When To Reteach A Routine

Whenever your students are performing a routine, you must observe them closely. There are three reasons for this:

1. Knowing that you’re watching keeps them on track.

2. It’s the only way to confirm expectations are being fulfilled.

3. It allows you to enforce misbehavior quickly and accurately.

This last one is especially important because misbehavior can be more common during routines and also tends to involve more students.

Thus, your quick action keeps it from spreading. This underscores the importance of bringing your documentation clipboard with you if leaving the classroom.

As long as you’ve taught a routine thoroughly the first time, close observation keeps it running smoothly. A quick reminder of your expectations before giving your ‘go’ signal is also a good idea.

Remember, reminders before misbehavior are always good. Reminders after misbehavior are always bad. Post misbehavior, your only response is to follow your classroom management plan.

So when should you reteach a routine?

When most of your students are off-track at the same time and thus you’re unable to hold them individually accountable. This typically happens at the very start of a routine but can also crop up right when you get into the hallway, for example, or out on the playground.

It bears mentioning that the second you notice your class going off the rails, it’s best to send them back to their seats or the previous transition to repeat the routine. If this isn’t possible, then don’t address it immediately.

Wait until you have class time to reteach it.

Furthermore, and this is key to fixing the problem, if more than a few students are misbehaving at the same time and the routine isn’t going well, then you must take responsibility for it, much like a college football coach taking responsibility for his team being unprepared.

In other words, individual misbehavior is on your students and you will hold them accountable. An overall sloppy or bad routine, however, is on you because it proves there is something your class isn’t understanding. Some possible reasons include:

You didn’t teach the routine with enough detail the first time.

You haven’t been observing closely.

You haven’t consistently held individuals accountable.

Your expectations aren’t high enough.

Regardless of what it is, the way to correct it is to reteach the routine in greater detail. It doesn’t matter the grade level. Kindergarten or high school, a bad routine needs to be taught again. Otherwise, it will begin to infect everything, including academics.

So you must nip bad routines in the bud by reteaching. This should include . . .

Modeling or mimicking in detail.

Modeling what not to do.

Asking more of your students.

Raising the performance expectation.

Being explicit about what you want.

To have a well-behaved and high-achieving class in this day and age you must establish and maintain a culture of excellence that pervades every moment of the school day.

Routines are the backbone of this culture. Thus, they must be taught (or retaught) and performed in a way that reflects their importance.

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