If you’re like most teachers, you stray from your classroom management plan.
Oh, your intentions are good. You really do want to follow it to the letter. But ultimately you don’t.
Situations keep getting in the way.
Like, for example, when one of your best students forgets to raise her hand, and you overlook it because you know she probably won’t make the same mistake again.
Or when frustration gets the best of you and you lecture a disrespectful student rather than sending him to time-out.
Or when you’re busy trying to get through a lesson, and it feels like too much trouble to stop and deal out a consequence.
Following your classroom management plan isn’t always easy.
But ignoring it is a gamble you’ll lose every time.
All Bets Are Off
One of the core principles of Smart Classroom Management is to never waver from your classroom management plan. You follow it no matter what–even when it’s inconvenient.
When you follow your plan, good things happen. Leverage, rapport, trust, and influence grow, and misbehavior shrinks.
Stray from your plan, however, and all bets are off. Here’s what can happen:
You will lose your students’ trust.
Once your students realize that you don’t always follow your classroom management plan, they’ll begin losing respect for you and trust in what you say. And if they can’t trust you, managing your classroom becomes more difficult.
You will cause resentment.
When you’re inconsistent, your students will think you’re playing favorites. “Why did I get a warning for calling out, but she didn’t?” is a common refrain. It’s also a valid point. Children have an acute sense of fairness, and they’ll resent you if you’re unfair.
You will be tested.
If you show a tendency to give in, to let things go, or to lose emotional control, then you’re going to be tested—more every day. And you’ll continue to be tested until you stand your ground and start following your plan.
You will hurt your best students.
When you don’t follow your classroom management plan, your best students are often the most negatively affected. They have to endure interruptions, distractions, and the plodding nature of the class until and unless you’re committed to enforcing your classroom rules.
You will lose your cool.
Teachers who forgo their plan find themselves needing to yell, scold, lecture, and the like in order to maintain control. One of the benefits of following a classroom management plan is that it replaces the need to ever use harmful methods.
You will encourage misbehavior.
When you let even small things go, like the occasional calling out, it opens the floodgates to more misbehavior. Before long you’ll have students standing in front of you yelling your name and demanding attention like chicks waiting to be fed.
You will have distracted students.
Side-talking. Pencil tapping. Eyes looking everywhere but at you. These are predictable behaviors in classrooms without every-single-time accountability.
Fix It Today
Nothing good comes from ignoring your classroom management plan. Students don’t benefit, behavior doesn’t get better, and your class doesn’t miraculously become more focused.
Things only get worse.
But you can fix it today. Decide to follow your plan no matter what. Decide to stop rolling the dice and start staying true to your word.
It may be difficult at first. Your students will wonder what got into you. They’ll be skeptical. They’ll test you more than normal. But then slowly, everything will get better.
And better.
And better.
You can bet on it.
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Another great article. Even though I am not a “teacher,” your advise easily translates to the parenting realm.
Brian
Thanks Brian!
This article is a good reminder!
Hello! I love this article. I have a question for you. I am a special area teacher for elementary French. With the majority of my classes, I am able to enforce these principles and students behave very well. This is my third year teaching, and I just began reading your articles at the end of last year. I can tell a MAJOR difference in my students’ behavior this year (all 300 students that I work with!) As you mentioned in this article, consistency in discipline is absolutely crucial. Although I hate to enforce consequences for innocent things such as a student quietly asking me a question if I am close by to him/her without raising his/her hand first, it is ultimately much better. My question is this: One of my fifth grade classes is very talkative. When we are working on a task, they do well, (except for the occasional side-talking–which I enforce a consequence if I see them talking). However, whenever we transition to a new activity OR take part in any very “fun” activity or game, they begin to chatter. And it is not just one or two students, its 75% of the class. How can I enforce a consequence for 75% of the class, with still being fair to those students who were not talking at all? I begin giving out warnings when this is happening by writing certain students’ names on the “warning” board, but am unable to write down everyone’s name who was talking (as the students usually begin to quiet down once I start writing down names). I was wondering if there was anyway to add on a “whole-class” series of consequences to this plan. I had thought of giving the “whole class” a warning if more than half the students are talking between transitions, but then what could be the consequence after this (as I couldnt all have them sit in time out 😉 Perhaps doing the “minute of silence” technique that you mentioned? Or having them all write about why it is important to follow the “raise your hand before speaking” rule? Or sending a note about their misbehavior to their homeroom teacher? I am just kinda stuck on this one. As I said, I feel like I have great classroom control and management with all of the other classes that I see, except for this one class. I just do not know how to fairly enforce consequences for when more than half the class is disobeying an expectation (usually the “raise your hand before speaking” expectation). Any help or suggestions that you have would be GREATLY appreciated. THANK YOU for all that you do on this website!!!
Hi Sarah,
You stop the transition and make them do it over again. Never accept less than what you asked of your class. If they don’t play a game properly, then stop the game immediately. Give them one chance to fix it and do it right. If they don’t, cancel it. When they understand that following your directions means everything is great, fun, interesting, etc., then you have real leverage to get the behavior you want.
Michael
Hi Michael,
I have gotten help from you before and really appreciate it! I’m working as an aide right now but even so, your classroom management plan has completely transformed and empowered my teaching. Although I can’t implement it as I would like to right now because I don’t have the authority, I definitely will put it into effect when I got my own classroom. I do have two questions, though. What if a student breaks a classroom rule again when they have already gotten to the letter home stage? Would I enforce another time-out? Also, when the letter consequence is given, is that the only thing they receive or do you also enforce a time-out in conjunction to the letter?
Hi Allison,
Yes, the student goes back to time-out. And yes, a time-out goes with the letter home.
:)Michael
Thank you, I really needed this refresher! I tend to let the raising of hand go by the way side, then have students yelling out responses. I know not good…right? I use to use the talking stick method or hold the microphone. The students like it because it gave them a sense of acknowledgement and helped them learned to speak in front of a group of people. Down side, my shy one,couldn’t get them to respond.