If accountability isn’t working in your classroom, whether individually or class wide, the problem is that you have an area of weakness.
The solution is to identify the weakness and correct it.
Remember, effective classroom management is knowledge based. Apply SCM strategies as described and your students will become predictably well behaved.
Therefore, if your students don’t seem to care about your consequences, pinpoint where you’ve gone wrong from the list below and then make the requisite adjustment.
Accountability will begin working as it should.
1. Consistency
Nearly every teacher who struggles with classroom management is inconsistent, which is the death knell of accountability.
Because it isn’t fair. It infuriates students and causes them to dislike you, distrust you, and misbehave more often. You must watch your students like a hawk and follow through like a referee.
2. Vagueness
Your students must know precisely what does and doesn’t constitute breaking each classroom rule. Gray areas equal confusion, misbehavior, and aggressive pushback when you try to enforce.
Every misbehavior must be a choice students know they’re making ahead of time. It must involve crossing a clear, nonnegotiable line that triggers the same, predictable, every-single-time teacher response.
3. Boredom
You can’t ask students to listen, learn, and behave if you don’t make it worth their while by delivering interesting lessons and bringing enjoyment to your classroom. In other words, it’s a two-way street.
In this day and age, there is no way around it. If sitting in time-out feels no different that being a regular, participating member of your class, then it won’t improve behavior.
4. Sloppiness
Clutter, inefficiency, confusion. Poor organization and preparation cause students to see you as weak and easily manipulated. It’s also associated with careless, inattentive students.
You must move with purpose and clarity. You must show high competence and create a pin-neat room environment that is congruent with your call for excellence—or else nothing will matter to them.
5. Excitability
Your students will feel any and all stress and anxiety you bring to the classroom. Worse still, it will transfer to them in the form of excitability, which is one of the biggest causes of misbehavior.
You must remain as calm as a Tibetan monk inside and out from opening bell to dismissal because this too transfers and has a powerful effect on behavior and your students’ ability to grasp and accept accountability.
Who is to Blame?
If it’s not the students, then you are to blame, right?
Not exactly. Students are always 100 percent at fault for their own misbehavior and must be held accountable according to your classroom management plan. Full stop.
However, you have an incredible amount of leverage and power at your disposal if you know how and where to get it. When things aren’t going well, there is always a reason that can be determined and corrected.
In the case of ineffective accountability, the culprit is nearly always one or more of the above. The trick is to identify the problem, select the appropriate remedy, and then apply the solution.
The change in fortune will be almost immediate.
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At our school, we are struggling to find any consequences that affect students. They simply are not affected by detention, suspensions, lack of sports, etc. primarily because they have no accountability at home. A large percentage of our funding are levies, so district admin does not enforce consequences because they need parental votes. Teachers kill themselves trying to engage students, but students know they can fail everything with no consequence and will be socially promoted. I am constantly showing them the value of education. Many of us feel lost. Q
Agreed! If students don’t care about consequences and parents will not allow teachers to enforce consequences, then classroom management is made more difficult.
Hello. I have a similar problem at my school.Did you find any solutions?Or did anyone suggest anything?Thank you
I asked a question on last week’s article just this morning (I got behind.) And I have a similar question after reading this article. I was diagnosed with ADHD about a year and a half ago. I do not use it as an excuse, rather it has helped me identify things I’m not good at or just plain don’t know how to do/ be. Many of the things in your list of where to look when things go wrong are things I struggle with. I’m trying to find out what do les work for me because I love the simplicity of your plan and the mindset/values it represents. I’ve used it for years, but DO have trouble with consistency, vagueness, sloppiness, and excitability. It’s not for lack of trying. I just really struggle. In fact, I’ve had my mother in my classroom many hours this month helping me to reorganize my classroom so it works more efficiently and I can be neater. I am trying. But (honest question here) how do I do/ be something for my students that I don’t know how to do or be? How do I learn these skills? I get so very stressed throughout the school year. How to I reduce stress so it doesn’t impact my students and classroom management? I’ve asked that question so many times and never get a satisfactory answer! How do I keep things neat when I do not know how to organize and keep things organized? (I know my deficiencies – having my mom help is my attempt at fixing it – I can only hope that in the moment her help will pay off.) I love to teach! I truly believe I was born to teach. But my gift of teaching did not come with a gift of classroom management. It’s not at all intuitive to me.
I’m sorry for the length of this. I’m just truly seeking a breakthrough. I’ve had two really rough years in a row, and it seems like this year could be the third. (I have had a few really good years too, all using your Smart Classroom Management approach. So , I’m not questioning the approach!) I just really want to not cause more problems for myself!!
