In my previous article I wrote about how a warning should be your first consequence.
This week I’m going to explain how to give a warning so it will have the greatest impact on student behavior.
Here we go.
The Purpose Of A Warning
A warning is just a warning—and nothing more. So when you give one to a student for breaking a rule, leave it at that. You ruin the effectiveness of a warning by adding a lecture, a scolding, or anything that shows your displeasure.
That may sound counterintuitive, but a warning only works when its purpose is to allow students to fix their mistakes on their own.
A warning is another way of saying:
You broke a class rule, but I trust that you will check yourself and ensure that it doesn’t happen again.
When students are given the freedom to make the right choice, rather than having it forced upon them, it says loud and clear that you believe in them and their capacity to control their behavior.
And this makes all the difference.
But so many teachers mess it up by giving a warning and then adding, “I don’t want to see you do that again. Do you understand me?” or something vaguely threatening like that.
You have to give trust before students will show you they’re worthy of it.
When a student first breaks a classroom rule, give them the opportunity to show you they can get themselves back on track by letting your warning be a warning. Keep your personal feelings out of it.
Again, and I’ve written this before, we want students to look inward when they break a rule. The last thing you want is for them to get mad at you for their mistakes.
If your students get angry with you or blame you when they break a rule, then classroom management will be infinitely more difficult.
Finger-wagging lectures, added reminders, scolding, sighing, threatening. They’re all self-sabotage.
How To Give A Warning
There is only one way I recommend giving a warning:
Quickly, dispassionately, and with as few words as possible.
However, there are two variations depending on the situation. We’ll go over both so you can begin using them tomorrow.
First Variation:
If a student breaks a rule, and you’re sure the student knows what rule was broken, then you simply write his or her name on the board, place a yellow card in the student’s designated pocket, or do whatever you do to signify a warning.
(The mode by which you indicate a warning is irrelevant.)
And that’s it. You never speak to the student. The student sees the yellow card turned over and knows that a warning has been issued. The onus, then, is on the student to do what he or she needs to do to avoid further consequence.
This is how you’ll give a warning about 75% of the time.
Second Variation:
The other 25% goes like this:
If a student breaks a rule, but you’re not sure the student is aware of it, then approach the student and say, “You have a warning because you broke rule number two.”
Say it matter-of-factly and then immediately walk away.
At your first opportunity, write the student’s name on the board—or however you prefer to indicate a warning.
Make Sure You Do This
To make your warning most effective, make sure you do the following:
Include everyone.
Even the most well-behaved students make mistakes once in a while. Resist the urge to look the other way when they break a rule. In fact, when your top student breaks a rule, it’s a great opportunity to show the entire class your consistency and integrity.
Back it up.
A warning is only effective when backed by a consequence your students don’t like. They need to know that if they break a second rule, you will hold them accountable.
Use Enduring Classroom Management Strategies
The classroom management strategies and methods you’ll find on this site are enduring; no tricks or trends that weaken over time.
This “hit and run” method of giving warnings is a good example. The longer you consistently use it, the more effective it becomes.
The reason is simple.
When your students begin to grasp that the responsibility for breaking rules in your classroom falls firmly—and solely—in their laps, behavior will improve.
And this kind of improvement is permanent.
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Thanks for this “reminder”. My classes have been great, for the most part, this year. But now coming to the end, they are acting as if they don’t remember the rules. I think this will work well!!
I agree with Diane. This is a great website to renew and learn new ideas to handle fires that spring up by surprise at certain times during the year. They take me by surprise and if I have a strategy lined up, I feel powerful and unemotional and can handle the situation more professionally.
I am the School Librarian in a 4-6 school. I am having a difficult time with discipline. I have a yellow card warning system I use. When I see a student misbehave I hand them a yellow card that says “make better choices”. However when I hand it to a student they either argue with me or push the card away or throw it on the floor. I only have the students for 35 min – which includes a lesson and book check out. I don’t have time to argue with students. What can I do to improve my disicpline? Thank you.
