When it comes to all classroom procedures, Mr. DuPlessis (high school band teacher at Corona Del Sol) and I seemed to come to an agreement on how he partakes in this action, and how I view myself doing it in the near future. We discussed shortly how his expectations are always set within the first week or so of school, and consist of his students putting up their backpacks/books/etc. and gathering all of their stuff to be set for playing in class each and every day. During class, he makes it an effort to train his students not to talk and be disobedient, and to give the students whom he is focusing his attention on the proper respect. As time ticks by, he is the one who dismisses them (not the bell!) and from that point, the students put up all their instruments/music/etc. and gather their own belongings to proceed to their next classroom. As he stated to me, students of all ages need boundaries and need to be told specifically what to do. Being strict and setting high expectations is the only way to avoid confusion, especially with a huge band class of 50+!

    In terms of rules, the same thing applies as it does for procedures and routines. Being firm and strict is always a must, because once we (the teacher) slips, the students can find multiple reasons to disobey us. I asked Mr. DuPlessis what his course of action would be if he ever had a student misbehave, and he gave me a few very short and specific answers: first and foremost, always try and approach talking to them in person to get the issue solved (preferably with any teacher around, just to avoid any insinuations). Secondly, a phone call to their parents is usually advised, depending on the problem of matter. Thirdly, if either of those situations doesn’t help (which in most cases it usually does), refer them to the principal’s office for further guidance. By this point, their problem is completely out of your hands (whew!).

    During our conversation, I couldn’t have agreed more with him! I have always been one to be firm with whomever I teach, and I surely don’t plan to change anytime in the near future. This topic was great to cover because it really made me think of what I would do in specific situations I could run across on. Good thing my IMT and I agreed on almost everything, now I know I wouldn’t be doing anything crazy!