A typical time-out consists of 5 to 10 minutes of sitting at a desk separated from classmates. But for many students, this isn’t a strong enough consequence.
For time-out to be most effective, your students need to feel the full weight of accountability. They need to feel excluded from the class they like being part of.
In other words, time-out needs to be about as much fun as dropping a dumbbell on your toes.
Follow the steps below to give time-out the strength it needs to dissuade even the most difficult students from misbehaving.
1. Teach it.
Your students must know exactly how to go to time-out, what they’re required to do once they’re there, and what they must do to rejoin their classmates. These should be taught and modeled thoroughly during the first few days of school.
2. Make it public.
When a student breaks a rule that calls for time-out—according to your classroom management plan—stop what you’re doing and pause before sending the student to time-out. It’s important that the rest of your students see you following through and enforcing rules.
3. Tell them why.
Every student you send to time-out should understand why. Briefly tell them what rule they broke and exactly why they’re going to time-out. This awareness is the first step to taking responsibility for their behavior.
4. Hide your displeasure.
Let time-out be your consequence. Don’t add to it by lecturing, scolding, or showing displeasure. These methods weaken time-out by lifting the weight of accountability off of your students’ shoulders and replacing it with dislike and resentment toward you.
5. Be matter-of-fact.
Enforce your rules as if you don’t have a care in the world. Student breaks rule, teacher enforces consequence. Make it as simple as that. This helps ensure that the responsibility for being in time-out lies with the student, and no one else.
6. Ignore them.
A student in time-out is responsible to listen and do the same work as everyone else, but is not allowed to participate. Therefore, you and the rest of your students should ignore them. This cements the realization that misbehavior results in being excluded from the class.
Note: This does not mean ignoring the need for legitimate academic help.
7. Let them reflect.
Most teachers remove students from time-out too soon. For most students, five or ten minutes won’t have the desired effect. How long they remain in time-out is up to them (see below), but 20 to 30 minutes or more is not out of the question.
8. They decide when they’re ready.
When a student decides they’ve learned their lesson, they must raise their hand and tell you they’re ready to rejoin their classmates. (You’ll teach them how to do this during those first few days of school.) It’s a good idea to wait 20 minutes before even looking in the student’s direction.
9. Let Them Do The Talking.
When a student says they’re ready to leave time-out, let them do the talking. If you’re satisfied with their level of contrition, smile and invite them back. If not, tell them so. Tell them you don’t think they’re ready and then walk away.
10. Don’t hold a grudge.
After completing time-out, allow the student to return to being a regular member of your classroom—in good standing. Don’t hold a grudge. Don’t treat them any differently. Give them an opportunity to make a fresh start. Trust that they’ve learned their lesson and won’t repeat their mistake.
11. Make it a physical and emotional separation.
Finally, and most important, time-out is at its most effective when students feel like they’re missing something. If you have enough leverage, your students will always feel this way. But there is nothing wrong with reminding them how lucky they are to be in your class.
So when you send a student to time-out, and it’s convenient for you, break out a learning game, laugh a little more, tell some stories. For time-out to be a strong consequence, it must be an emotional, as well as physical, separation.
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Thank you for the great ideas! I will be using these ideas in my classroom this year. They make sense, and I know that they will help me in my work with the students this year.
In the beginning of the year, how do you manage several kids going to timeout at about the same time. This is likely as my kids need retraining…they’re very chatty.
Hi Nancy,
You have to do exactly what you say you would do. So if you need to scatter students in various areas about the room, then you have to do it that way. I don’t recommend staggering time-outs. When a student breaks a rule that triggers time-out, then you have to send him or her right away. Stick it out, though, do what you have to do, and soon sending anyone will be a rare occurrence.
Michael
I just stumbled onto your website and love it! How do you handle time-outs with students who have ADHD? I have three students with very poor impulse control in my class.
Hi Shirelle,
If they’re in your class, they should follow rules and accept the consequences for misbehavior just like everyone else. All students do better in such a clear and fair environment. No one benefits from a lowering of behavior standards.
Michael
Hi Michael,
I just wanted to clarify that these students have IEP’s, and I am expected to make accommodations for them. Do you make any exceptions for special ed inclusion students with behavior problems?
Thanks!
Hi Shirelle,
Only if their IEP’s have specific behavior-related goals that would clearly warrant an exception. Otherwise, no. Very few students benefit from a lowering of behavior standards.
Michael
Michael, your website was a godsend! I am a fourth year teacher who doesn’t like to do a lot of complicated things with classroom management. I like to keep things simple. But I was wondering how to keep students quiet. I already had rules and consequences in place, but I was not enforcing them! So today, I started over. I let them know my expectations. I modeled. And I reinforced. It took all morning, but by the afternoon they were calm, and they were ready to follow through. As long as I follow through with this, I am sure I will have a stress-free year and enjoy teaching! Thanks again!
