There is a common trait among teachers who struggle with classroom management.
Not every struggling teacher has it.
The vast majority, however, do.
I’ve mentioned this trait before and its effect on giving consequences.
But the problems actually go much deeper.
So deep, in fact, that they can infect everything from motivation to listening to how well your students enjoy being in your classroom.
In most areas of life, it can be a wonderful trait—something you’d want in a best friend or primary care doctor.
But for teachers, it can create a chaotic and ill-behaved class.
The predominant teacher behavior associated with this trait is micromanagement. That is, they tend to over-help students by narrating, guiding, reminding, and talking them through just about everything.
They tend to be in perpetual motion, bustling about the room, putting out fires, and checking in with individual students as frequently as they’re able.
Unsurprisingly, these teachers also tend to be stressed out.
In previous articles, we’ve talked about micromanagement and how it stifles academic progress and incites misbehavior. The problem, however, is that micromanagement can be a habit that is difficult to break. Unless, that is, you know the underlying cause—or trait.
So what is it? It’s caring too much.
You see, when you tie your hopes and feelings to your students and their performance too tightly, it causes you to behave in ways that lighten the burden they should be carrying.
The pressure to do more, give more, and be more to your students pulls you in too close. It makes your spirits roller coaster up and down with every success and failure.
It causes you to take misbehavior personally.
But caring too much doesn’t just upset the balance of effective teaching and learning. It upends the apple cart. Because, when you care too much, you don’t leave room for your students to care.
So they daydream. They sink low in their seats. They chat and giggle and misbehave without remorse.
To restore balance you must focus on doing your job, which is to provide excellent instruction. At the same time, you must be near-obsessive about defending your students’ freedom to do theirs without interference—yours or anyone else’s.
This doesn’t mean that you won’t care. It just means that you care enough to do what’s best for them, which is turning responsibility for learning and behaving over to them.
To do this, you must stop doing for them what you’ve already taught them to do. Stop coaxing, prodding, and draining yourself trying to will them to improve. Stop taking on even a percentage of their burdens and responsibilities, emotionally or otherwise.
Doing so severely weakens their motivation, work habits, and desire to behave.
Be warm, emotive, and enthusiastic while teaching lessons. But when it’s time for your students to do their part, be as calm and cool as a palm tree.
Move back and away, still and quiet, leaving a void for them to fill with their own passion, purpose, and determination.
Give them a chance to care.
And care they will.
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I have classrooms of 6th grade special education students that have been micromanaged throughout Elementary School. When they get to me, they wait for me to give them the answer or copy from others. That is what they have learned to do to cope with school. I teach them that they have to learn to stand on their own, because no one is going to follow them around giving them the answers all their lives.
I really needed to hear this right now! I have struggled recently with a class that I call “bumps on a log.” They are 1st graders, but I have “sat down” from teaching them recently due to their lack of participation and taking responsibility for their own learning. I have used the phrase, “I shouldn’t be working harder than you to get you to learn.” I don’t think they get it yet, but I’m working on it and it’s good to feel supported.
Hi Michael,
Do you ever have people say just how much of your classroom management advice is also really great parenting advice? Because this micromanagement thing (while I don’t do it as much in my classroom) is something I need to work on at home! 🙂
–Erin
Thank you so much for this. I only wish I had read it Friday morning before my 1st period class.
You’re welcome, Lori.
I really enjoyed this article (as well as many others). I am definitely micromanaging. I understand that the responsibility for learning falls back on the students, but can you elaborate on what that might look like? I find that after I teach and it should be time for independent work, some of my students use this time to be social, disruptive and off task. They do very little, if any, work. What do I do here? I guess I’m asking, how do I get them to care?
That to me sounds like where you would implement your behaviour management plan (see other posts on this website). I think what Michael is saying is to be obsessive over the things like routine and behaviour, but hand over the responsibility of ‘doing things’ to the students to allow them to thrive under their own efforts.
Hi Shelly,
In addition to this article, we have many covering this topic. You can use the Search box on the menu bar or peruse the archive (bottom sidebar). I recommend the Learning & Independence and Rapport & Influence categories.
I’m in the same boat as Shelly. I teach high school and totally agree but would like to more about what it looks like
I have the same problem that Shelly does. I teach middle-school English, and if I give the students time to get started on homework, or I want them to spend the time on, say, a creative-writing assignment, several have trouble staying focused and will act out. I almost don’t want to give much time to work independently because that’s when I have the most issues with my problem students, especially.
