Knight, S. (2018, September 7). Six Tenets to Successful Classroom Management. Retrieved January 17, 2019

Children need structure. They also need to know that they have a caring teacher who has their best interests at heart. The minute students walk into my 8th-grade classroom, they know they are entering a warm team environment which promotes unity and cohesiveness. This is why I always suggest having a theme. With my last name being Knight, I developed a Knight’s Lights theme, so decorated light bulbs cover my classroom signifying that I see my students as bright lights with dreams and goals. They receive my “newsletter”, and I share. “Welcome to Knight’s Lights: “If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; If you can dream it, you can become it.”-William Ward. I have them help me unpack the quote. Now, we can discuss a standard expectation: I expect you to be seated and ready to learn when the bell rings. Likewise, you should expect me to be ready to teach. This shows it goes both ways, and we are creating a place of mutual respect and unity to abound.