I may ruffle some feathers with this week’s article. But it’s a critical topic, and thus worth taking the heat.
Last week, I detailed how to not quit teaching.
If you haven’t yet read the article, I recommend doing so before continuing.
In that article, I mentioned the importance of becoming an expert in classroom management.
Given the comments both here on the site and via email, however, I don’t think I emphasized it enough.
The truth is, it’s everything to your success.
No single area of teaching comes remotely close to providing the joy, the peace, and the effectiveness every teacher desires.
Several years ago, I had an idea for an article about three categories of teachers based on my observations and experience here at SCM. I’ve been apprehensive about making it public because I was afraid it may come off a bit harsh.
But after reading the heartbreaking comments from last week, I decided that it’s worth the risk.
What follows are three categories of teachers.
Category #1 Classroom management is their number one priority.
These are teachers who determined even before having a classroom of their own that classroom management would be their path to a long and enjoyable career.
Perhaps they had an excellent mentor teacher or happened upon a book or article that laid out the supreme benefits of focusing on behavior management.
But they understood then and know now that pursuing excellence at this one thing opens the door to all the rest. It frees them to love teaching, build influential relationships, and make extraordinary progress with students year after year.
They are the small cadre of experts that leap out of bed in the morning and grow bored during the summer months.
Category #2 Classroom management becomes their number one priority.
After discovering that they’ve been sold a bill of goods on the realities of teaching, and experiencing the profound stress and frustration of unmotivated, ill-behaved students, this group changes course.
The lightbulb explodes.
Maybe it comes during their first year of teaching and maybe it comes many years later, but like a ton of bricks they’re hit with the realization that unless they learn a new set of skills, their discontent will never end.
They accept the hard truth that they must set aside the 101 excuses why they can’t and make a wholesale change of mind, body, and soul. They put in the time to read and learn and study what really works and then boldly put it into practice.
The transition isn’t easy for everyone—old habits can die hard—but it’s open to everyone. And the result are even better than they imagined.
Category #3 They’ll always struggle.
For even a single day I couldn’t do what these teachers do week after week. The resilience it takes to wake up every morning and hang in there every day is extraordinary.
The disrespect, the talking when they’re teaching, the noisy, chaotic lessons and routines . . . ugh!
Sadly, tragically, in most cases they never realize what’s possible (or believe that it even is possible). They never experience teaching as it can and should be.
They listen to the justifications of other beleaguered colleagues and sometimes indulge in them themselves. They dabble in one classroom management approach after another to little or temporary success.
They assume that it’s just how things are or buy into the myth that their problems lie with the students, parents, school, or administration. The unvarnished truth, however, is that in the presence of good, solid classroom management, none of it matters.
To those who relish transforming classrooms and making a difference that lasts a lifetime—and have acquired the classroom management skills to do it—a handful of difficult students or working in a challenging school is nothing more than a wonderful challenge to overcome.
It’s what make the game exciting and worth doing.
If you’re stressed and struggling and stuck in this category, know that there is a way out. I’ve heard from thousands of teachers over the past ten years who have done just that.
And you can too.
But you have to stop experimenting with strategies that were never meant to be used together. You have to stop bribing students, trying to convince them to behave, or believing that you just have a chatty bunch—as if you’re at their mercy.
You have to stop listening to the dime-a-dozen excuses why you can’t have the career you really want. They’re all a great big lie.
The good news is that anyone can do it. Anyone can have a well-behaved class year after year and in a relatively short amount of time. This doesn’t mean perfection or that you must create a room full of little soldiers or compliant robots.
Far from it.
It simply means creating a classroom that your students love being part of—where they want to listen, learn, behave, and please you.
Don’t Look Back
There is a ton of misinformation about classroom management echoing down the hallways and through the staff lounge of every school.
You’ll hear excuse after excuse, complaint after complaint, and one band-aide strategy after another. Range in abilities, changing policies, moody administrators, challenging students, parents who don’t seem to care . . . we’ve all got them.
