Catholic School Matters
October 8, 2017
The Classroom Management Issue
Last week, I had the opportunity to sit in a classroom with one of our principals and conduct a side-by-side observation of one of her teachers. Afterward we talked about what we saw and what good instruction looks like. It was a stark reminder to me that for all of our talk about national and system issues surrounding schools, it all begins in the classroom. We need to give our teachers good resources and coach them to improve. Our students deserve the best teachers and we should all figure out our role in improving instruction.
To that end, let's talk about classroom management. Here is the link to the last Classroom Management special issue (Oct 23rd, 2016). Here are some resources I've come across in the past year:
· What Motivates Employees More: Rewards or Punishments? In the Harvard Business Review takes us a little off course from classroom management, but it is still worth considering. After all, isn’t classroom management essentially the motivation of the unmotivated?
· The blogger “TeacherTrap” presents a great Classroom Management Makeover that discusses punishments and rewards in the classroom
· The More Innovative I have become, the less classroom management..” is a great blog post by George Couros. George is a great blogger to follow!
· When Vicki Davis interviews Larry Ferlazzo on her podcast about classroom management, it is the collision of two great educators.
· Learning Students’ Names and Improving Classroom Management is a great blog post by Laura Lee Moss (the “ELA Teacher”)
· Edutopia presents 7 Tips for Better Classroom Management as well as Classroom Management Essentials for New Teachers
· Jennifer Gonzalez (the “Cult of Pedagogy” blogger) presents Managing Misbehavior in the College Classroom which is relevant to secondary teachers, Classroom Management: 4 Keys to Starting the Year Off Right and 10 Ways to Sabotage Your Classroom Management and she came out with a podcast entitled When Your Students Won't Stop Talking
· The “PeachforTeach” blogger has a great blog post filled with recommendations for teachers entitled “How to Stop Calling Out & ‘Class Clown’ Behaviors”
· Blogger and school administrator David Geurin has a great perspective on leadership vs. management in the context of classroom management 7 Ways ‘Classroom Leadership’ is Better than ‘Classsroom Management’
· How to Get Your Students to Follow Directions by blogger Jennifer Findley is full of great recommendations
· eSchoolNews has a slew of resources for classroom management
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Dr. Tim Uhl
What I'm Up To
After two weeks of Catholic Leadership Summit (CLS) previews, I am now turning my attention to a more focused approach to the CLS. Dr. Tom Burnford has declared that NCEA will be incorporating Joy of the Gospel and market research of Catholic schools into creating a new vision for American Catholic schools. Two weeks ago, podcast #76 was a conversation with Superintendent David Faber about Joy of the Gospel. Last week's podcast #77 was be a dive into the market research. Tomorrow, I'll talk to Dr. Tom Burnford and he'll preview his ideas about incorporating the two.
Here is the link to the podcast on iTunes. Here are videos showing you how to download and subscribe to a podcast on iTunes and how to download and subscribe a podcast on Android.
I'm continuing to develop a "Church Documents" podcast study series. The series will kick off October 30th and will trace Church documents on Catholic education from Vatican II until today. I recommend you order At The Heart of the Church so that you can read along.
Here's what I'm working on this week:
- Monday: Great Falls meetings; CLS Preview Podcast Episode #78: Dr. Tom Burnford (NCEA).
- Tuesday: Office (Helena).
- Wednesday: St. Labre Board meeting (Billings) & Butte Central Catholic Board meeting (Butte). Wed book blog Catholic Schools & The Common Good.
- Thursday: St. Labre Board meeting (Billings).
- Friday: Office (Helena); continue production of Church Documents podcast series.
Miles this week: 1,279 road miles
Miles travelled in 2017-18: 8,574 road miles; 4,866 air miles
Catholic School Matters
Email: superintendent@montanacc.org
Website: www.montanacatholicschools.org
Location: PO Box 1708 Helena MT 59601
Phone: (406) 442-5761
Facebook: facebook.com/montanacatholicschools
Twitter: @mtcathschools
NCEA News
- Catholic Leadership Summit October 22-25, 2017
- Convention, April 3-5, 2018 Cincinnati
Awards
- Nominations for the spring awards are now open: Lead, Learn, Proclaim Awards; President's Awards; and Youth Virtues, Vision and Valor are now open. Click here for more information.
Professional Development
- Click here to register for webinars
- Oct 10th: Using Video Across the Curriculum
- Oct 11th: How to Save a Bullied Child or a Bully in Crisis
- Oct 12th: Twitter 101 for Educators
- Featured Resource: School Handbooks: Legal Considerations
What I'm Reading
- Queen Sugar (2014) by Natalie Baszile
- When Breath Becomes Air (2016) by Paul Kanalithi (finished)
- Letterman: The Last Giant of Late Night (2017) by Jason Zinoman (finished)
- Wait, What? And LIfe's Other Essential Questions by James E. Ryan. (finished)
- Learning Transformed: 8 Keys to Designing Tomorrow's Schools, Today by Eric Sheninger & Thomas Murray (finished)
Click this link for a full list of my professional reading along with links to Wed Book Blogs
For Montana Administrators & Teachers
- Since the University of Notre Dame jumped on board with two different presentations--one on Science & Religion and another on reaching high-risk students by the American Indian Catholic School network--here is the new flyer.
- Here is the flyer for the Sophia professional development for religion teachers on October 19th in Butte, America
- Here is the slideshow for the Oct 3rd Admin Virtual meeting, including the login info and agenda. Please read pp. 41-54 of Redeeming Administration.
Past Issues of Catholic School Matters
October 1, 2017 "The Un-Themed Issue"
September 24, 2017 "Joy of the Gospel"
September 17, 2017 "ESSA"
September 10, 2017 "On Leadership"
August 27, 2017 "American Catholic News"
August 20, 2017 Back to School Issue