Going to school is a staple in everyone’s life at one point or another. Unfortunately, one part of the learning environment that is not a staple is good behavior among all students.

Have you been in a class where the teacher has no control?

Many students have had that one out of control, loud, and overall toxic classroom environment to try learn in. Senior Johnny Silva can vividly remember his wild 8th grade language arts class. He said that his teacher had no control over them because they could do whatever they wanted, and his teacher would not care. He said, “It was a chaotic environment for those students who cared.”

   Sophomore Anthony Lara has also been in a class where there was no structure or control. For him it was a previous class where the teacher would not teach the class, which bothered Anthony because he took the class wanting to learn.

   A female senior who chose to remain anonymous can recall back in her freshman and junior years that her teachers had no control because the students would go as far as to skip the class, not complete assignments, talk over and disrespect her.

 Senior Johnny Silva can vividly remember his wild 8th grade language arts class. He said that his teacher had no control over them because they could do whatever they wanted, and his teacher would not care. He said, “It was a chaotic environment for those students who cared.”

Have you been in a class where the teacher has control?

   Some students, on the other hand, do not know what it is like to be in an out of control classroom. Junior Luis Limones does not have any classes this year where the teacher does not have control. What he takes away from his controlled classes is that his teachers just tell the class to be quiet nicely, and as long as the class is not disturbed, everything will be OK.

A junior male who wanted to remain anonymous believes U.S. History teacher Mr. Hampton has control over his class.  He said, “He knows how teach because it’s a required class that you have to pass.”

Anthony Lara likes how Biology teacher Dr. Yoham “jokes around while he teaches which allows the material to flow in a way that makes the students want to learn.”

Junior Jancarlos Flores believes English teacher Ms. Zamora keeps her class under control and likes how she talks to the students and uses humor in the class.

   A senior female who wanted to remain anonymous believes English teacher Dr. DeNight can control the class with his presence, not by raising his voice.

Biology teacher Dr. Yoham has been teaching for 23 years and
has evolved over time. He said to control a class, it’s not about
being strict, but finding a middle ground for the
students to express themselves.

What class would you prefer to be in an out of control or an in control and why?

Most students would prefer an in-control classroom, mostly because a good number of students have a learning habit and would prefer teachers that knows what they are doing. Johnny Silva said, “It shows their skill as a teacher and their great amount of knowledge in their subject.”

The same anonymous senior said, “Before I would say an out of control classroom, but now that I’m getting older and preparing for college, I much prefer a controlled classroom.

The same anonymous junior male would also prefer a controlled class. He stated, “It’s more of a chance to learn about what the teacher is saying.”

How have you learned overtime to control the class over time?                                                                                 

   Students’ behavior all starts and ends with the culture that the teacher establishes in their classroom. English teacher Ms. Berrios keeps her class controlled by “Having expectations and establishing a culture of respect and achievement.”

Dr. DeNight imagines himself as a student in his own classroom to not make the class boring.

Dr. Yoham has been teaching for 23 years so through experience, he has evolved over time. He believes that to control a class it’s not about being strict,but finding a middle ground for students to express themselves.

English teacher Ms. Berrios keeps her class controlled by“
Having expectations
and establishing
a culture of respect and achievement.”

When Ms. Zamora thinks about management in the classroom, she considers these three important points: “Trust and respect are first because the students will not respect you if they do not feel respect or trust for them. The second is to choose your battles and only address certain behaviors to not waste time in class. Also humor can control the class as well.”

U.S. History teacher Mr. Hampton struggled when he first began teaching, but he went to experienced teachers and asked them for guidance to figure out what to do.  He said, “I learned that I needed to set expectations from day one and hold students accountable for their actions.” He also pointed out to be fair in his expectations and discipline and to treat all the students the same.

U.S. History teacher Mr. Hampton struggled when he first
began teaching, but he went to experienced teachers
and asked them for guidance to figure out what to do.

Do you believe the maturity of students has gotten worse in the past few years?

Do the kids of today match or surpass the maturity of students from the past? Ms. Berrios said, “Kids will always be kids. Some are more mature than others. They learn as they go along.”

Ms. Zamora believes 100% that the maturity of students has gotten worse in part to technology which takes away from soft skills since in today’s age, you don’t have to talk to each other face to face. “These kids lose their ability to code switch essentially who they are talking to because this can lead to talking to an authority figure in a disrespectful and inappropriate manner.”

On the other hand, Dr. DeNight believes the maturity level of today’s students has increased because students are tested more now than before, and to pass students need to pay attention and don’t have room to slack anymore.