Teachers who struggle with classroom management tend to head into the start of every school year with a wait and see approach. Sure, they may have an idea of how they want to manage their classroom. They may have strategies they’ve leaned on in … Read more
Following directions doesn’t improve by harping on it. It doesn’t improve by making a fuss about it or showing your frustration over it. And it doesn’t improve by pointing out to students how often or how poorly they’ve messed it up. The only surefire … Read more
Glaring, threatening, yelling, scolding, browbeating, pressuring, overbearing . . . few teachers would admit to using intimidation as a classroom management method, even to themselves. But many do. Perhaps not all the time, mind you. Perhaps only in weak moments or in short bursts … Read more
One of the most common email questions we get is . . . “What about students from disadvantaged backgrounds?” The question never ceases to knock me back on my heels because, truth be told, every strategy on this website has been developed in classrooms … Read more
As the school year winds to a close, here at Smart Classroom Management we’ve been getting a burst of emails from teachers voicing their frustrations with their students’ inability or unwillingness to pay attention. Although a common struggle given the freedom of summer lurking … Read more
Classroom management shouldn’t feel difficult. If you’re straining, trying hard, and feeling heavy burdened, if you’re stressed-out and exhausted at the end of the day, then something is amiss. You see, exceptional classroom management is knowledge based, not effort based. It’s knowing what works … Read more
Chances are one of your students is being bullied. And if you’re like most teachers, you’re either unaware of it or you don’t know how to stop it. This is why bullying has become epidemic. The teacher is the only one in position to … Read more