Teachers struggling with classroom management tend to overemphasize consequences. They have this idea that if only they can find the perfect set, then all their troubles will go away.
So they scour the internet. They query their colleagues. They fiddle and experiment and update their classroom management plan again and again.
But nothing seems to work.
Because there are no magic consequences. They don’t exist. There are best practices—which we’ve developed here at SCM—but virtually any configuration of consequences can work.
The same can’t be said of rules.
Rules, after all, establish the boundaries that protect learning. They define very specifically for students what misbehavior is and what it looks like.
They free you to focus on teaching rather than lecturing, reminding, redirecting, correcting, questioning, bribing, and otherwise trying to convince students to behave.
Taught in a certain way, rules make every act of misbehavior a choice students know full well they’re making.
Which is key. Because when students view misbehavior as a choice, they take responsibility for it. They feel genuine remorse. They reflect on their mistakes and privately vow not to make them again.
This is the magic, and it happens naturally if you’re a stickler about two things:
1. Teaching your rules.
You must take the time to teach and model your rules so extensively and thoroughly that there is never, ever a question about what does and doesn’t constitute breaking them.
There can be no gray areas or even a shred of misunderstanding. The boundaries must be sharply defined and clear to both them and you. In this way, all parties will agree:
They’re either broken or not, and everyone knows the difference.
2. Following your rules.
You must consistently enforce your rules or they mean very little. Consistent doesn’t mean most of the time. It means all the time. It’s the only true way to prove your commitment to protect their learning.
And that you really mean what you say.
Your students must know that when a rule is broken, there will be a consequence. One naturally and assuredly follows the other like a toddler touching a hot stove.
The Real Magic
With both sticklers in play, your students will know that misbehavior is 100% their choice and own doing.
Which liberates them, gloriously, to focus on the lessons you teach and the safe, happy environment you provide. It also leads to an appreciation of you and your trusted leadership.
Consequences by themselves mean very little, especially in this age of diminishing responsibility. It’s the meaning you provide them that makes the difference.
This is the real magic and secret to exceptional classroom management.
So stop looking for more creative or punitive consequences and instead rely on a proven classroom management plan—one with rules that cover every possible misbehavior and consequences that matter to students.
Here at SCM, we recommend the following plans:
Choose the one right for you, teach the heck out of it, and follow it like a Super Bowl referee.
And your classroom management struggles will disappear.
PS – The next Facebook Live Q&A is set for this Tuesday, October 27th at 4pm PST on the SCM Facebook page. I hope you’ll join me.
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Classroom management is different for all teachers, and often times, depends on the age of the kids involved and the energy of the teacher. Personally, I teach middle school, and only have one classroom rule. “Don’t upset Mrs. K, and if you don’t know what that is, we can go in the hall and address that. ” I can see you rolling your eyes! But I have found, that by middle school, kids already know what is acceptable behavior and what is not.
I do have a very well laid plan of procedures, and if an area is not working, we adjust that. Kids do know that I am going to have a plan, and that there will be something interesting to do.
An endless list of rules – no.
Mrs K
If you read through Michael’s blog you will discover that he does not recommend an endless list of rules, but rather a handful of simple, clear rules that cover all potential misbehavior.
However, all teachers have a long list of expectations that they must teach and model to their students, including yourself. Unfortunately expected behavior is not always so obvious for students, especially middle school students who have many different teachers and each teacher has different things that “upset” them. Therefore, clear and specific guidelines are important to eliminate confusion, as Michael explains in this article and many more.
I teach 4th grade and I have five simple rules adapted from Whole Brain Teaching. We go over them frequently especially in the beginning and when I’ve let my class “go” a bit. It works well. One rule is “make smart choices” and we practice smart choices and role-play poor choices. It works for me and my students.
I did not renew my contract in June for personal reasons (having nothing to do with COVID) and have chosen to substitute teach this year. Surprisingly (to me) I have been busy every day in person, not remote. As a teacher I had written rules and sub plans for emergency purposes. Often classes I sub in are poorly behaved. I find that the behavior seems to connect to the amount of prep that seems to have been done in the classroom. Sometimes no plans are available and frequently no rules are visible or written out for me as a sub. I enjoy the variety of ages and classes I have been asked to teach but the poor behavior on the part of of some students makes many days significantly less enjoyable. The hiring staff and principals are super busy and not generally available for issues like this from a sub. I have never been given access to a teacher who is unavailable to teach in person. What is your advice for subs like myself? I noticed that elsewhere in your blog (back in 2015) you acknowledged this is a super important topic and stated that you were working on an e-guide for subs but I can’t find it.
I’m a sub.
I come prepared with my 5 rules, rewards, and consequences. I give a speech at the beginning and follow through. It works for me!
