Classroom Management – Helping Teachers Grow

Hey!  Where have I been?

Good question. If you teach, and I can only assume that you do since you’re reading my blog about teaching, then you know how easy it is to get lost in your job.  This year I’ve really been involved at school and haven’t taken the time to update my blog like I should.

But that’s all about to change.  I’ve recently had a serious increase in people signing up for my online classroom management training, and it’s reinspired me to continue with my blogging.  After all, teachers learn best from other teachers, and I truly feel I’ve got something to offer the teaching profession.

If you’re looking for ways to become a better manager of classroom behavior, head on over to my website featuring my most current online class management videos: Take Back That Class – Class Management that Really Works! These videos are availabe for instant download and have helped hundreds of teachers manage student behavior- and in so doing, these teachers have told me that they really enjoy their jobs much more!

Doesn’t that sound good?

Darren Barkett
HelpingTeachersGrow.com

As many of you know, I’m teaching the 7th grade in a rural western North Carolina middle school.  I love teaching there as the students are so great and rewarding.

The school I work at, Canton Middle School, recently received a grant for a bunch of new technology to be integrated into classroom instruction.  A part of that grant included training and help implementing that technology.  And a part of that implementation is our classroom blogs.

I’ve just made my first post of the year on my classroom blog, but I’ll be adding small podcasts from my students later this week.  If you’re interested in what I’ve got going on in my classes, check out my other blog at Mr. B’s Language Arts Blog.

I’d love to hear a comment from my loyal readers out there!

Darren B.

If you haven’t been to our forums in a while, you should stop by.  Things are picking up over there.

I’ve always been so impressed by the combined experience of our forums collaborating to help teachers trouble shoot and problem solve the difficult situations we face in our classes.  Even though I feel pretty secure with my classroom management, I love picking up a trick or two from the other pro’s out there.

And if you’re not a pro and just want a bit of help with something you know you’ll be facing in the class once our students come back, post it in the forums.  I’m sure someone will help you see a way through.

Here’s the link to our forums:  www.helpingteachersgrow.com/forums

Darren

I’ve been taking a lot of time this summer to write my book.  No, it’s not the great American novel, even though I’ve got one of those lurking in the depths of my brain.  It’s my whole classroom management system and teaching philosophy rolled into one.

What’s interesting as I write this is that the simply process of putting down into words my management system and my teaching philosophy requires me to become even more clear on what I think makes a class run smoothly, what I think helps me as a teacher be successful.

And then trying to put that into a verbal expression that will help other teachers experience success like I have takes the challenge to an entirely new level!

I’m really enjoying this challenge, though.  I’d thought I would spend much of this summer creating more classroom management videos- and I was able to make one more- but I’m spending almost all my free time on this class management book.  When I get it finished I’ll let you know.  Already, it looks to be a solid solution to so many problems our teachers are having with the management of their students.

I know these systems work because they work for me and they work for others I’ve taught over the years.  I just can’t wait to spread this easy and powerful system to more and more teachers in the hopes that I can expand my influence beyond my classroom and school.

Be good out there.  I hope you’re getting more outside time than I am.

Darren Barkett

My first week home from school is always an adjustment for me.  My mind and body is so used to being constantly involved from the moment I get to school at 7:45 until the moment I leave work.  Now that I’ve got time to relax or reflect or exercise, it’s taking a bit for my mind to adjust.

Anyone else feeling this lag time?

True, summers off is a great perk of being a teacher.  But making that adjustment to having so much flexibility in my schedule is a lot easier said than done.  I no longer have to wolf down my food at lunch.  I don’t have to time out my bathroom breaks.  I can actually watch a bit of tv during the day if I am so inclined.

Last summer my family and I went on vacation the week after school was out.  This was a great way to transition into the summer.  By the time I returned from vacation, I’d completely adjusted to my new time frame.  This summer, though, our vacation is next week.  And I’m here with all this energy that had been focused on running my classroom.

Luckily I’ve got my classroom management training I’m working on producing for release this August.  It’s got me keeping focused more than in the past.  And it’s exciting to connect with other teachers out there who are looking for ways to grow over the summer.

I hope you’re finding ways to adjust to our wonderful summer schedule.  Let me know how you are coping.  And I’ll make sure I keep you informed on the progress of my latest classroom management videos.

If you haven’t seen my latest offering on how to get your students to listen to you every time you speak, check out the video at http://www.helpingteachersgrow.com/classroommanagement_freedownload.html

You’ll find both of my free videos available to you there.

Enjoy these long days of summer!

Darren B.

I’ve been teaching long enough to know what helped me be successful as a teacher.  But what helped me might not be the same thing that would help you…

So, a question for you.  What would help you most in your classroom?  What is your greatest challenge in your classroom?  What brings you down and drains your energy in the classroom?

In other words, how can I best help you grow as a teacher?

I’m busy creating my curriculum for the six week seminar due to be released in August, and I want to make sure I include aspects of teaching and classroom management that will be most helpful to you.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.  I very much look forward to hearing from you!

Darren

I recently released my online training for teachers, helping them develop and implement their classroom management systems, and the response has been exciting. Many individuals are emailing me with stories of how my systems have revitalized their learning and refocused their efforts in the classroom towards more efficient and effective classroom management practices.

