{"id":518,"date":"2007-06-04T08:46:31","date_gmt":"2007-06-04T08:46:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/34.95.25.178\/maggie\/2007\/06\/04\/on_authority_and_classroom_management\/"},"modified":"2007-06-04T08:46:31","modified_gmt":"2007-06-04T08:46:31","slug":"on_authority_and_classroom_management","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.golding.ca\/maggie\/2007\/06\/04\/on_authority_and_classroom_management\/","title":{"rendered":"On Authority and Classroom Management"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dynamics & Diversity in the College Classroom
\nJournal #1
\nWhen I read Savage\u2019s \u201cEstablishing teacher leadership and authority,\u201d I was reminded of some of the first instances in which I realized that teacher authority is not automatic.
\nBefore I began my career at the Cegep level, I worked as a substitute teacher at the elementary level. I was never under any delusions about making elementary school a permanent home; I took the job in order to build up my resum\u00e9 with some teaching experience. Prior to the Performa program, I had no training as a teacher, but I was able to consult with my aunt, who is an elementary school teacher. Armed with her suggestions, and the lesson plans of the teachers I was replacing, I thought I was ready. After two months of fairly regular work, I told the school to take my name of the list, and I\u2019m ashamed to admit they were only too happy to do so. I had no control over those classes, and found myself frequently resorting to coercive authority, with very little effect. In retrospect, it\u2019s clear that the students were quick to peg me as some one who did not merit expert authority<\/A> \u2013 not only did I have no teacher training, I was asked to substitute for teachers at all levels, from Kindergarten to Grade 6, and more than once, for the gym teacher. Because I so often resorted to coercive authority, I didn\u2019t merit any referent authority<\/A>, either \u2013 in short, I was doomed!<\/p>\n


\nWhen I started teaching at the Cegep level, everything fell into place. I felt confident and in control, since the material was my area of expertise; furthermore, since I was \u201cthe\u201d teacher, rather than the substitute, I was relying on a certain level of legitimate authority<\/A>. Also, unlike the elementary school experience, I felt well-prepared, since I had the luxury of a few weeks to prepare my classes, with model outlines and clear objectives as my guides, as well as departmental norming sessions, which assured me that I was neither too hard nor too lenient a marker. Naturally, my stomach was filled with butterflies in my first classes of that semester (and the first classes of every semester since!), but regardless, it worked \u2013 I was given authority almost without question, and the few pockets of resistance were relatively easy to handle.
\nI assumed, then, that as long as one was teaching at the right level, with the right content knowledge, that classroom management was fairly straightforward. I learned this was not the case in my second year of teaching, when I collaborated with two other teachers on a project aimed to help second-language students succeed in their first year. About halfway through the semester, we conducted a survey with the students; one of my colleagues came into my classroom to distribute the surveys. The class was relatively small, with about 20 students, and the only real \u2018problem\u2019 I had encountered with the students was getting them to speak English in class. When my colleague addressed the room, however, the atmosphere changed noticeably; the students turned their focus away from the teacher and toward each other, and began talking to each other, in French, about their weekend plans, their upcoming gym class, and so on. I was flabbergasted \u2013 I was standing at the front of the room and I couldn\u2019t hear my colleague over the student chatter! I signalled him to stop for a moment, and told the class that I expected them to give the same attention to him that they had always given me, which they then did, thankfully.
\nThe teacher in question was at least ten years my senior, and definitely an expert in his field, yet the students apparently did not accord him the same authority they were willing to give me. Afterward, he said to me \u201cyour students really respect you,\u201d with genuine surprise in his voice. Other subsequent instances with other colleagues confirmed that his was not an isolated, anomalous case; Cegep students are just as quick to withdraw legitimate authority with teachers who somehow communicate inexperience or ineptness (I\u2019m trying really hard not to use the old chestnut \u201cthey can smell fear\u201d). In course evaluations, I have had more than one student comment that I \u201cknow my stuff,\u201d \u201cobviously love\u201d my job, and \u201creally care\u201d about my students; upon reflection, I think these comments suggest that my students have granted me expert authority, as well as referent authority. This is not to suggest that I have nothing left to learn in this area; so far, the material in this course is fascinating, and certainly those aforementioned pockets of resistance are inevitable. Last summer\u2019s psychology course was useful in that it helped me understand some student behaviour on an individual level; I think this course will prove at least as useful in understanding some of the external factors that influence their behaviour.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dynamics & Diversity in the College Classroom Journal #1 When I read Savage\u2019s \u201cEstablishing teacher leadership and authority,\u201d I was reminded of some of the first instances in which I realized that teacher authority is not automatic. Before I began my career at the Cegep level, I worked as a substitute teacher at the elementary … <\/p>\n

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