Past Teachers

In the past years the teachers that have had special qualities are the ones' that are friendly outside of class time, but are prepared to teach us the entire class period and roles between teacher and students were clearly defined.  Outside of class, teachers have been supportive mentors and were there for guidance and were willing to give advice.  On the other hand once we were in the classroom setting they are professional, goal oriented leaders.  The teachers skilled with classroom management would be the teachers I considered to have thought out our entire hour, before we stepped one foot in their classroom. They had expectations and I as a student felt as though the time in their class was organized, challenging and the time was used up wisely.  I remember these classes functioning even when the teacher stepped out into the hall to talk to a student or to a visiting teacher or principal. These classes seemed to have had a lot of time spent organizing where each and every supply went.  Where items belonged and routines were established and thrived on from the beginning of the school year.   The teachers with less skills in the classroom management area were the ones that had chaos in their classrooms when they were there and chaos times ten when we had a substitute.  A particular teacher comes to mind.....he had a couch in his room for reading time; however, he would lay down for maybe 5 minutes of our class time and say he had a head ache!   So you can imagine how many of us would come in a lay down and say we were tired, or needed to lay down because we didn't feel well...and he would allow us to.  Every 5th grade science class you could guarantee that someone was laying down for a quick nap, either the teacher or one of us.   I'm sure administration knew what was going on in their classrooms, I now, as a prospective teacher wonder if they had consequences whether good or bad?  Substitues must have dreaded taking over that class, we were so used to doing what we wanted, and what we didn't want to, for that matter.