Public education is a mess.
Toxic coddling has destroyed it. There is no “rigor” or accountability. Standards are staggeringly low and students have few boundaries.
If you speak up on campus, you’re either ignored or gaslighted.
Every approved and accepted method of classroom management by the powers that be only makes behavior worse—PBIS, SEL, MTSS, and restorative justice practices to name a few.
Nowadays, you have to hide effective methods like Smart Classroom Management (SCM) for fear you might get called into the principal’s office and told that time-out or grades below 50 percent are too harsh.
So what can you do?
Well, this past fall more often than any other time since SCM was founded, I’ve been contacted by schools and districts to help train every teacher in our approach.
In nearly every case, the movement away from these disastrous, permissive methods and toward what actually works and is best for students was started by a single teacher.
They first spoke to a trusted colleague. They slowly brought others in and built strength in numbers. Then they brought their concerns and the solution up with the principal.
This last part is key.
Complaining will get you nowhere. Your principal, however, or superintendent would love to hear solutions. With a promise to make their job easier and bring peace and higher test scores to your community, they’ll listen.
Please understand, I’m not soliciting for business. I only work with schools and districts that are committed. Moreover, I’m busier than ever.
Besides, you don’t need me personally.
Our books are written for any teacher to take any group of students of any grade, no matter how chaotic or out of control, and transform them into a hardworking, motivated class that loves coming to school.
They’re also not part of any publishing company scheme to siphon millions of taxpayer dollars from school districts and state governments.
So if you’re sick of it, then do something about it. Speak to your closest teacher confidant first. Then reach out to a few more. Build a small coalition of like-minded warriors and then bring your solution to the boss.
Forgive me, but too many teachers, and people for that matter, let life happen to them.
They wallow. They complain. They watch their health deteriorate from the daily stress of teaching while an entire generation wastes away, unprepared for a challenging future.
The truth is, all those bureaucrats in district and union offices and government buildings don’t know a whit about what’s happening on the ground and in classrooms. They also make their decisions based on virtue signaling and personal politics instead of what really works.
But you know better.
You see it everyday. You live it and have experienced the plunging decay of behavior, social norms, politeness, and motivation and the strategic lowering of standards to try to conceal it all from the public.
You know that this current crop of students is unprepared and nearly illiterate, with little understanding of work ethic. Many are lost to their electronic devices and destined to be cared for by the state.
It’s tragic and getting worse. And we have yet to see rock bottom. But the power is with you to change it.
It starts with a single conversation.
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Thank you for the validation. I’m trying to be part of the solution but I feel so isolated in my school for upholding high expectations for students. I teach art and it makes a huge difference in the quality of student work when students are well behaved. Unfortunately, I’ve been told to lower my expectations and take more sick days when I voice my concerns about students. I’m trying to implement these strategies so I can enjoy my job and feel some sense of purpose when going to work. I really appreciate this blog and videos.
I taught school for forty years. I am now retired and am a substitute teacher. I agree 100% with you on this issue. What is happening to education is spiraling out of control but we need solutions not complaints. Therefore teachers unite, make a plan and implement that plan.
I love reading your articles and have implemented some of your recommendations for classroom management. I have firm rules and I enforce the consequences and there are rarely any gray areas. I do, however, have students with IEPs and 504s who also struggle with impulsive behaviors. My school administrators are telling us that we cannot set the same expectations on these students because they have different needs. Nothing happens in a bubble. When one of these students blurts something out or walks into the classroom singing at the top of their lungs, they get the same consequences as everyone else – time out, time taken out of recess, emails sent home…, but these behaviors are more frequent. Should rules and consequences be the same for every student regardless of what their file labels them? This is the gray area for me.
Very good question: I always asked myself the same one!
I’m a retired teacher and teacher coach. The situation you describe in this newsletter mirrors my experience exactly. Thank you for being a beacon of hope in the very stormy seas of education. Here’s hoping that many, many teachers follow your suggestions!!
Blunt beautiful well spoken truth.
I have been incorporating your methods gradually for the last six years when I first discovered your work, and they really speak for themselves. Ever since I purchased the smart classroom management plan when I was hitting a wall with an especially rowdy class, my colleagues have taken notice of policies I implement, like no late work, no test re-takes, a clear, consistent accountability system, etc. They see how well they work and reach out…and I am always happy to talk about my own classroom management, and to direct them to this blog.
I guess I just want to say, if teachers are feeling hopeless, remember that change often takes time, but effective practices are always going to be contagious. Even making one small change in the right direction can set someone on a path towards better classroom management.
I also want to say (although I know you all know this) that smart classroom management is actually a far more humane, compassionate, supportive approach than whatever fad is trending. I truly don’t say this to brag, but I know my students see me as a caring teacher BECAUSE I am consistent and have boundaries, and because I have high expectations they are all held to. I can be warm, positive and friendly while also being firm in my expectations. Even kids who have been labeled as having behavioral issues generally do fine in my class because they know that consequences are equal and fair, and they know I’m not going to patronize them or lose my temper because I am burnt out and frazzled.
I was hired by an international school based on my qualifications and work ethic. During the interview, I made it clear that I’m a hardworking and disciplined teacher, and they responded saying, “Yes, we need people like you,” before offering me the job. However, once I started, the school leadership began telling highly qualified teachers—people who could truly add value to the school—to soften down and compromise.