I received a nice email from a preschool teacher who was pondering a purchase of this $27 classroom management training, and I thought others might have similar questions. Here’s her email:

“I’m very excited to find a program like this one and would like to get started learning the techniques… yesterday!

My dilemma is that I have a difficult time viewing video on my computer. The videos do something called “buffering” for up to 5 minutes at a time and then I get about 30 seconds worth of actual viewing. I don’t know much about computers, so suggesting a download or upgrade is futile.

Is there an alternate way I could benefit from these trainings without having to view videos?

Also, I am new to teaching preschool children (I formerly worked with infants and toddlers). I currently head a class of 10 3-year-olds. No assistant.

Up until now, I considered myself an excellent “teacher” and found my work very rewarding. What I’m so good at, however, is relating to very young children on a psychological level. I have very little skill dealing with the behavior problems I am encountering with 3-year-old children.

Before I buy, do your training programs focus on preschool age children?

Any suggestions you can give me would be greatly appreciated.”

And here’s my response:

Glad to hear your excitement about the program. Yes, I definitely feel like my methods will help you with your preschoolers. It’s all a matter of finding out what motivates them to do well, and then clearly defining your expectations. I go into this in much greater detail in the training videos.

As for your video issues, the training is available for viewing from the site, which has been giving you difficulties, and it is also available for download. I think you’ll be able to download all the videos in their entirety and then play them from your computer. You won’t need to buffer the videos since they will already be loaded on your computer. You’ll just be watching them from your saved copy rather than streaming them from the internet.

Does this make sense?

Also, I offer a money-back guarantee if for whatever reason you’re not pleased with the classroom management training I offer. Just ask, and I’ll send you a refund.

Here’s the direct link for you to order the training if you’re interested: http://helpingteachersgrow.com/classmanagement01sltr.html

She did purchase this training, and later emailed me about how much she enjoyed the videos. I’m still waiting for her testimonial on how the classroom management training transformed her class of preschoolers!

Darren

Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed your week. My family and I just returned last night from our spring vacation, and I can’t help but feel like I need a couple days vacation from my vacation. Ever felt like that?

Well, like the rest of us, I’m not getting those extra days, and it’s back to the classroom for me. But that’s a good thing since my students this year are great. I ask them to work hard for me, and for the most part, they do just that.

A little update on the first of my classroom management mini-courses. I was hoping to release the first of my classes early this week, but getting caught up with all my emails has taken me a bit longer than I expected. Tentatively I’ll be releasing that first course this Friday.

I’ve outlined the different course offerings in the forums if you were a bit confused between the mini-courses and my intensive six-week seminar. Here’s the link to the post that explains the differences and tells you a little about what to expect: HelpingTeachersGrow.com/minicoursespost

If you haven’t visited our forums yet, you should. More and more people are growing our community every day. I’m always so thankful for everyone out there who has taken their free time to help others in the forums. If you’ve got a question or are troubled by something in your classes, post it in the forums. We’ve got hundreds of years of combined teaching experience visiting them daily! HelpingTeachersGrow.com/forums

I don’t know about your students, but mine seemed a bit sleepy this first day back from break. I’m pretty thankful for that, though, as I need a bit of a warm-up before really getting cranking.

Thanks, as always, for coming around. Leave me a comment and let me know how things are going for you at this late stage in the year. Are your students getting tired? Are things getting exciting, building up for any end of the grade tests coming up? How are your doing? Are you having trouble being as consistent as you were earlier in the year? Let me know what’s happening with you. I always enjoy those personal connections we make with our growing community.

Darren B.

I just had to share this email I received tonight. It was so positive and supportive. It really made my evening. Here it is:

Dear Darren,

Just want to let you know that I watched both of your videos. I wish I would have found your website during student teaching. I was lost when it came to the constant talking by the students. My weakness was not nipping it in the bud at the first signs of talking. Now I know!

In my opinion, you are providing a great service for all teachers, especially beginners like myself. The information you give has made me feel more confident about managing my own classroom. I look forward to your classes.

Thanks for your support,

Rachel

And thank you Rachel for you kind words of support. It is for exactly this reason that I’ve started working towards helping teachers be more effective in the classroom. If you are like Rachel and you’ve been helped by my videos, I want to hear from you. I’m putting the final touches on my first class management mini-course, and your input will help me make the course more effective and empowering.

After all, I’m doing this, not just as a job, but to help grow individuals and the teaching profession as a whole.

You can always leave a comment here on this blog or head over to our forums at HelpingTeachersGrow.com/forums.

Darren

Hey all you teachers out there!

Do you see that big orange square off to the right? By clicking on that orange square, you can become a subscriber of this blog! It’s really quite simple. Click on that orange square. You’ll be taken to my RSS page (don’t worry if you don’t know what RSS means). There you’ll see a brief summary of all the posts on this blog. Near the top you’ll see something that allows you to subscribe to this “feed.” Once you’ve subscribed, you’ll be notified any time I publish new content on this blog.

Pretty neat stuff. It’s a great time saver for when you don’t want to enter the address in every time to see what’s happening. And this way you’ll be kept up to date on any new developments with Helping Teachers Grow’s newest online training and free classroom tips and tricks.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Darren Barkett