Don’t listen to any of it. It doesn’t concern you. You are a different breed of teacher.
But you do have to know what really does work. You have to be well versed in the principles and strategies that predictably transform a class no matter how challenging.
Here at SCM, we are that person, that role model, that mentor teacher you’ve been waiting for to pull you aside and reveal to you what you need to know and do to have the career you want.
And this is that article.
We’re here in service for you and will do everything we can to help you become a true expert in classroom management.
You know about our classroom management plan e-guides, which can be found in the sidebar at right and are a great place to start.
But just this past week, The Smart Classroom Management Way was published and is now available at Amazon.com. It’s a book that was ten years in the making and includes the very best and most effective strategies we’ve ever covered at SCM.
They’re designed to work together in a single unified approach you can rely on no matter where or what you teach. It does take some study and commitment.
But I promise you this:
If you put what you learn into practice, and remain consistent, you’ll not only see stunning results almost immediately, but you’ll be on your way to the long, happy career you’ve always wanted.
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.
Yes. The unvarnished truth.
I enjoy reading your blogs, but am so disappointed that no remedies, strategies, or real life suggestions are included. Now I see that if I really want your suggestions, I have to purchase a book or two. You hook me with your scenarios, but lose me when I have to spend money!
I have to disagree with that. I’ve been reading Michael’s articles for several years, and he nearly always gives practical tips in his articles! Having put them into practice, I’ve seen major transformations in student behavior and now help other teachers with classroom management!
Articles like the one above are more abstract, because they’re meant to establish the foundational mindset necessary to implement the techniques successfully.
Please go back through the archives instead of criticizing unfairly.
After reading probably 100 blogs and all the books, which cost me maybe $40 total), I have to say this is the BEST investment of an educator’s hard-earned dollars, well worth the nominal cost, and an opportunity to change lives for the better every day. If you still don’t want to spend them money, you could likely find all of the info in past blogs. There are hundreds of them. Thank you, again, Mr. Linsin, for sharing. I have recommended your books and blog to every educator I know, as well as my student teachers. This is the way to happy teaching. Amen.
I found a few articles here that really helped me with my classroom management plan. They gave suggestions for rules and consequences and those gave me a jumping-off point to customize it for my 3rd grade classroom.
https://smartclassroommanagement.com/2015/07/18/how-to-create-the-perfect-set-of-classroom-rules/
https://smartclassroommanagement.com/2009/08/17/the-only-classroom-rules-youll-ever-need/
I use the 4 rules, and somewhere on this website I read about suggested consequences, and I use those too. 1st – Warning, 2nd – 15 min time out in the classroom, and 3rd – letter sent home. I don’t know if I read about those in one article, or in a combination of several articles, but I know they’re somewhere. There is even a sample letter to copy.
I remember having to do some digging, and I know I spent a day reading article after article, but I did find some very good practical suggestions here.
Find a veteran teacher in your building who is respected by staff and students. Ask him/her if they would be willing to mentor you. You don’t need to spend money when you can sit at the feet of the elders and listen.
I have found the strategies, and the books, to be of great value helping me to find a classroom strategy that fits my teaching style. The “I’m a teacher–I deserve to get everything free” card doesn’t work on a teacher site like this. You probably drop $25 a week on Starbucks, etc. as your “self care” allowance. Well, sometimes you have to pay someone for their experience, expertise, and effort to blog and self-publish, like Michael Linsin. I doubt that you would tutor students for free. Dropping $13 on a quality book is not going to bankrupt you, and will be a better investment than 99% of the fluffy crap on TPT.
Have you even read more than one blog post?? Lol. That’s NUTS to say! Sometimes there are blog posts with ONLY practical stuff. I LOVE this blog!!
That being said, let’s play devil’s advocate here and pretend that the only way to get good content from him is by buying his books. $15 for a book is NOT too much to ask. His books are FILLED with value, and he deserves to be paid for his hard work. It’s really an inexpensive price to pay when you think about the knowledge he has to offer.
