Is the World my Classroom?

Summary

Mr. Meka, a former teacher, shares his unique classroom management philosophy centered around two humorous rules and a commitment to creating a peaceful, focused learning environment, which he now considers extending beyond the classroom into his life.

Abstract

Mr. Meka reflects on his teaching days, where he implemented two unconventional rules: "Mr. Meka never makes mistakes" and "If you think Mr. Meka made a mistake, read rule one before raising your hand." These rules, designed to be humorous and stress-relieving, encouraged students to pay close attention and engage with the material by looking for errors. Mr. Meka rewarded students who found genuine mistakes with candy, fostering an environment of active participation and accountability. Beyond these rules, he maintained high expectations for his students, mirrored by his own dedication to prompt grading, availability for tutoring, and consistent follow-through on his commitments. His classroom was a sanctuary where anger was addressed or put on hold, ensuring a peaceful atmosphere. This approach to teaching not only maintained order but also instilled a sense of calm and mutual respect. Mr. Meka contemplates whether his philosophy of peace and patience could benefit the world beyond his classroom.

Opinions

Mr. Meka believes in the power of humor to create a relaxed classroom atmosphere.
He values preparedness and consistency in teaching, setting high expectations for himself and his students.
Mr. Meka sees the classroom as a sanctuary where students and teachers alike can find refuge from external turmoil.
He encourages students to challenge him, viewing it as a healthy part of the learning process.
Mr. Meka is considering expanding his philosophy of a peaceful learning environment to his interactions outside the classroom, suggesting that everyone can be a teacher and the world can be a classroom.
He practices patience and gratitude, which he credits with keeping him calm and out of conflict.
Mr. Meka's approach to teaching emphasizes the importance of mutual respect and personal accountability.

Monday: Don’t let people pull you into their storm, pull them into your peace.

Monday’s prompt has me thinking back to my teaching days. When I was a teacher I had very few classroom rules. Well, I had two rules and some of what you could call policies. These tended to keep my classes more focused and the mood of the classroom a bit calmer than other classrooms.

First the rules. Rule 1 “Mr. Meka never makes mistakes.” Rule 2 “If you think Mr. Meka made a mistake, read rule one before raising your hand.” I know that most everyone here is either laughing or thinking “Mr. Meka can we lower the ego level a bit?” Now I want to explain why those were the two and only two actual rules of my classroom. I worked to be very prepared for my classes. I prepared examples beforehand that were different from the book so they would have mine and the book examples to use as models for doing their homework. The other thing was that they eventually saw that they were meant to be humorous and lower the stress of the room.

I wanted them to find mistakes. I wanted someone to raise their hand and tell me I made a mistake. I had many students who paid close attention just to do so. I had more students focused on what I was doing because they were trying to find a mistake. I enjoyed students challenging me. I didn’t put them down, I thanked them. I also usually proved them wrong when we went back over it. By the time a couple of months in my classroom went by, if some raised their hand and said “Mr. Meka I think you made a mistake.” At least two people would say out loud “read rule two dude”. Oh, I also gave out candy to anyone that did catch me making a mistake. A fun-sized candy bar they were allowed to eat in class if they wished.

The rest of my classroom expectations followed those rules. I explained to my students that I had high expectations for each of them. I told them that I was able to have those because I had high expectations for myself. I told them that whenever they took a test or turned in papers to be graded, they would be returned graded the next day. I told them that I was available after school for free tutoring each day after school for at least an hour. I told them if they preferred I would be there early in the morning to tutor them. I lived up to my part of my expectations. It did not matter to me that other teachers did not return tests the next day. They were not my concern, my classroom was.

I had another expectation that hits this prompt. I told each of my classes that if anyone walked into my classroom angry at the world that I would ask them if I or anyone in the room did anything to cause it. If it involved someone in the room we stepped into the hall to resolve it for a couple of minutes.

If it didn’t get resolved or if it didn’t involve me or anyone in my classroom, I would ask them and permit them to put the anger on hold for the remainder of my class. I do so calmly explaining how my room was a sanctuary for everyone in there. (Ok the exception to that is when a principal came in to take one away for discipline, but that was not because of my class but the principals didn’t agree with my sanctuary rules J .) I also said that this rule applied to me. If I came into class angry at the world or such (best not to ask the day I am returning tests papers I told them) they could ask me if anyone in the class caused my anger. If no, then they could ask me to put my anger on hold for the rest of the class.

I did this periodically and it worked very well. When a student needed a little time I let them sit outside my door letting them know they could come in anytime they were ready. One day I was angry at something, I do not remember what. One of the quiet students in my class raised their hand. I asked what they wanted. They said, “Mr. Meka did anyone in here make you angry?” I said “No”. They said Mr. Meka, I am giving you permission to not be angry during this class. This is a sanctuary for everyone.” I thanked them, my mood instantly changed. We had a great class and I was in a great mood the rest of the day.

My life this past year has been one of calm. I have occasionally been dragged into people’s storms. I have been practicing patience and gratitude. These two things have kept me out of many storms. I have been told by people that I have a soothing voice. Maybe I need to extend my classroom to the rest of the world and offer sanctuary while they are in my world. What do you think? They say the world is your classroom and everyone is your teacher.

Peace be with you