10 Amazing Benefits Of Following Your Classroom Management Plan

There are times when you just want to give a student a piece of your mind, when your sense of justice causes a welling up of fiery indignation.

Your eyes narrow. Your heart beats faster. Steam billows from your ears.

You lock in on the little bugger who decided to brazenly interrupt the lesson you spent an hour preparing.

He looks back at you amused, without a care in the world, daring you to lose your cool. But just as you begin opening your mouth to let fly your frustrations… you stop yourself.

And you think of this article.

You’re reminded of all the benefits you and your students will miss out on, and the stress and heartache you’ll bring upon yourself, if you let your emotions get the best of you.

What follows are ten amazing benefits of following your classroom management plan. They’re sure to help you make the right choice the next time a student wakes up the sleeping giant within.

1. Fairness

Most of your class will privately cheer when you hold misbehaving students accountable. They’ll appreciate you for it. So much so, they’ll let you know in whispers, cards, and notes they’ll squeeze into your hands or sneak onto your desk. Following your plan satisfies their inherent sense of fairness and creates an environment that allows them to enjoy school.

2. Likeability

Because there is no need to rely on confrontational methods like glaring, lecturing, or scolding, your likeability will improve exponentially. And when students like you, they’ll want to get to know you better—which then makes building influential relationships an easygoing, organic process.

3. Peace

Your students will be calmer and more comfortable in their surroundings knowing they can go about their day without the nervous stress of interruptions, drama, and tension. Fair and firm accountability brings peace to your classroom quicker and more effectively than anything else.

4. Trust

When you’re true to your word, your trust with students will grow stronger every day. Going back on your word by ignoring your plan, however, either by taking matters into your own hands or by doing nothing at all, will cause your students to question your intentions and grow evermore distrustful of you.

5. Kindness

As a result of following your classroom management plan, you’ll no longer be tempted into angry confrontation or cutting sarcasm. This frees you to model kindness without being viewed as a hypocrite. Students will only follow your example if your words line up with your actions. They can spot a phony a mile away.

6. Respect

Students don’t respect teachers with poor classroom management or weak integrity. How could they? The room is chaotic. School is no fun. Their teacher is grouchy and noncommittal. And the students who cause trouble often get away with it. Following your plan is a guaranteed path to respect.

7. Concentration

With the elimination of noise, chatter, and interruptions comes better concentration and faster academic progress. Students in classrooms with strong classroom management are able to focus on their schoolwork without the ever-present possibility of yet another disruption.

8. Time On Task

Academic progress is largely a function of quality time spent on task and engaged in learning. In classrooms where classroom management is the top priority, where students are held accountable for every act of misbehavior, students enjoy weeks more in learning time.

9. Fair Accountability

When you follow your plan, you can be sure you’re holding students accountable in a way that is fair to everyone. Uncertainty is thrown out the door. You can know that you’re upholding the highest ethics while managing your classroom—without guilt or second thoughts.

10. Parents On Your Side

Parents appreciate the fairness of rules and consequences. A clearly defined classroom management plan makes sense to them. They’re reassured knowing that their child will be safe to learn and develop without the interference of other students. Further, should their child become a behavior problem, they know when and how they’ll be contacted.

A Smart Choice

Following your classroom management plan is a smart choice. The alternatives are always less effective, always more complex and stressful, and always give you less influence with students.

Yes, there is more to effective classroom management than simply following your classroom management plan, much more. But it starts with your plan. It is the foundation from which all other strategies and methods work.

So make no compromise. Allow yourself no escape hatch. Embrace the simplicity of knowing exactly what to do every time a student misbehaves or interrupts your classroom.

And let the giant sleep.

If you haven’t done so already, please join us. It’s free! Click here and begin receiving classroom management articles like this one in your email box every week.