There are tons of strategies in various articles on the blog. Keep looking and u can find them.
I’m sure you must have written this without reading his articles. Michael is extremely generous in sharing all the strategies you need to use his system for classroom management for free. Sign up for the weekly emails for sure. SCM has completely transformed the way I approach classroom management.
Sharon,
Maybe this is just me, but I think that’s a bit harsh. Michael and his colleagues have given us voluminous valuable content on their blog for free, something they don’t have to do. But even if you’re convinced that the book one has to purchase is the only item of value, here, I think I paid like six bucks for the Kindle version last week. That’s less than a combo meal at most fast food restaurants nowadays.
Again, just my personal opinion.
Why shouldn’t he make a living? We pay for people’s services if we think they’re valuable.
I have built my classroom entirely on suggestions and strategies given from this website alone. I have yet to buy a book (though I plan on it). My colleagues now come to me for advice on classroom management, and I always point them to this site. There are many articles with specific ideas and strategies to help in a wide variety of scenarios. Go look again!
I liked your article about how not to quit teaching. This one is fine too but I have no problems at all with behaviour management. In fact, I have a dream class this year. However, I’m still at breaking point and very much considering quitting teaching because of many other factors like overwhelming admin excessive documentation requirements, inadequate breaks, the never ending increase of differentiation, too much change and vague expectations from leadership without enough time to keep up, complex student needs and the increasing expectation on teachers to provide parental level support for students with emotional, social and behavioral needs, increasing requirements for parent communication including lengthy reports and constant updates through apps and emails, decreasing non-contact hours and increasing yard duties. Maybe it’s just my school but I am actually in a great school with great kids, parents and staff. I just don’t know how to not quit with how overwhelmed teaching seems to be. I would be grateful for your advice as to how to not quit – when behaviour management is not the issue. And I thank you for your articles on behaviour management as they have helped a lot over the years.
Hi K,
You may want to check out The Happy Teacher Habits, where this topic is covered extensively.
oh dear, you are one of those readers…why is buying a book to educate yourself a problem?
I love your website! Although, I’m in a combination of these categories. I’ve always known classroom management is the number 1 most important aspect of teaching success, but I’ve always struggled with it (embarrassingly 13 yrs). I discovered your website last summer and have read every article and 2 of your books and I wish I found it a long time ago. You finally provided me with real concrete strategies that actually work. This has been my first year trying to implement SCM and it was definitely an improvement, but I’m still far from where I want to be. I’m going to reread everything this summer and I believe next year will be better. I’ve eliminated all the “bad habits” and tried to follow all your advice but I’m not there yet. I’m always excited when a new article is released. Thanks for all your effort to help people like me.
Oh my goodness!!! You description of yourself is exactly like mine! I eagerly await every article each Saturday morning after reading two SCM books this past summer. I will reread both and purchase the new one this week as well! It’s so nice to know that I’m not alone!
Michael, your articles are always spot on! I’ve listened to teachers complain about student behavior for 12 years and now I just forward your blog to them and hope they can put it to use. Classroom management has always been my strength but reading your words helps me to reflect and keep fine tuning my craft. Your books are quick reads packed with information to start using ASAP. Can’t wait to start another school year off on the right foot!
Thanks Kimberly!
It’s my pleasure, Allison! You’ll get there. 🙂
Very true! I am finding myself in category #2. I am so grateful for the fact that I found your website last summer. I have made mistakes while attempting to put the smart classroom management into practice this year, but I have learned so much. I am looking forward to the challenge of working with a new set of children next school year, after I have ordered and read your books this summer. Thank you!!!
You’re welcome, Susan. The books should be helpful.
You are 100% correct. Many teachers stress out because they don’t have good classroom management. I’m thankful I had a good mentor teacher, and I’ve learned many techniques from this website and the Bible (character, how to treat people, how to have faith, etc). The second best thing to classroom management, in my opinion is building a good rapport. Having students respect you and like you = gold in a classroom.
