An assertive teacher is one who clearly and firmly communicates her expectation to her students, and is prepared to reinforce her words with appropriate actions. She responds to students in a manner that maximizes her potential to get her needs to teach met, but in no way violates the best interest of her students (Cantor & Cantor).
I am convinced that classroom management is a key factor to the success of any classroom. Students need to feel safe, secured and loved then the learning process can begin. During those crucial primary years I grew up in a time period of 70's better known as the "Eclectic Era" transitioning from the "Turbulent 60's. The teachers were resembled dictators and students were their docile subjects. You did as you were told and there was not a lot of room for questioning. You sat in your seats and only moved if you had to use the rest room or to take a water break.
It was until much later that teaching began to evolve into a fresh and innovative experience for both the teacher and the student. I can remember my science teacher who was very obese not getting up from his desk, and if you were out of line in any way the next thing you felt was an eraser flying across the room. So many students were hit either in the face or someway in the upper body by this teacher. I believed that students are sponges just waiting to absorb anything and everything that is presented to them. They are a clean slate prepared to ingest the latest innovative, exciting didactic material. The National Research Council, as commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI). This research is documented in How People Learn (Donovan,