Having worked in private and international schools outside the US, I’ve observed a troubling trend: aside from the really good schools, the sector has increasingly become a field of exploitation. Many schools are run by business people who prioritize profit over education. They should step aside if they can’t commit to the main purpose of education, because this mindset is contributing to generations of students growing up without strong academic abilities or healthy social–behavioral skills.
Raising your voice alone isn’t enough. Some teachers will stand with you, while others prefer to keep a low profile and remain silent. But educators should remember why they chose this profession in the first place. Staying quiet only allows the problem to continue.
Are we all doomed? Time will tell, and, yes, it doesn’t look good. As a sub in the public schools for the past ten school years, I have come to see that the root of the problem is with Admin—weak, paycheck-collecting superintendents and principals that don’t view schools as a place for learning. The only glimmer of hope—and I believe there is a glimmer of hop—is that there still are some students—lots of them—who want to learn and enjoy learning and who “get” it. These are the students that will be taking the torch and carrying it. And Micheal is absolutely correct—the best and most serious teachers must (despite the proliferation of mediocre admins) stick together and not be afraid to implement exactly the points and methods he advocates. There always will be reason for hope.
Preach! It’s only getting worse. I don’t claim to be an expert, just someone who uses strategies that work and prepare students for the real world, many of which I have taken from your website and books.
The daily churn and burn: Follow the behavior flow chart, but don’t write too many referrals. Teach the curriculum, but don’t expect them to learn it. Have grades that reflect their progress, but don’t have too many F’s. Communicate with parents, but don’t be too honest. Let us know how we can help, but don’t speak up because then you’re a problem.
Low standards.
Less Accountability.
Zero willingness to have discourse.
The kids are not the problem. They are still curious. They still want to please their teacher. They still just want to have fun. They still want to do well. The system is ruining them.
I speak up. I pay for it.
There has to be another way.
You are asking the teachers to band together and solve the problem(s)? They are already asked to do it all. The principals and administration are the problem. Where do they get their degrees? What are they being taught? Why do they treat the teachers worse than the students–or as though they are students? They are professionals. The administrators are demanding too much and not of themselves. I disagree with your assessment and strategies. Not realistic. Talk to administrators with your program. The teachers are good. They are caring. They are accountable all the time. Sorry. Wrong target in my view.
I am a 37 year veteran teacher. I have spent the past five years in a new school corporation. The previous school corporation did away with consequences and dead lines. Teachers had to stay caught up with grading, but the kids could turn work in whenever, or never. The goal was to make sure the kids didn’t feel bad. Fights were a daily occurrence. I left to preserve my sanity. Now there is ‘creep’ in the new corporation I am in. A few more programs, a little more emphasis on kids’ “feelings” and a little less on work ethic. Parents moved here wanting the academic excellence, but brought the coddling demands of the former schools. No consequences meant the parents were not disturbed either. I will retire before it gets truly bad here. I have no fight left. I am exhausted.
I have experience teaching at international schools and college level so this is my opinion based on my experiences. When I see an academically struggling or misbehaving student, what I’m really seeing is, a child who has been misguided or not guided enough. The responsibility ultimately falls on the adults in their environment, administrators, parents, and teachers. Yet these groups often end up blaming one another: administrators blame teachers, teachers blame administrators, parents blame teachers, and so on. Instead of generalizing, we should look at which administrators, parents, or teachers are contributing to the problem, because not all are at fault.
Administrators:
Some remain in their offices with minimal contact with students and staff. They stay disconnected from what is actually happening in classrooms, communicate only through emails, operate with a corporate mindset, and shift the full weight of academic and behavioral responsibilities onto teachers.
Parents:
Some exhibit entitlement, are overprotective, or have unrealistic demands. They may lack boundaries or trust in teachers, push limits because they perceive schools and systems as weak or inconsistent.
Teachers:
Some see the job as just a paycheck, avoid addressing important issues, ignore behavioral problems, or compromise their standards simply to survive the workload.
In essence, the administrators and teachers who operate this way are not aligned with the true purpose of education, and schools should be more selective in hiring and retaining people who lack the commitment required for the profession. Parents who constantly test boundaries do so because they sense instability; when schools uphold high standards and refuse to compromise, parents are less likely to push those limits.
There is a great deal of work to be done. Many people are exhausted, frustrated, and have already given up. But as educators, it is our responsibility to take part in repairing this deeply flawed system rather than accepting it as it is.
Thank you very much for your reality check of the practice of solid management skills and what I have thought was and still is systemically disfunctional and inappropriate for K-12 teachers to implement; restorative systems, SEL , PBIS and so called behavior plans. As a K-12 teacher of 18 years who is NOT an MFT, LCSW, Psychologist, Psychiatrist or Adolescent Mental health care professional, using solid and consistent boundaries and expectations are fair and healthy. Unfortunately, since the proliferation of cellphones, helicopter parenting, the pandemic, infantalization of adolescentes, and the aforementioned strategies, the rise of antisemitic and hatred on college and high school campuses, my colleagues and I are at great odds with our parents and administration. Many are leaving the district , profession , and in being threatened with lawsuits, NAACP complaints, and fiscal and mental bullying cyberstalking , and doxxing.