I am #2. I taught 4the grade for several years before finding one of your emails in my inbox and actually reading it. It was right before spring break a couple years ago, and I had “a chatty class.” What hooked me was the line, “Do less.” Since that day, I have read all of your books, and I have practiced what you preach. My last quarter with that “chatty class” was fabulous. I started with five minutes of silence the moment they returned from break. And this year, I started with your program on Day One. Sure, I’ve made errors along the way, but I have grown stronger every day, and my classes this year were the BEST EVER. Thank you for all you do, all you share, and oh my goodness, for letting us know there is a BETTER WAY. I love teaching again.
Way to go, Gina! Congratulations on your success.
Bravo!
Thanks Greg!
I really appreciate everything I read in your articles, but I can’t really apply because I work as a substitute teacher. After working for only two years as a full time teacher when I really struggled with class management, now I work as a substitute teacher and, no surprise, I struggle again with class management. There are no suggestions for substitute teachers in your article, and maybe it’s not the place for them, but I would really appreciate some information on good literature about the subject. I didn’t really find much, or realistic advice. Thank you very much.
I am a substitute teacher as well, and I have found that my most successful formula BY FAR is to be both extremely strict and extremely courteous (but not fake). In the higher grades, especially, I have never had any problems. It can be exhausting, however, and not really the way I prefer to be. There is very little teaching when subbing for junior high and high school, and it can be boring for me. I enjoy the younger students more (because of my comfort level with the age group) and I like to be warmer with them. I usually choose to sub for the younger grades, even though it’s a more difficult balance for me. Go figure!
Hi Sanda- Of course it depends on your particular situation but I would think that SCM could be incorporated by a sub. You could explain to the class at the beginning of the day as guest teacher that you use a particular set of consequences. Often the class has a set of classroom rules posted and you could refer to those expectations. If not, you could present about 3-4 of your own. You would explain to the students that you will give one warning for breaking a rule. If the rule is broken a second time, students will be informed that their name is going on a note you will leave for the teacher. Break that rule again, you calmly inform the student that you are adding this information to the note and so on. It is not a “time out” but the student will know that their teacher will return to a note of how they were repeatedly disruptive, off task or whatever. Michael might disagree but I could see this as being pretty effective.
Hi Sandra,
I’m aware that this is definitely an area in need of addressing. It’s been on my list of future e-guides for some time, but I’m unsure when I may begin working on it.
My school implemented ridiculous PBIS this year and we are absolutely forbidden to deviate from it. Kids get SIX warnings before anything of serious consequence happens. We’re not allowed to have any other kind of CMS. I tried using some of Michael’s techniques and got called into admin for it!
Love your articles! I’ve worked on classroom management since the first day of my career. I do get up every morning content to go to teach another day. I do love my students and being a teacher. I really appreciate your articles, because they keep me in track with my students. Thanks for all you have given to the teaching profession!
New HS teacher here. If you were to pick one book to focus on for HS math/science, which would it be? Principal gave a couple books on classroom mgmt last year but I find them either too vague or way more applicable to elementary age kids. Thx much!
Jeff,
Purchase and read Michael’s plan for HS teachers. It’s fantastic. I’m an elementary school teacher so I haven’t been able to test any of it myself but my newly honed classroom management instincts tell me it’s pristinely effective.
Hope this helps.
Thx Nathan. Have you read his books? Would you think any of them apply more to HS than the others?
I’m also an HS teacher. When I moved from elementary school teaching to HS, I bought the e-book for HS classroom management and that has been my guide to setting up my classroom management plan. Best investment ever! The e-book has a plan that is age appropriate for HS kids and has made my teaching a real pleasure!
Hi Jeff,
The Happy Teacher Habits. Though be sure you also read the high school e-guide.
