Whether you're a first-year teacher or a seasoned pro, effective classroom management is a critical piece of any successful classroom. Share what works.
Respecting Students' Personal Space
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Larry Ferlazzo
I teach English & Social Studies at inner-city high school in Sacramento,CA
Posted on 12/20/2009
I've written a post about a recent understanding I've come to about student "personal space," and wondered if others might have had similar experiences.
To summarize my post, I had some classroom management issues with students who felt like I would get too physically close to them, and it turned out that in their lives the only time adult males would get that close would be to beat them. After asking them how close I could get without them feeling threatened, we now work well together.
Have you had similar experiences?
Comments (1)
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Gender Neutral?
I've had similar experiences with students. I, too, teacher in an inner-city, high-poverty school (6th-8th grades). Even as a woman, students would tell me to "get out of my face". I don't think it's just adult males; it may be any adult or authority figure who gets close to them, especially with some type of consequence.
Thankfully, as I build relationships with students, I find that I can get close to them without any problems. Perhaps, that is the advantage I have as a woman!
Erika