President's Letter: Classroom Management

Aloha, Hawaii school counselors! I am honored to be the president of the Hawaii School Counselor Association for the 2017-18 school year. For those of you who don't know me, I have been a counselor at Kipapa Elementary School for the past 26 years. School counseling is my calling and passion. My dream and desire is to share this passion with you!

I hope you all had a great summer and are recharged and energized to start the new school year. I am writing this from the mile high city of Denver, Colorado, where the 2017 ASCA annual conference is currently in full swing. Hawaii is well represented this year, with more than 100 attendees from schools across the state. Three schools are being recognized as Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) schools: the Kamehameha Scholars, Nanakuli Elementary School, and Nanakuli High & Intermediate School. These schools join Waianae Intermediate and Nanaikapono Elementary as RAMP designated schools. Congratulations to all the counselors, administrators, faculty and staff of these schools for their dedication, commitment and hard work. You make Hawaii proud!

The focus of this newsletter is classroom management. Teaching classroom lessons as part of a school-wide program is an important part of the school counselor's role. Classroom guidance lessons are the best way to reach all students and build relationships and rapport. However, how many of you had a classroom management class in your master's school counseling training program? You might have had bits and pieces in your professional development workshops and faculty meetings about how to handle disruptive students in the classroom. Here are a few basic ideas on how to maintain discipline and manage your classroom effectively.

1. Set rules and expectations. If students know what is expected of them, they will exhibit the type of behavior you want.
2. Lead by example. If one of your rules is to be on time for your lesson on a particular day, then make sure you practice this rule yourself.
3. Do not get angry or engage in power struggles. Counselors who lose their temper or control will eventually lose their credibility with the students.
4. Do not humiliate or embarrass students. This will cause you to lose your authority in the classroom and contribute to psychological damage in children, and to their fear and resentment. A little bit of praise goes a long ways!

Classroom management is essential to create a positive and flourishing learning environment for students. Please continue reading this newsletter for further insight into methods for effective classroom management.

I encourage all of you to not let what you don't know stop you from doing what you need to do! Focus on your plan and stay out of the weeds. Have a great school year, my friends!