Awesome Brandy! I know you’ll have a great year!
Michael
Hi Michael,
Nice site with great, clear-cut information. What are your feelings about time-outs with older (9th grade) students? Are they effective, or do the students see it as a “weak” consequence? The issue I’m having is that the consequences suggested by our school (a warning, then a call home, then an office referral) aren’t *immediate* – a call home doesn’t happen til the end of the day and often it takes several days to get hold of someone, so the offender feels (and rightly so) that s/he has gotten off the hook.
A
Hi Ashley,
I absolutely would separate ninth graders from the class as a consequence. If a student is interfering with learning, then you shouldn’t allow him/her to be part of the class. Just don’t call it time-out. Simply say, “If you disrupt this class, then I can’t allow you to be a part of it. Sit them away from the rest of the students, if by only a few feet. Although they must listen and do their work, don’t let them participate in discussions or group activities. If they think it’s a time-out, and they think they’re too old for it, so be it.
Remember, though, the older students are, or the tougher the students are, the more important it is you make your classroom remarkable.
Michael
Hello Michael,
Your site is my new go-to for classroom management! I use your letter home template for my art room and it has been working great (even other cluster teachers have been using it as well!). I too have been separating students for time outs (often 7-10 min. or more if necessary). Today I had to send a young boy to time out for 20-25 min. while the other students were enjoying an art activity. My question is, if he should need another 20 minute time out should he being doing some type of classwork while his class participates in the art lesson?
– Melissa
Hi Melissa,
Art is a privilege, so no, although he is required to listen and follow along mentally, he should not be given an opportunity to work on his project.
Michael
Hi,
I am really enjoying your site.
I begin teaching in a 4-5 year old classroom soon, and need some help.
I was able to sit and observe this room and noticed right away a couple of children who are in trouble all throughout the day. We are only allowed to send our children to their mats for very brief cooling off periods due to their ages. Most of the preschoolers go their mats (time out) well and rejoin the group whole-heartedly. But I saw two that became physically aggressive with the teacher, running from her, hiding under tables, kicking her, etc. She had to pick them up and carry them to time out and one would kick, scream, and crawl back off the mat repeatedly. I know I’ll be in this room and am concerned also that our director will not enforce a stricter structure due to trying to keep paying parents happy. With my being in a daycare with younger children, implementing your techniques may not work, and I do not want to lose control of this class. I want to have a safe and fun year where the children learn and enjoy their first academic experiences. But I fear with this kind of behavior, it may be trouble from day one without some help. Thank you!
Hi Lynn,
I’m not sure what you’re asking. Could you please email me with your specific questions? I’m happy to help!
:)Michael
I have been using your classroom managment for the last week and it is working like a charm. I was wondering about kids in all day timeout. Do the same rules apply to all day time as to 20-30 min time out. Specificially do you omit them from classsroom activities.
Thanks again for all your suggestions, They are very helpful
Hi Deb,
Yes, you do.
Michael
Hi Michael. I’ve read your book and I like receiving your articles in my email each week. I’m wondering if you have any experience with differentiated, small-group instruction. In my classroom, there are times when the children work independently while I pull small groups for instruction. How would you make the classroom more enjoyable during that time, when all of the children are doing their own independent work anyway? I’ve thought that maybe I could have some boring worksheets stashed away for time-out students to do while the other students get to sit wherever they want and do the fun shelf work (like usual). Do you think that would work?
Hi Janna,
I’m a proponent of pushing the envelop on the amount of time students are asked to do focused, independent work. This is a critical skill that, although can and should be intellectually challenging, need not be made purposefully fun. You can read more about this in chapter 5 (Key #5) of Dream Class. Also, students in time-out should be doing the work that is expected of them–regardless of whether or not they’re in time-out. I don’t recommend creating different, specifically boring, or meaningless work for them to do. If you happen to be having fun or enjoying the game while they’re in time-out, fine. But you don’t have to manufacture fun simply to make your time-out a stronger consequence. It’s the overall feeling of separation from the class they love that gives time-out its teeth.
:)Michael
Hi Michael. My students were wondering how they were supposed to say “God bless you,” when someone sneezes if they aren’t supposed to speak without raising their hand. I know that it is a polite thing to say, however, I have witnessed that turning into being silly and me having to quiet them. They are in 6th grade. How would you answer this question? Thanks!
Hi Megan,
I’d say this is fine–absolutely. If then they do get silly or disruptive though, you’d have to enforce a consequence.
Michael
I am from India,and the students here are not so much sensitive ,if they are send for time out they would love it as they would have nothing to do.Please suggest some other effective method to deal with misbehavior.
Thanks
Hi Bhat,
I recommend time-out because, done right, it can teach a child powerful lessons. The key is to create a learning experience your students enjoy enough to make time-out an effective consequence.
