Jack Gardner’s program at the library next month will address strategies and techniques for teachers to better manage their classrooms.
Air Force veteran and former teacher and administrator Jack Gardner will host a program for teachers at the Moorestown library on Tuesday, Aug. 26.
“One of the things that I try to emphasize in my workshop … is to take the time and the effort to make the connection with your (students),” the Mount Laurel resident explained. “Not on a friendly basis. There’s going to be rules and there’s going to be procedures that you’re going to have to follow and there’s going to be consequences, and if you can do that with your (students) then your (students) over time will realize that you do care about them, and they will respond positively.”
Gardner’s program, “Taking Charge: Your Role as a Classroom Teacher,” is open to new and veteran teachers, department heads, school counselors and principals who will learn strategies and techniques for successful classroom management and how to minimize daily stress.
“Kids won’t admit this, but they want structure,” Gardner noted. “They want discipline. If you have a plan where you can introduce structure and discipline in a helpful way – not in a mean, controlling way – your (students) will respond …
“If you develop a plan, your stress level is going to go down, you’re going to be much more able to interact with your (students) on special activities after school and before school,” he added. “And when you start seeing students come into your classroom before school starts and hanging around in your classroom at the end of the day, then you know you’ve done something good, because you’ve made a safe place for them.”
An aviator with 20 years of Air Force service, Gardner flew many missions with the 436 Military Airlift Command Dover AFB, Delaware. He went into education after retiring from the military in 1994, teaching at high schools in Philadelphia and New York City before retiring in 2012. When he first started teaching, he had an opportunity to share his thoughts about managing classrooms and connecting with students. He designed a workshop that introduced teachers to strategic steps that they could take to implement discipline with their students.
Since then, Gardner’s presentations have focused on issues such as classroom management, communications and bullying. He has hosted several talks at the township library and at Rowan College at Burlington County, among others.
“I think it’s my responsibility, along with many other retired teachers, to give back,” Gardner observed. “ … “I think it’s the responsibility of these wonderful, retired teachers … to give back to these new teachers. And that’s what I want to do … I’m not sharing with you what experts say, but what I’m sharing with you is what worked for me …
“The only difference between you and a bad teacher is you’ve got to have a plan,” he added. “If you’ve got a plan, you’ll sail through that career, and it’ll be an enjoyable time for you.”
To register for Gardner’s program, visit www.events.moorestownlibrary.org/event/14213230.