Erin- I was totally thinking the same thing about parenting. My first born was subjected to an almost compulsive over-the-top micromanaging mother who cared waaaay too much about everything! (that mother, ahem, would be ME). Now, 17 years later, I am much more mellowed out, both in the classroom and at home, but there is ALWAYS room for improvement, and I could be even a little more hands off on some things. Michael, your writings are helping SO MANY students- in just the past couple of years, HUNDREDS have been enjoying more comfortable classrooms just in my MN school district, because I and some of my colleagues are improving our game with after reading your wise words. Keep it up!
This was such an important topic and very timely. Could you address what to do if you have already micromanaged or have received a group of students who are used to being micromanaged? When they almost cannot work independently? How do you lovingly get them to work more independently?
Hi Pamela,
When you get a chance please check out the Learning & Independence category of the archive. There are several articles addressing this topic.
I like the question from Shelley above…how do you get them to care?
I agree. How do you get them to care?
Maybe use the word care when you are noticing a child’s work. “You cared about your work. I can tell because…..”
I think this something the parents should learn more than the teachers. Parents expect the teachers to coddle and do much more for their children than they should. It is one of the biggest problems and where the term “helicopter parent” came from. Many teachers are no longer allowed to let a student fail due to to parent intervention and complaint. Is it worth your job as a teacher to argue with a parent over a student’s need to learn to fail?
This is great parenting advice. Just yesterday I’ve been like a drill sergeant to my son making sure he is meticulous during his experiment for his upcoming science fair. I watched him like a hawk so that he’ll sit down and start writing the paper for this project. Thank you so much for this. You’re absolutely right that as a teacher and most especially a parent, we should let our kids/students learn to do their job and give them a chance to care.
You’re welcome, Lennie. Thanks for sharing.
Now this is THE post I needed…. thank you Michael. Though I haven’t been teaching to teenagers for 2 years, I now know why I had so many difficulties with them (constant chatting, mostly). I think they could sense I cared too much from the very first minute on.
Thanks a lot. Should I work with teenagers again, I will not forget that piece of advice. What a great teacher you are!
Kind regards, Florence
I’m so glad to hear it, Florence!
I’m a career-changing new teacher still learning the trade and of all the wonderful SCM posts I’ve read, this one is possibly the most pertinent re: why I have been struggling with classroom management. But I am slowly but surely starting to realize that I am not superhuman and at the end of the day, cannot COMPEL students to behave appropriately and excel academically. Rather, all I can do is provide a great OPPORTUNITY for students to do these things but, as this post astutely points out, responsibility for doing these things does rest with the students, not me.
“I cannot COMPEL students to behave appropriately and excel academically. Rather, all I can do is provide a great OPPORTUNITY for students. Responsibility for doing these things ultimately rest with the students.”
What an AWESOME wall plaque this would be!!”
This gives me the chills! Michael, you are always spot on in your advice. I wish all teachers had access to your words of wisdom— how it would benefit both teachers and students alike. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your weekly posts.
It’s my pleasure, Teri! Thank you for your kind words.
I wish I had read this article last year. I had a class that demotivated me and made me feel like I was not ready for them. I spent the entire year drained and my class’ behavior was not improving no matter how hard I tried. I guess it turns out that I was trying too hard. I do have the habit of moving too fast and reading this has made me think of that and I will be more mindful of my movement and of the way I try to approach all students at once. Thanks for the great advice, always.
You’re welcome, Sasha.
I am always reading articles on behaviour, motivation, classroom management. I have done the stcker chart, marbles, praises and countless strategies. Now I realise, although I had a vague idea, that it is mainly my problem.
Thank you for your article and will stop nagging and fixing and allow children to enjoy what they do and learn from their mistakes
Hi Michael,
I have just finished reading your book and really enjoyed the range of strategies and knowledge you were able to share.
I am about to start my second year of teaching in Australia. I am wondering what your opinion is on creating classroom rules WITH students, rather than presenting pre-made rules?
Thank you,
Ingrid
Hi Ingrid,
Here is an article on the topic: https://smartclassroommanagement.com/2014/08/02/why-you-shouldnt-let-your-students-decide-the-class-rules/
I believe it is an effective method. But unfortunately, I always do too much for my students. I will read this essay again and really put it into my managing practice.
Thank you very much for your advice.
Do you have an article/blog post about clip charts or Class Dojo and their effectiveness?
Very informative blog indeed. Thanks for sharing with us.
Very helpful blog .Thank you for sharing