Hi Ayana, can you share specifically what your rules and consequences are since there are only five? Thanks!
I have been substituting since late September. In the past when I had my own art room, a routine was implemented right away, having learned this from Michael Linsin’s book “Classroom Management for Art, Music and PE Teachers.” This made my classroom work like a well oiled machine, I kid you not! Consequences were established when behavior disrupted the classroom. Now as a sub, I establish who is in charge immateriality, and review rules and expectations. Then the lesson plan for the day is given, and everyone knows what is going on and what is expected of them. I have been super lucky being in schools were a teacher is close by if helped was needed. One sub assignment was for the art teacher. In one period a kindergarten class was packed with children, some with special needs and most with behavior issues. After school I reported to the VP about the experience, as it was unacceptable and inappropriate to be in that situation without an assistant. I do my professional best for the students, the teacher I am substituting for and the school. So important to establish the ground rules in the beginning!
I have been substituting at one school for several years now – I have had contracts of up to 3 terms as well so I am a fairly well known face around the school. I agree you need to establish your rules and expectations for the day as well as the lesson plan. However, it seems to be something that pupils think they can play up in a subs class and all too often the sub does not know what the general school rules are (we have had “different teacher, same rules and behaviour” drummed into most) and is too afraid to say anything to a VP or principal about the behaviour and lack of plan left. It is this behaviour that is also unacceptable and will carry on until admin staff make it their business to ensure that EVERY teacher is properly supported all of the time.
As the second quarter begins of distance learning, I’m still grappling with students and their videos being off. I made it a requirement at the beginning of the year and it made up a small percentage of their quarter one grade. Spending time asking and griping with the kids to turn their videos on left a bad taste in my mouth. It was a waste of everyone’s time. Now, I’m considering giving students 90 points up front, no questions asked, at the beginning of this quarter (9 weeks in a quarter) for participating and having videos mostly on. At the end of each week, I will quickly assess the level of participation and videos being on. If they kept it mostly on, they maintain their points (this is the incentive). They keep it off most of the time, then I subtract 10 points (naturally, with some grace applied). What are your thoughts on this? Some context: three weeks ago I emailed all of the parents how I felt about videos being off and that I would take tougher stance in the second quarter. In the email I said if you’d have a problem with this stance, email me and I would have no problems with the student’s camera being off. Not one parent emailed me back with this concern. Actually a few emailed me back to make sure their kid’s camera would be turned on. Wondering what you think of this.
I am experiencing a similar issue with virtual learners at a middle school in a district that has distributed laptops to every student. We are synchronous on M, W, F, and asynchronous on T and Th. With 100% distance learning, the 45-minute classes are too short to accomplish anything of value. As it is, there are twenty students on one of my rosters, twenty-two on another, and fewer than ten attend the Zoom class sessions on a regular basis. Most that attend put up name screens or pictures in place of their faces. Our district tells us that we cannot require students to show their faces. I do a ‘face-check’ every few minutes, but still find students who have left the session. A majority of the classes have earned failing marks as a result of non-attendance and lack of work. Many parents have not provided email contacts on the emergency forms. A frequent statement of mine to the students is, “You are the ones who will have to explain how you earned the failing grades on your report card,” but the ones who hear it are not the students who need to hear it. Zoom has a feature that shows the students’ joining time, leaving time, and duration of attendance for each meeting which will be especially useful during virtual parent conferences. This is extremely frustrating for me because students cannot be forced to attend class or complete assignments. What criteria will be established for promotion, I wonder.
I would recommend utilizing the telephone to contact parents to let them know that their child is not attending or has not been engaged with video or otherwise on your zoom calls. While we may not have “power“ to enforce this, parents do.
I would also encourage you and all of us teachers to see how we can make our Zoom calls more interesting. Even if it requires sacrificing valuable class time I recommend doing it – whatever it is – to hook them. I routinely do puzzles and riddles and other games and even math magic tricks in lieu of actual curriculum. I still fee like an educational heretic looking over my shoulder awaiting excommunication for failing to “cover” everything. But I justify it because so many of my high school students have very little if any interest in math. My little puzzles and games and such are like those 1,2,3 … CLEAR paddles they use to basically restart the heart in ERs. I’m not gonna get anywhere meaningful if they’re basically brain dead or have no interest in math. The games & puzzles really do turn them on or wake them up so to speak.
Dear Molly, I found this article.very enlightening. Regards. Thomas Declan Galvin.
Call the parents during class and insist that the students camera be turned on or they will be removed from the class. My science teacher did this and the girl turned on her camera.
Yes! Rules are more important than consequences because without them there is no concrete ground reasoning for consequences. Rules are as important as the assignment. Rules set the tone for an orderly class. They gear the class into knowing what to do when and within what limits they are to be done. Rules avoid disorder in the class.