Marisol León, who is teaching for the first time, has a very well written op-ed piece in the Los Angeles Times. There’s not really much connection to Behavior Mod, save for the extract I’ll add here. Still, it’s a worthwhile read.
Every teacher I’ve talked to emphasizes the importance of classroom management, so I made my expectations on behavior and academic performance — and the consequences of not meeting them — very clear that first day too. But before we got into that, I asked my new students two questions: What is something you have in common with everyone else in this classroom, and what is one thing that makes you unique? We discussed the importance of finding strength in our differences and similarities as a class. We talked about classroom values: Respect. Honesty. Pride. Community. Responsibility.
I hope that the behaviors associated with those watchwords that Ms. León used (which seem very popular among novice teachers) are taught efficiently and explicitly. The challenge for teachers, beginners and experienced, is to apply the same systematic procedures for teaching behavior that one would use for teaching students how to read.
Regardless of that point, what I enjoyed, beyond the word-by-word quality of Ms. León’s essay, is the resolution of story. She ends with a sentiment that is probably familiar to most teachers. But, you’ll have to read it yourself….
Link Ms. León’s “A Teacher’s First Day.”
I agree with your point about teaching these values explicitly. I spent over a week trying to teach my students the meaning of respect. I continue to reinforce it through the language I use and little examples throughout the day. It’s hard work, but they won’t pick it up just from teachers ‘expecting’ it.