Your temperament has a strong impact on student behavior.
If you have a tendency to become tense, stressed, or uptight around your students, then they’re far more likely to misbehave.
Because a tightly wound teacher translates to a tension-filled classroom—the kind of tension visitors can feel tingling in their sensory receptors the moment they enter your classroom.
And make no mistake. Tension is bad for classroom management, causing students to become excitable, unfocused, and primed to cause trouble.
The good news is that it isn’t difficult to change.
It isn’t difficult to approach each new day of teaching with a calm, unruffled sense of purpose—dissipating tension like a lifting fog reveals a sunny day.
Here’s how:
Decide.
Maintaining a calm attitude throughout your teaching day is a choice you make before your students arrive. So every day, sometime prior to the morning bell, give yourself a moment of peace to sit quietly at your desk. Take a few deep breaths and relax into your chair.
Now decide that no matter what happens that day, no matter how crazy or how alarming, you will not lose your composure. And guess what? You won’t. This technique, employed by scores of professional athletes, seems almost too easy. But it’s remarkably, inexplicably effective.
Slow down.
By slowing your movements to an easier-going, more graceful pace, your mind will slow down as well—becoming less distracted, more observant, and better able to respond to your students.
You don’t have to move like a Tai Chi master or in any way dampen your enthusiasm. It’s more of a reminder not to get caught up frenetically shuffling papers, pacing a groove in the floor, or racing mindlessly from one task to another—as so many teachers are wont to do.
Speak calmly.
When giving directions, providing information, and responding to your students, it pays to speak calmly. It soothes nervous energy, helps students focus on you and your message, and gives them confidence that what you say is important and worth listening to.
During lessons, however, all bets are off. You might find yourself whispering with wide-eyed fascination one moment and giving an oration like James Earl Jones the next. Calmness on inside doesn’t mean passionless or moribund on the outside.
Breathe.
It’s remarkable what a few long, slow breaths can do. Almost immediately, blood pressure drops, your expression softens, and tension drains from your body. By taking a couple of deep breaths every hour, you’ll exhale the tension and excitability right out of your classroom.
Oxygen provides vital energy and brainpower. And when you become aware of your breathing, you’ll not only calm your own nerves, sharpen your mental acuity, and brighten your state of mind, but you’ll become a calming, centering influence on your students.
Prepare.
You may have heard it said that it’s physically impossible to be nervous if your body remains relaxed. This may be true, but far it’s easier said than done. Relax the mind, however, and the body is sure to follow.
A simple, real-world way to do this is to be mentally prepared. Take a couple minutes to review your lesson plans. Visualize how the day will proceed. See yourself responding to your students with poise, dignity, and calm assuredness.
Calming Waters
Excitability in students is a major source of misbehavior, and in nearly every circumstance, teachers are to blame.
Perpetually busy, racing thoughts, under the gun, unsure, unprepared, stressed-out. These common teacher behaviors create tension in the classroom and push students’ buttons like almost nothing else.
It makes them feel like they’re forever clicking to the top of a roller coaster, anticipating a drop that never comes. They can’t sit still. They can’t pay attention. And all they want to do is squirm, chat, play, and roughhouse . . . anything but listen to you.
But you have the power to fix it. You have the power to calm the stirred waters of your classroom. It takes nothing more than a new way of thinking—a simple turn of the wheel, a change of direction.
And it’s smooth sailing ahead.
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Some days I do find myself becoming tense. One harried day turns into another. It’s no coincidence that uptight moods seem to follow rushed mornings at home.
Then I remember to take time for me. For my spirit and my emotions. When I spend 15 minutes reading an inspirational Bible passage in the early morning, for example, I gain strength to face whatever comes my way. I take comfort in believing I will respond to my students with patience and grace.
Another strategy I’ve found helpful is to simply smile at my students, even if I don’t feel particularly “happy”. Smiling makes a positive difference in my mood – and in my students.
I love to be happy anytime I am with my students and that contributes to my effectiveness in class
I love also being always happy,but sometimes I get offended by their attitude especially when they refuse to learn or do the right thing they are supposed to do
Thank you very much. I have been doing it through but I will continue to practice all the time
Smiling as you said had always been the reason behind my learners coming closer to me. I find it really amazing if l walk into class and see most learners smiling. It gives me this zeal to do more
Good interpersonal relationship really builds and boost students confidence and weaknesses to do more.
My learners love to come closer to me because I always put a smile on my face
This is a classic example of the importance of emotional intelligence, or EQ. I believe that, as educators, when you are aware of the role your emotions play in your daily activities it is at that time that you can be more effective with your students and colleagues.
Amen Allen. I absolutely agree with this little statement. Continue to be a stress free teacher.