I am type 3.. After 12 years I am still type 3. I do not know if this is the best solution, but I decided to try ripping off the bandaid and transferring to another school in my district. I want to leave the old me behind and start fresh next year. I need to relax and refresh over the summer. I will spend time reading and becoming the kind of teacher I need to be and then I start fresh next year. I leave behind my reputation and history and truly reinvent my self. My biggest mistake is not doing this sooner.
You can do it! Good luck!
Mr. Linsin,
Do you ever speak at individual schools or districts?
Our principal is very supportive and advocates SCM, but there are only a few of us that are attempting to implement it with fidelity. I know that it would be amazing to be able to host you as a speaker, for example during inservice in August before school starts.
Hi Robin,
Yes, I offer a Q&A style presentation, which I do a few times a year. Please email me for more info.
I’ve read your articles and books – and have subscribed to your email list – since I started teaching and have worked hard to implement their recommendations. Like most newbies, I have made mistakes and had to pick myself up over and over. Every year, however, I feel more confident and can see that I am becoming a more effective teacher. Thank you so much for ensuring we all have this source of practical, affordable advice.
I’m honored to help, Julie. I’m so glad to hear of your continued improvement.
Once again, Michael Linsin is 100%, absolutely correct.
Anyway, here’s something I’d like to share with you, Michael (and all your readers).
It’s a classroom management secret that I found works wonders for me.
I regularly remind my students that I do not LIKE to give out warnings and consequences.
Every few weeks I take the time to mention this at the beginning of the day (I teach 6th graders).
I deliver my spiel sitting down, in front of the class, totally relaxed. Speaking in a slightly quiet voice, yet dead serious.
My spiel is something like this:
“I want you all to know that I don’t like giving you warnings, and then giving you consequences when you get to 3 warnings.
“Every time I give you a warning, it actually makes me a little bit heartbroken.
“You know what? I’m the kind of guy who, if I were a traffic cop … I’d go around downtown, and instead of writing tickets for people whose parking meters expired … I’d slip quarters in their expired parking meters.
“I really would. Maybe it’s a good thing I’m not a traffic cop, then.
“And let me tell you something else. I’d rather spend the whole morning in the dentist’s chair, with him drilling away at my teeth … than give any of you a warning.
“I’d rather sit on an airplane flight from New York to Paris, and have three toddlers behind me, kicking the back of my seat and screaming the whole time.
“I’d rather spend 3 hours on a muggy afternoon in August mowing my lawn … front, back, and side … with sweat pouring down my forehead and stinging my eyes … than give you a warning.
“Boys and girls, it makes me as uncomfortable to give you warnings … as it makes you to receive warnings.
“It’s a part of my job, and I do it because I have a solemn responsibility to teach you upstanding behavior.
“And so I shall give you warnings, and also consequences. But it is with a heavy, sorrowful heart.”
I then pause for a moment and even close my eyes briefly.
Then I slowly stand up out of my chair … and, without breaking the solemn mood, I ask them to take out their books and turn to whatever page we’re working on.
I find that by admitting to them my hesitancy about being firm … it frees me up to actually BE firm.
And I also find that they RESPECT my warning system, and consequences system much, much more.
Because they understand how painful it is for me to have to use it on them … and they regret when they cause me mental pain.
Thanks for sharing, Mark. I hope SCM readers give your strategy a try.
I truly appreciate your articles; they are very down-to-earth and practical.
However, when it comes to implementing a classroom management system, I’m not sold on the recommended “time out” dicipline system.
It seems ineffective and not a strong deterrent for curbing misbehavior.
Also, I’m interested in your opinion about requiring parents to be more involved with their children’s misbehavior. They have more flexibility and options than we do.
Sending a note home is great, but if there’s no effective consequences coming from it, what value dose it have?
P.s. I should say that I’m of the opinion that some children will misbehave just because they can. Our job is not to figure out why, or to look for reasons to excuse their misbehavior.