One thing Michael has mentioned and I have had success with is visualization. Spend some time when you are relaxed to take some deep breaths, and then practice visualizing yourself as successful in the things you are struggling with. It seems hard at first, but keep trying, and add more and more details to your visualizations as you go. Even a few minutes a day can help.
It lets you work out the things you want to get better at in a low stakes environment, and your brain makes connections as if you are actually doing it, after some time practicing! Give it a try!
Maybe teach a much younger age where discipline is easier, and these guidelines don’t have to be as strictly followed. Or maybe teach adults.
I am so similar, but with no mom or anyone to help me out as I live and teach abroad, far from my family. (Emily you are so lucky!) I am looking forward to seeing the answer to this question!
Hi Emily,
I also struggle with ADHD and have trouble with consistency, vagueness, sloppiness, and excitability. I don’t have any great answers. I am working on the STEP program with Learn, Do, Become. I also find myself very inconsistent with my Franklin Planner, but when I use it, that does help. I use two pages per day and it is a written calendar. It has a task list but part of the Franklin Planner is to prioritize the task list.
A = Important and Urgent
B = Important, but not urgent
C = Urgent, but not important
D = Neither Urgent, nor important
That is if I remembered it correctly.
Learn, Do, Become uses what they call a Command Central where you have Monthly Tickler files. It is sort of hard to explain. I am working my way through it and purging a massive amount of stuff that I have saved for “I Might Need It Someday.” I am starting to see the walls of my garage again and am also storing fewer things in the classroom that have been taking space.
I know your pain. I am fairly certain I am undiagnosed with something similar. I am very easily distracted, I miss details very easily, and this can often lead to feeling very overwhelmed.
I don’t have a perfect solution, but here are somethings to consider.
1. Prayer. This likely won’t fix anything instantaneously, but I truly believe the more I let go my of my anxiety in order to replace it with something like Proverbs 3:5-7 or 2 Corinthians 9:8 or simply thinking , “YHVH I put my trust in you” over time helps me to have peace and think better.
2. Building and praying for a team to support me has been huge. I joke, but my wife and several coworkers for me are like “accommodations” for my students with special needs.
3. Build and document things that make your future years easier. I for years felt like I was starting from scratch, so getting organized felt impossible. In the last few years I have filed things electronically and on paper that I can build upon for future months and years.
4. Remind yourself to stick to the plan. I have often given way to many warnings because I hate give consequences. But Linsin is right. Calmly holding your students accountable is the kindest thing you can do for them and yourself.
5. A book and training called Teach Like a Pirate has given me great ideas and inspiration to make my classroom more fun got students. I recommend the audio book and the hard copy.
6. Give yourself grace. You’ll get it, little by little.
I pray this helps and you all get the help you need 🙂
Something I’ve learned with ADD about organization is to put things away where they belong right away. This means, of course, that you have to have a place for everything. (Ask an organized teacher to explain their classroom system and their paperwork system). Otherwise stuff is cluttered, papers/items start accumulating on every horizontal surface and then when things are out of control it seems too overwhelming to sort through it. New things cannot come into the space unless an old thing is gotten rid of. At home I try to handle mail only once: junk mail goes in recycle immediately, bills paid immediately, things filed where they need to go. I do have a stack of non-urgent read later mail I go through once a week.
I did not become a teacher bc when I hyperfocus on maybe helping one kid with a math problem, the rest of the kids could be jumping up and down on their desks while I am oblivious. I am a para in SPED. I have gotten much better at scanning the whole class when I stop to talk to or assist a particular student. It’s impossible to hold kids accountable for behavior you don’t know is happening. I still struggle with hyperfocus interfering with this or the need to do something immediately so I don’t forget it.
Our school uses CHAMPS for behavior expectations. There’s info online. C is for expected voice level (we have 5 levels), H is for how to get help (i.e. stay at desk and quietly raise hand or ask a partner 1st if doing partner work or they may get up to get only kleenex or a sharpened pencil without asking-that sort of thing), A is our activity i.e. sitting at our desk working on math quietly by self, doing whole group instruction at the board, small group CWC learning phonics, etc.), M is movement (stay at seat until work completed, then may get up and get a book to read to self at desk; walking in the hallway with voices off, hands and feet to self, eyes forward, quiet finger wave to friends as we pass them; brain break dancing at carpet only or desk only keeping hands and feet in own space- no kicks and returning to desk as soon as music ends etc. ; group work-stay in assigned place with group & one person (assign who) may walk to supplies and get them for the whole group OR students pick up or take supplies with them to their group, then stay with assigned group for the duration of group time. P is for participation. Eyes on teacher with listening ears on, voices off, respond as a class when given a specific gesture or respond as an individual when asked. S= success-if we follow the expectations we will help our whole class or selves to be successful. I subbed with a pre-K teacher who used the abbreviated version of CHAMPS, MAC: M-movement, A-Activity, Conversation level at EVERY transition. I thought it might be overkill but her class was very well-behaved. If they didn’t follow expectations they did have consequences. Her mantra was: we are big kids and we can do hard things.
