One reason many teachers struggle with misbehavior, disrespect, and the like is because they’re not strong leaders. In other words, they lack . . .
Presence
Confidence
Boldness
Courage
They tend to have an external locus of control and difficulty grasping that they alone can create the teaching experience they want.
They’re an oar-less skiff adrift at sea, knocked about by the currents of chance.
Thus, who is on their roster, their level of support from administration, and the degree that parents “care”—among other things—take on monumental importance.
As it relates to having a happy and well-behaved class, however, none of it matters. What matters is your classroom management ability combined with a set of leadership traits anyone can adopt.
Here’s how:
Decide
Locus of control, whether internal or external, isn’t so much who you are, but rather a decision you make. You either decide to let life happen to you or you take the reins.
It’s easy given the current educational climate and culture to point the finger elsewhere.
But when you decide to take control and responsibility anyway, despite outside forces—real or perceived, you’re given a key that opens extraordinary leadership that students respect and admire.
Commit
If you’ve decided that SCM is the right classroom management approach for you and your students, then you must embrace it whole hog.
To be effective, you have to leave your old habits behind and commit fully. Not only will SCM work as it should, but your presence, confidence, boldness, and courage will grow naturally and without effort.
You’ll feel, act, and speak differently and your students will respond with a level of reverence that you didn’t know existed.
Deliver
With SCM—or any success method regardless of endeavor—you have to perform. There is no way around it. The good news is that anyone can do it.
All it takes is to follow through on your promises. In the beginning, you may have to psych yourself up and be more disciplined than you’ve been in the past.
You may have to visualize and meditate on it each day before school. This is okay, and normal. But once you begin to see the fruits of your clear and simple execution, being consistent gets easier and easier.
Do
While two of the three leadership traits above are mental constructs, all three are actions. You do them. You don’t have to pretend or fake it ’til you make it. You just have to do.
Great leadership is the result of deciding, committing, and delivering.
I’ve been told that my classroom management confidence borders on the absurd. But it’s not inborn. I’m confident only because I embrace the things that make strong and influential leadership the natural result.
To have the kind of presence and self-assurance that changes how students respond to you and behave in your classroom, stop trying to be a leader and start doing what leaders actually do.
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Just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge.
It’s my pleasure, Scott. Thanks for being a regular reader.
Am equally moved by insights you share. I could like to be linked so to get more updates.
My goal this year is to be a confident leader in my own classroom! Thank you for this reminder that I don’t one day magical become confident, I just have to decide and be confident.
“ You either decide to let life happen to you or you take the reins.” This is perfect!
Thanks Michael! I’ve been following your advice since September 2023, and it’s made a great difference. Last year was my best ever year as a teacher. This year, I’m getting one of the “difficult” classes. I’m excited and hopeful to test your methods on them.
I am really pleased to read your SCM Articles . I am making Impressive Power Point Presentation and Discussing With My Teachers In Our School. Best Regards.
Muhammad Bilal Khan Jadoon
Principal
Army Public School Taien Rawalakot Azad Kashmir
Pakistan
56 yesr old 1st year full time teacher every day I put what I have learned into practice I have a 4 foot high sign in my class room to a r says ” Every student has the right to learn and enjoy school with out interference ” I am in middle school so I am being put to the test daily thank you for these little nuggets to use and evaluate my self every day.
Thank you for this! I”m a 64-year-old 1st-year full-time teacher and I’m inspired by you!
I like how clear this message is to what it takes day to day to be successful
This is why it is so god damn hard to be a teacher. To do this consistently and with a smile on your face and positive attitude requires a lot of FAITH which for me personally is the source of my presence, confidence, boldness, and courage.
Thanks for your leadership to tell it as it is 🙂
Hi Michael,
I’m a 5th Grade Teacher. I recently read The Classroom Management Secret and just started Inspire. Really have loved both and thank you for writing them. I had a couple of quick questions if you don’t mind.
1. Schoolwide, my school tends to use time off recess as one of their primary parts of their ways of enforcing rules. I have been utilizing the Warning/Redirect, Sideline, Think Time, Letter Home as my Management Plan, but in the past attached recess time to each consequence after warning. Sideline=10 min off recess, Think Time=20 min, Letter Home=25 min.
I did this more as a way of making sure I was following what my school did, but I honestly wasn’t a proponent of taking recess time. What are your thoughts on that? Should I continue taking recess time away or just stick to the management plan consequences that you mention.
2. Schoolwide, my school does a “Rewards System” where students get tickets they can redeem for a class store and as necessary to participate in schoolwide events. That puts me in a hard spot as I’d prefer not to give out the tickets to begin with, but I don’t want them not to participate in schoolwide events quarterly. I’d assume they’d get enough tickets from specials teachers, but just not sure if you think I should just do away with the tickets completely or not if all other classes are doing it?
Thanks in advance for your help, God bless!
Hi Freddy,
My school has a similar tickets reward system. Like Michael, I strongly disagree with rewarding students for meeting expected behaviors. My workaround is each students get a classroom job and I give them a few tickets each week as their “salary” for completing their classroom jobs. Hope this helps!
Nick,
Thank you for the feedback and suggestion. I have been contemplating doing something like the following:
Students with 0 consequences get x cash for the day
Students with 1 consequences get x cash for the day
Students with 2 consequences get x cash for the day
Students with 3 consequences get x cash for the day
Students with 4 consequences get 0 cash for the day
The amounts would decrease per consequence, but at least if I did it this way then it would not be giving anything for simple expected behavior, but rather a full day’s worth of doing the right thing. Would that be better?
Great post and a timely read for me. Thanks!
Doug, hi. I use the CMP. I do not give out rewards, although all other teachers do. Although they are only in second grade, my students are told by me that their reward is “intrinsic” satisfaction about what they are doing and learning and how they do it. They do get it. I let the other teachers give rewards. I was SO tired of the Treasure Box, etc. And I think it may become meaningless for the class. I don’t take away recess time. My kids need every minute of recess they can get. I do deviate from the plan in the following way: I have a small red light in the front of the room which I control by remote. When the light is on red, the Plan is in place. But with little kiddos there are times I want relaxed interaction with me and their classmates. Then the light changes to green (we call this using the “restaurant” voice). We have just started the school year, and I am looking forward to a great one. Thanks, Michael!
Eve from South Beach