We just need to work on implementing strong deterrents in school (and at home), that make it not worth it for them to break the rules.
Hi Shane,
I’ve covered these topics here on the website. When you get a chance, please check out the archive or use the Search box at the top of the page.
I’m a little conflicted about this. I’m somewhere between categories 1 and 2. When I started teaching, I was determined to master classroom management and I spent countless of hours reading and planning. I follow the SCM system and it works very well. However, I teach in two schools and I feel that a small percentage of classroom management is in the hands of the students. How is it possible that I have outstanding success in one school and mediocre classroom management in the other? I adjusted the plan to fit the age level (it’s only one grade up) and was consistent but it didn’t work. The kids like me but the extra talking and eating in class, which has become the norm in high school, totally overthrows the plan. I’m the same teacher in two schools with different results. I’m in a bind. Thoughts, anyone?
I’m in category 3 but I have been trying to get into 2! My school is starting PBIS next year and I’m afraid it’s going to conflict with my efforts at better classroom management. I’ve been trying to get out of category 3 for a long time (maybe I’m 2.5… some of my systems work and some of my classes behave).
My classroom management has greatly improved since receiving Michaels emails, and I haven’t had to spend a penny. The books are an additional source of info for those who want to go into greater depth, or have the information to hand. I think Michael’s blogs share lots of useful tips but, ultimately, he has books to sell too!
Thank you, Michael,I ordered your new book, it should arrive today!
I have used your strategies for nine years in my Art classroom. I am so happy in my classroom, your books and columns have made teaching everything I dreamed it could be.
I wish all teachers would just try your approach with everything the have.
I personally knew that I would pretend I did not see behaviors if I did not make more consequences than three. So I added two. I added a Ninja warning( this is a pre warning, I explain it as the light that comes on when your parents are running out of gas, they’re not in trouble yet, we can still get gas. If the student gets ninja warning they can still slow down, and not get a warning.). I also have time out 1, 10 minutes and time out 2, for the remainder of class, and I speak to their parents.
I consistently give out consequences for any misbehaviors, this past year I have only had to move a student’s seat once or twice the entire year. Keep in mind though, I only have them 50 minutes. But I needed the extra consequences to keep me honest.
So, for anyone wondering please, do whatever it takes, modify it to your needs and personality , the let the system work for you, it will be so worth it!
Leigh
Thanks Leigh! And thank you for sharing your wisdom with SCM readers. 🙂
Ruffle feathers?? This was a great article! I’m number two (but this year with some classes I’m 3- the difference is I can see what I’ve done to cause it). Thank you for your commitment to helping educators become better and better.
Thanks Nicole!
Thank you Michael for all your hard work and insight! It is helping 🙂
Glad to hear it, Drew. It’s good to hear from you as always.
Very impressive,I want to know about some effective strategies that a special educator can use to make his/her students to learn effectively .
What in your book will be different than say the Harry Wong book??
I was #2, but three and a half years ago, I found the SCM blog and it changed my life. I have had a dream class for three years running after teaching for nearly 15 years, quitting for eight because the job was killing me, then going back to the classroom to teach abroad. I found out that kids from other cultures were the same. It was me who was the deciding factor in the classroom and Michael was the writer who made me finally realize it. I was the problem, not the students. Now I love teaching and can’t think of ever quitting again, but it did take a lot of time and effort to read, practice and implement the SCM way. I still practice every day, and I still have hiccups, but my students love being in my class, and I love them. I share the SCM way with teachers who ask why my class is so great, but most teachers scoff and stay in category #3. I understand, I feel empathy for them, but I NEVER let them drag me back into their world. I stay out of the teacher lounge and seek out teachers in category #1 or #2 to hang out with. I buy all of Michael’s books and will be buying the SCM Way this week. Bravo, Michael for this article. Perhaps it will be the strong cup of coffee some teachers need to jolt them out of their fog.
Thanks Lisa! I’m so happy to hear about your success. Way to go. 🙂