My bro used the Franklin Planner also and became very successful at his job using it. I have my own system of that.
Part of the problem for those with ADHD is time blindness. We always underestimate how long things will take especially if we keep getting distracted/sidelined by other things. I constantly have to tell myself: I am not doing that now, I am accomplishing X. I also use the pomodoro system of setting a timer for a specific short period 20 min and do as much as I can in that time working as quickly as possible.
I’m not sure if any of this will help. I became a better home mgr when I set a specific day for things: Sun-menu plan, Mon (groceries), Tues-pay bills/file/checkbook night, Wed, free night,Th/Fri (laundry) Sat (clean) Sat night (recreation). My cousin who has a raging case of ADD resisted this suggestion bc “I might not feel like eating on Thur what I planned on Sun”, “There’s no spontaneity” “I’m too tired-I didn’t sleep last night” etc. I’ve had to fight what my spiritual director calls FLIS=Feel like it syndrome (only working on things I like) that are not difficult and procrastinating/kicking the can down the road on tasks I don’t like. I’ve found that when I do what I’m supposed to be doing I alleviate a lot of anxiety/stress from things I get behind on that then become emergencies at some point and that cause me to be stressed/always running late etc. I have to tell myself that doing this hard thing now when I don’t feel like it is going to massively reduce stress/anxiety later and I visualize what calm I will have when this thing gets done. Action precedes Motivation. This is important! When I start to do the thing I’m dreading I get motivated to accomplish it. I actually never get anything done that I don’t like to do if I wait until I feel like it.
A life coach can help with accountability or a coworker or friend. If you pay a life coach though you will actually do stuff so when you report to them things will be concretely implemented (or not-if not, why not?) and discuss what is a work around to implement to solve why not problems. They also or an ADHD therapist can help with skills.
Exercise massively reduces stress. Making it a non-negotiable for self care is a must.
Meds do help. It’s worth consideration or at least trying it.
You were so thoughtful to so thoroughly give helpful ideas on how to teach with ADD. I just had to send you props.
Another excellent article at any point of the school year; however, it is even more helpful that it is being sent out right before the start of another school year.
These reminders are much appreciated and always good practice for establishing a well-managed classroom!
Thank you sir!
I was hoping to use box breathing and yoga laughter with my students. Just wondering if you teach some of these techniques to your students as well. I think it would really help them to be mindful and in the present moment as well,
I’m a retired teacher-regular education and special education Preschool through 8th grade. I based my classroom on 1. Respect for self. 2. Respect for others. 3. Responsibility for your actions. 4. When you choose your behavior, you choose your consequences. The first day of school the class was divided into 4 groups. A student from each group reached into a basket and drew a piece of paper with one of my rules written on it. The assignment of each group was to come up with 4 classroom rules uusdemonstrating my rule. From those 4 rules the team had to decide which one demonstrated the general rule the had and present it to the class. If needed the other 3 rules could be presented, and the class could vote. The 4 general rules and the rules the teams came up with were posted in the room. We discussed consequences for violations such as writing an apology or no recess. If a student violated a rule, I could remind them that they made the rules. Also I would ask what they were going to do about it. Honestly, they were harder on themselves. There were times I say “This is your first time, which other consequence would be less harsh.”
This does take time, but works very well, because the students have taken ownership.
All five strategies are perfect pedagogical forms of good classroom management. That said, after 21 years teaching HS, I’ve found that many of the most effective teaching examples, especially since the Covid pandemic, are easily thwarted by undermining policies and practices from both school admin and the District leadership. With dwindling school budgets and rampant litigious parents, districts are kowtowing to parental pressure in which school wide expectations and behavioral matrix plans are often softened, or ignored, which often severely compromises the pedagogical effectiveness of the classroom teacher. Regardless, the best keep trying…until burnout.
Michael,
How can your high school management plan be implemented in a school where teachers cannot decide how to weight student grades? At my school, the gradebook must be set up so that “assessments” are weighted at 70% and all other assignments are weighted at 30%.