Michael
I have some very difficult boys and girls in my 1st grade. I have started implementing your ideas in my class and it works sometimes. My problem is my headteacher and some annoying parents who think that I am very strickt. What can I do to convince them that I am on the right track
Hi Macu,
It’s important to have firm boundary lines of behavior, to be sure, but it’s also important to create a classroom your students enjoy coming to every day. Remember not to forget the second part.
:)Michael
I just want to make sure that I am clear about what the student is and is not doing in time out. I understand that they are to follow along mentally with the lesson being taught. So, if I’m teaching a math lesson, and a student goes to time out, does that student take their math work to time out or do they just go sit and follow along mentally?
Hi David,
They will take their math work to time-out, are required to follow along and not miss instruction, but otherwise cannot participate (i.e. discussions, group work, learning games, etc.).
Michael
Hi,
I’ve used the time out method with my class. It works well for most of my students however one of them is giving me serious headache. This student of mine always disrupt my class and when sent for time out, she refuses to go n started to walk around the classroom or sometimes even walk out of the classroom. What suggestion do you have in dealing difficult student like this?
Hi Rachael,
Please read through the Difficult Students category of our archive. You should find the answers you’re looking for there.
:)Michael
Hi,
I teach kindergarten and have some difficult students. I have recently read your books and have implemented your ideas. It is amazing how quickly I have been able to turn my class around. Your ideas really work. Unfortunately one of my parents does not agree with my classroom management. His child is one of the difficult ones and has gotten several notes home. He now has gone to the principal saying I pick on his child and that he doesn’t like how I manage the class. He seemed on board when I sent a letter home explaining the new behavior plan but quickly changed his mind when his child was being held accountable for their behavior. Not sure how to handle this.
Hi Margot,
As long as your notes are simply informing the parent of what is going on in the classroom (i.e., misbehavior), there is nothing you need to do. You have rules to protect each student’s right to learn and enjoy school, and if any student interferes with those rights, then you feel it’s important the parent know about it. What he does with the information is up to him. If he or your principal wants to speak with you about it, explain it that simply. (I hope to write about this in a future article.) Feel free to email me if you have any further questions.
Michael
Hi, Michael!
Will you clarify these 2 comments for me? It seems that you are saying two different things about a student doing work while s/he is in time-out:
“Art is a privilege, so no, although he is required to listen and follow along mentally, he should not be given an opportunity to work on his project.”
“They will take their math work to time-out, are required to follow along and not miss instruction, but otherwise cannot participate (i.e. discussions, group work, learning games, etc.)”
As an art teacher, I recognize that the subject can appear to be a privilege all on its own. It is truly a great motivator to allow students to work with their hands each and every day! However, there are many aspects of an art class that are quite academic. For example. my students learn and practice many skills and techniques, such as drawing from observation which does indeed require a great deal of concentration. Another example would be practicing painting techniques several times before applying them to a painting, or practicing drawing lines to a vanishing point to create the illusion of space.
Why would an art student NOT be required to take their work to time-out, just like a math student?
Hi Anna,
It’s just like you said. Art is a great privilege, and you always want to frame it as such. However, it really is up to you. If it’s academic in nature or something you don’t want them to miss, then absolutely allow them to do it in time-out.
Michael
Sir I really appreciate the articles you have wrote about classroom management.I hope someday you could email me more techniques in handling classroom.Thanks a lot.
You’re welcome, Jimmy!
Michael
I used to have a time out space on one side of the classroom, but I found over time that students would opt to break a class rule in order to go to time out because it was a better option – one such example was a student that didn’t want to sit on the floor during an online Chinese lesson. He refused to move from his desk, and he happily took himself to the time out desk, which was about a metre away from his own desk. Win for him, and a loss for my behaviour management.
So I changed things, and have moved the time out desk to the back of the room, facing a wall, with no chair attached to it. It’s awkward and uncomfortable for the students to work and listen to instruction from back there, and there is an element of a ‘naughty corner’ about it because students view nothing but a wall when they are there. One student was sent there for calling out repeatedly and when he came back I could see he was almost in tears!
Michael, I’m wondering what you think of this set up? I want time out to be far from an enjoyable experience but I’m also mindful of humiliating students (and getting calls from parents asking why their child was sent to such a dreadful part of the classroom).
Hi Jonathan,
It’s hard to make an accurate judgement without seeing your time-out area for myself, but if it has even a whiff of humiliation, then it’s probably a good idea to make an adjustment. At the least I wouldn’t have it facing the back wall. I’ll be sure and write about time-out placement in a future article.
Michael
For clarification (I teach in a secondary school in the uk): time out is remaining in the classroom, not actually being removed from the room?
I have a really small classroom that only seats 28 at a push. In classes where I have no spare seats and no spare room to move students to, where should I put them?
Our school runs an exit room strategy where students can be placed in another faculty members room…
Hi Matt,
Yes. However, I recommend a different CM plan for high school teachers. I hope to provide it via ebook or guide in the near future. Stay tuned.
Michael