Please write a book on emotional intelligence for teachers
I play to maintain a calm attitude throughout teaching day before my learners arrive
I love also being always happy,but sometimes I get offended by their attitude especially when they refuse to learn or do the right thing they are supposed to do. But now I will do all my best to keep calm and still give them that smile and create a good environment for learning. Thanks
I have just learnt that the teachers mood affects the classroom environment, so it’s important to make the classroom conducive for all. A calmer approach always supersedes
I learnt about to decide, which involves organizing yourself as a teacher or getting yourself ready for the lesson before the arrival of your students is very helpful to become a calmer, more effective teacher. So let’s always get ourselves ready for our lessons or classes.
This is helpful on how to prepare and control yourself before your students. I learned how to take a control over your your students, calm yourself is actually a good habits of a teacher.
I learnt to prepare for the lesson before going to teach and to be happy &calm as my mood will affect my lesson
I see this as the most important part of a teacher.
The teacher creates the mood of the class. I have learnt that as a teacher I have to be deliberate about my mood whenever I’m in the class. I must maintain a positive mood at all times.
I have learnt to prepare ahead of class and to be calm to face any unexpected scenario that may be created by my students. I have learnt to be reserved, humane, coordinated even during the most tense periods
I leaner how to make our work and play more created and fun and how to listen to our children and keep calm and when i teaching.
Really helpful, will try this with my pupils.
Woow! learning a lot here, the part that interest me most is “The good news is that it isn’t difficult to change”.
Meaning irrespective of my weaknesses and shortfalls there’s a room for me as a teacher to change.
Great! Learning a lot. maintaining a calm attitude which also indirectly teaches the children to emulate. We really need to be street free
first thing i do in the morning when god awake me up i give him all my word to him so i can have good day and peace day god help me to have a wonderful day with the children and be a good teacher and the people i work with.
I have learnt to always calm, prepare and to decide that no matter what happen I will not lose my compsure
What I do is that, I pray to God to give me patience and love anytime I step my foot in the classroom
I have always loved to see my children in a happy mood so I try my possible best to create an enabling environment for them so they can take part in the activities for the day.
I always pray and commit the school days into God’s hands. I ask him to give me patience, love and wisdom to handle my learners and I get excited when my learners are happy and don’t feel like going home when it’s time for pick up.
Thank you very much for this piece. I picked that the approach of student towards me as a teacher solely depends on my composure;I’d rather put on calmness so as to make learning “stress free” and maintain a great teacher-student relationship.
I would want to my children to feel free to ask me questions, share their concerns, and explore their curiosity without fear of judgment.I would aim to be a positive role model, demonstrating kindness, patience and enthusiasm, and encouraging them to do the same.
I pray for God guidance, love and patience before I step into the classroom.
I pray for patience to understand the behaviour of my kids ,as Christ does.To treat each child with respect
I love to be happy anytime with my pupil, so i pray to God for his guidance, love and patience before i step into my classroom
I pray to God for his patience, wisdom, love and guardians before I step my foot into my classroom.
I always thank God for the life of my pupils because, anytime I’m in school, they always make me happy
Wow, great to know. I will implement everything here.
I always pray to God to give me wisdom to make my students happy no matter what I’m going through before I enter my class.
I always receive my learners with a bold smile every morning and it’s great to see them reciprocate it. They come to class feeling happy and cheerful
I am always looking forward to see my learners each morning,it gives me hope and the urge to impact this little ones in a positive way within a Christ -like environment.
If we notice the power we hold as Teachers, I am sure little things won’t disturb us.
Wow a teacher create a mood for his or her class.I will also try to make my learners happy by creating a conducive learning environment for my learners.
As a teacher I will try to maintain a calm attitude throughout my teaching day.
As a Teacher, I will be conscious enough not to send any negative signals to my students or create any impression of being disturbed, worried or disappointed so I can carry every student along in my less.
Wow, great to know l will always implement it in my class
As a Teacher I will always enter the classroom with a smile and also leave with a smile.
If we notice the power we hold as Teachers, I am sure little things won’t disturb us.
Thank you very much.this is really helpful,I will always smile at my learners even if I’m not in that happy mood
Wow, l’m really enjoying this. It’s helpful. God bless the team behind.
Smiles do have a great impact on my students.
They always want to see my facial expression being it winking or a funny face which makes them feel relaxed.
Wow this platform is making a great transformation in my teaching field.
Am learning a lot
I always look forward to their greeting in the morning and some remarks on how they started their morning.
Those little chit chat makes our morning lively.
I always look forward to have a Christ centered life in me and my children
I like putting a smile on my learners face and thank God for the gift of learners he has given me
It is always my priority to be with children and help them grow their Christlike behaviour in a way of raising great generation. To be a teacher is always a great honour!!!!!
Great lesson !!
Being deliberate and Intentional about my students happiness and involvement in class activities is important.
I must therefore maintain a calm and smily composure for the benefits of my students.
It has been great learning from this team. I’m really inspired and part that inspired most was the part that talked about reading inspirational bible passage and smiling at the students no matter what happens.
I’m inspired and have learnt a lot from great teachers
I have learnt a lot here,but henceforth I will do better by calming down and giving a smiling face before starting my lessons for the day.