Hi Cheryl,
I recommend spending an afternoon looking through this website. Start with the Rules & Consequences category and then move on to Procedures (critically important for librarians). If your students are reacting to you in the way you describe, then I would start over from the beginning. It sounds like there is some resentment there, along with a misunderstanding of who you are and what your authority is.
Michael
Would it be OK to tell a student they have their first warning but have the student tell you which rule was broken? Or is it more important just to say the rule yourself to minimize classroom interruption?
Hi Joe,
Good question. If you model your rules and consequences and review them often, then most of the time it will be obvious to both of you what rule was broken–and nothing needs to be said. If it isn’t obvious, or if you’re unsure, then let him or her know as efficiently as possible. If you prefer to have the student tell you, as long as it isn’t done to humiliate or cut the student down to size, then this would be okay too.
Michael
Michael
I don’t like to put names on the board or hand out yellow cards as I think it is an embarrassment to students. I like to go up quietly to the students and tell them that they broke the rule and this is a warning. What do you think?
Hi Rebecca,
The key is that you hold students accountable using your classroom management plan. There is some flexibility as to exactly how you notify the student that he or she broke a rule, and I think how you’re doing it is just fine. I like it.
🙂 Michael
On the second day of school a student shouted out Tits and then said oh it slipped.This happened five minutes before class was over. I did not have time to give the student a warning,timeout or letter. The student left because his bus was called. I did fill out our school discipline form.and tried to call home. I plan on giving the student the form letter on Monday.Should I do this.What should the procedure be for situations when a student does inappropriate behaviors such as a student putting their hand in their pants and then taking it out and smelling it. I callled the office and had the student removed.I just went to the phone and called for assistance.
Hi Linda,
Yes. Because you were unable to enforce a consequence before the end of the day, you must hold the student accountable the next morning. Severely disrespectful or disruptive behavior should result in an immediate letter home (and a time-out as soon as the student walks in the door). In the second case, for such unusual behavior, you should call home and speak to parents. Tell them exactly what happened and what will happen if the student does it again. Otherwise, simply follow your classroom management plan. I don’t recommend getting the office involved unless you see or hear of dangerous behavior (i.e., hitting, threatening, bullying). You’ll be much more effective done the line if you handle the problems yourself. For more, read the article Why Sending Students To The Office Will Weaken Your Ability To Manage Your Classroom.
Michael
Today we role played the rules and procedures and the consequences. One question came up,what if a student who is i time out(Take a break seat) and they feel as if they need to stay there longer,Is that ok to let them stay? What happens if the student comes back and returns the letter but continues to break rules and requires another letter? What if I call home and no one responds,or they hang up on me? My principal says that if the student does not return the letter after two-three days to call home. If they still do not return the letter he wants me to do a discipline referal. How do I handle this,I need guidance,before this happens. I feel like this could happen.
Hi Linda,
If the student is angry and needs more time to cool off, then yes, Otherwise, no. Done correctly, time-out will not be a place they want to spend any time in. If a student requires another letter, then give him or her another letter. (Be sure and read through the articles in the Difficult Students category.) The purpose of a phone call is to inform. Leave a message on voice mail or continue to call back until you deliver your message. Don’t give up until you get the letter back. Although I believe strongly in handling all behavior problems yourself (unless it’s bullying or dangerous), you should always follow your principal’s guidelines.
Michael
I teach kindergarten and I use a green light-yellow light-and red light system. My yellow light is when I give a warning.
My question is, for kindergarten, if they get a warning for speaking out without raising their hand first thing in the morning do they stay on yellow all day? Usually I move them back to green once they’ve shown that they are able to correct themself and follow the rule again. This may mean that they get another warning after lunch about speaking out though. Is this ok? Otherwise I feel like I might me writing a lot of notes home for speaking out of turn?
