavior, and they save tune that can be devoted to learning tasks. She explained what a typical day in her classroom look like by first starting off having breakfast in the classroom followed by circle time that has many academics built into it than large group activity, then  centers, gross motor time (gym), come back inside the classroom for story time/mini-lesson then if there is time, they will have a snack for communication purposes. This is a typical routine that I saw works best for her type of classroom where the structure is very important especially for the students she has. Though I am not going for special education, I did see how it can relate to me when going into general education because my future students will need a routine to follow as well. We see how students start off their morning with breakfast if the school provides that then putting away coats and turning in homework in a bin or whatnot. It is good to have a routine like that built in for students for them to reduce any confusion. I did not notice how much it can impact a student until there is a substitute teacher who may not know their routine and students tend to “correct them”. Last key point she mentioned was planning spaces for learning. “Spaces for learning should invite and support the activities you plan for your classes, and they should respect the inhabitant of the space.” This is important because classroom space does have an effect on student behavior and learning. “Setting up the classroom to make sure kids can figure things out it will make their life 100% easier because once they know the expectations and things are labeled and they know where to go, it will make your life easier” (Mrs. Ciocci). I felt she was spot on about the environment in the classroom and how that is very important to her because it could help prevent a lot of behavior and how it should be well thought out in terms of the classroom space.

As a future teacher, I am glad to have interviewed Mrs. Ciocci because I felt better about what is classroom management and the role it plays inside a real classroom. It is one thing to read about, but it different viewing it in action and having the teacher explain to you why she has her classroom in a certain way or why it is important for her to take this table over here and not over there. Each teacher will have their own personal way on how they manage a classroom and it all depends on the students. I know Mrs. Ciocci has thought it out each school year how she sets her rules and who will need more attention with a certain task or how to transition a student from inside the classroom or outside the classroom. It all comes with experience and she has learned throughout the years and is still learning. I found that to be genuine and I look forward to having this information about how I will deal with classroom management.