Classroom Management and Personal Vision

Came across this post yesterday on The Cornerstone Blog and finally got to reading it today. The blogger is a public school teacher, but her post resonated with my most recent classroom management dilemma. Most conscientious CEGEP teachers will recognize the wisdom in her words. She sums her thoughts up as follows:

The commitment to a personal vision is what ensures success and brings both the teacher and student back into the classroom each day. And while it’s critical to create buy-in among students, the concept of a personal vision must originate within the teacher. It is the teacher who creates the classroom environment and community, and so it is the teacher who holds real power for systemic change.

I am convinced that the key to personal efficacy, effectiveness, and longevity in the classroom has more to do with a teacher’s internal state of mind than any outside attribute. Efficacy is impossible when a teacher is distracted by personal issues, taking offense at student misbehavior, holding onto grudges against administration, and constantly judging parents for the way students are raised. These poisonous attitudes will slowly destroy a teacher’s vision…