I felt a bead of sweat make its way down the side of my eyebrow. My legs frozen in place. My hands became clammy in a heartbeat. I simply could not believe what was unfolding before my eyes. I looked toward my mentor teacher sitting at the back of the room. He looked at me with a hopeful gaze, as if to say, ‘you’ve got this’. But I didn’t. I had lost control.
You know when your mentor teacher tells you that you know all control was lost when kids are swinging from the fans? We all think it’s hilarious and laugh it off. Well that very situation was unfolding before my very eyes. Chairs being knocked over, students unwilling (or unable) to follow my instructions, more noise than a U2 concert, and of course that one Year 9 boy who was literally trying to grab the fan blade. This is unfortunately, the very hellish reality for a number of beginning teachers throughout Queensland.
As a mentor to beginning teachers, I see first hand the issues of behaviour management in teachers throughout the state. Evidently, as the statistics show time and time again, that classroom management (or lack thereof) costs the department a great number of potentially wonderful teachers every single year; to the point where a teacher shortage is looming.
Personally, I was extremely lucky that I was able to access this professional development very early in my teaching career. I have said it before, and I will continue to say it, Classroom Profiling Training changes teaching competency overnight!
So, the question must be asked, why isn’t Classroom Profiling Training, the very first subject taught in the field of Education at tertiary institutions Australia wide? The many hours I sat in lecture halls at university, sipping on my coffee, head bobbing up and down, struggling to stay awake, impacted my daily teaching practice marginally. Teachers need more hands on strategies for classroom management at university level, and classroom profiling has by far, had the biggest impact on my
day-to-day practice as a teacher.
Unfortunately, the opening anecdote is a tale too often heard in Queensland schools (especially in challenging regions). However, we can transform these traumatic experiences of beginning teachers through positive strategies and conversations. I have seen it literally transform teaching practice dozens of times.
It is an incredible useful set of strategies for teachers, a training framework for beginning and experienced teachers, and data collection tool for administrators and teachers alike. It is under utilised by universities and teacher training courses
in Queensland. In a time when we need to retain effective and intelligent teaching staff, Classroom Profiling rules supreme and is worth its weight in gold!
It’s time others stood up and took notice!
Article by Sam Williams
Sam Williams is a Classroom Profiler Level 1 (at the time of publication). Sam’s article was a featured story in a past issue of the CPA Inc. member’s newsletter.
Original article published in the CPA Inc. Newsletter in Term 4, 2018.
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