Thanks
Hi Susan,
Because you’re teaching kindergarten, I think it’s fine how you’re doing it. However, you may want to require your students go the entire day under the same warning after 2-3 months of being in school–which they absolutely can do.
Michael
Michael,
Thank you for this great web site! Just in the first hour of reading this, you’ve showed me tools I can immediately use that will be more effective than my current classroom management. My question concerns a situation similar to Cheryl’s. I am coming in after the beginning of the year as a long-term substitute, and the class is off the rails already. Once I set up the classroom packet, discuss it with the students, and send it home, I suspect that my first warnings and time-outs are going to involve a large number of the class (if I am going to be consistent and apply it to all students who are breaking the rules for quiet and non-interrupting). Any suggestions for classroom management that, currently, will involve most of the class..the time-out problem especially. Will your suggestion be that I will be sending home many letters?
Michael,
In answer to my own question, I just read your article “The Not-So-Secret To Effective Classroom Management”. Keep working the plan! Start from the beginning, make things clear, be 100% consistent. Got it! 😉
Great Reg!
Hi, I hope this isn’t a stupid question, but I want to make sure I understand this correctly. So when I first see a misbehavior I give them a warning. This signals that if it keeps going or another rule is broken an actual consequence will come? (speaking to parents etc) If the behaviors persists do I simply follow through on the consequence or do I inform them that I am actually going to do it?……….What if the student gets their act together for the rest of the period, is it ok to have no consequence at all? As a way to show that I noticed their improvement?
Hi Casey,
Yes, when you first see the misbehavior you give a warning. If it happens again, or if another rule is broken, you go to the next consequence, which you must follow through. You never, ever want to say a consequence is coming and then not follow through with it. This sends the wrong message and will result in an increase in misbehavior. Be sure and read through all the articles in the Classroom Management Plan and Rules & Consequences Categories of the archive.
:)Michael
Great thanks!
This is something I put together as a way of giving a warning and also letting them know what consequences can follow. I would circle the consequence I plan on following through with. I hope there aren’t any loopholes.
This is a warning
Name: ________________________
Reason: ________________________________
Consequence if it happens again:
You speak to Angel/Hector
I speak to your parents
You miss baseball
You lose a run
Thank you so much for this blog. I am a first year teacher with no mentor and a wild class. I feel daily like I have become the teacher I never wanted to be. Thank you for your encouragement.
You’re welcome, CR! Hang in there. You can do it!
Michael,
I teach 9th grade. My classroom management has been ok – but not up to what makes teaching enjoyable for me. I’ve been following your site for a long time now and I was really hoping I’d be able to properly implement your strategies. I have been learning, however, that sometimes some of these strategies are difficult with high school. Too many procedures makes them feel rebellious. and my consequences do not bother them (warning, stay after class, call home). My first consequence is a warning – but it’s breaking down in the way that I deliver it. I have tried several methods – none of which have worked. I started with giving the student a slip of paper with the number of the rule that had broken on it. But I found this difficult to implement on the fly and that it drew attention. I tried just telling them that they had a warning but it seems that anything that draws attention to the misbehavior creates an incident in the class and throws off the flow. I have thought about doing the name on the board thing but I can hear the students now teasing whoever had their name on the board and making it more of an issue. Because I have not been able to properly administer my consequences my management has broken down and I have lost respect from the students. Do you have any suggestions for good consequences for high school students or a better way to deliver them? Thank you.
Hi Leigh,
The older the students are, the more important it is to create a classroom they look forward to coming to every day. This is the key. This is what gives your consequences the leverage you need to influence behavior. Rules and routines and consequences are important, but it’s the learning experience you create that makes them work. Choose how you want to deliver your consequences–any of the ways you mentioned are fine–and stick with it. Start putting more of your focus on teaching great lessons, building relationships, trust, respect, etc. For these are areas that grow in importance as the students grow in age.
