Conscious Classroom Management

I recently have attended a number of professional development opportunities for Instructional Assistants who are wanting to become teachers. As a result I have been asked to attend a number of conferences and participate in some advanced training sessions. One of the classes in which I took part was the Conscious Classroom Management course taught at the San Diego County Office of Education's North County Regional Education Center in San Marcos by Grace Dearborn. In this class Grace takes the underlining fear of "how do I lead my classroom successfully?" and puts it to rest. Grace lectures on such topics as: The Inner Authority and You, Assume the best about your students, How to hold your ground, The Recognize Reorient Respond Technique, Procedures Precede Content, Non-Verbal Ques, Establishing Positive Connections, and Assumptions about Consequences. Within the entire class is a feeling of family and collaboration amongst the teachers, and their lecturer. Grace sees us a apart of her lecture, and as such we are her family. After attending this class I can say that I feel as if I have affirmed my confidence in the ability to lead my classroom successfully. At the end of the lecture Grace distributed her book "Conscious Classroom Management" and I encourage all new teachers, student teachers, interns, and students taking their prerequisite courses to purchase this book. I do not typically encourage the sale of one book over another, however if I believe that it will benefit my "family" and colleagues I will recommend that it be given some attention.