Michael
Hello! I teach 1st grade math and science. My school works on a rotating schedule. I see a group every 1.5 hours to teach them math and science. I use the Blue, Green, Yellow, and Red with clothespins system in my classroom. I want to make my expectations clearer by stating what it takes to receive each color. I am wondering how many warnings should I give each color? Should Blue (which means a Superstar Day) mean only receiving 1 warning in my classroom during the 90 minute period? Is that feasible for 6 year olds with wiggly bodies?
Hi BP,
I only recommend one warning. You can read more about the plan I recommend in the Classroom Management category of the archive.
:)Michael
I’m starting next week (mid-year) as a Math Intervention Teacher (whole classes of 30+ students – similar to art, music, gym) for all grades K-8. During my 14 years of teaching, I’ve never taught middle school and have never been a specialist. I plan on establishing my expectations right away but I’m having stay-awake-all-night anxiety about the middle schoolers and their notoriously bad behavior at this particular school. Based on the school’s history, I don’t believe letters/calls home will be effective as a third consequence. Are there any equally effective, in-class consequences I can use, especially with the older students? Your expertise is welcomed by this middle school/specials teacher novice! Thanks!
Hi Susie,
The letter home can always be effective if you’re willing to do what it takes to get the letter back–which is why I recommend it. Also, remember, if a student is misbehaving to a degree that would warrant a letter home, then parents have a right to know. Thus, the letter fulfills a couple of obligations. As a specialist, given the greater degree of challenge getting letters returned, if you’d rather call home as a third consequence or add a detention (if your middle school uses one), then this would be okay. I don’t recommend any other in-class consequences.
Michael
I stumbled onto this website and found a gold mine of info! I teach FACS in middle school. Around 300 students in 10 classes over 2 days. Sadly, it takes me about halfway through the trimester before I know everyone’s name, even using a seating chart! Is there any way to streamline this process? I think much of it will work with my 6th graders, but I’m concerned that the 7thor 8th graders will find it very elementary. Do you recommend it for older students?
Hi Kari,
Glad you found us! The strategies you find on this website are meant for teachers of grades K-12, although in some cases at the top and bottom end you may need to make adjustments–which are mostly common sense.
:)Michael
I really think it’s important that students help create the classroom expectations in the beginning of the year based on wanting to reach their hopes and dreams and to help with ownership. Do you think it’s better to have the rules pre-written? Also – do you or any of the readers have an idea of how I can keep track of warnings and letters without using a colored card system or stoplight system or other “public” display?
Hi Jessica,
Yes, I think it’s best, for many, many reasons, to have your rules pre-written. As for your second question, I’ll put it on the list of future topics.
Michael
I love your articles. Thank you so much.
I teach middle school and was wondering what is the most effective way to give a warning when I see so many students?
Is writing their name on a sheet of paper for my record and tell them they have a warning enough. Or do they need to physically see the warning, such as a slip of paper or name on the board?
Hi Christina,
Yes, simply keeping track on a sheet of paper is enough. However, if you prefer to write names on the board, this will work also.
:)Michael
Hi, Michael.
I’ve been a loyal reader of this blog (and your books) for some time, and I have shared it with many. Thanks for what you do. I am a firm believer in the warning/time out/letter home system, but one thing that only recently clicked for me is how slow, deliberate and offender-focused body language can play positively into delivery of a warning. At my school, we are trained with the Fred Jones Tools for Teaching, and through that I have found that, when giving a warning, it’s important to be very clear — to everyone — that for the 10-20 seconds it might take, instruction has stopped, and discipline has begun. Then, you return to instruction as if nothing happened.
The goal is not to intimidate the offending student, but to simply add weight to the situation through, in a manner of speaking, drama. You write about “responding slowly”, and I think this fits. This has been great so far, but we have only had three days of school, so it’s very hard to tell. What do you think about this interpretation?
Thanks again,
Paul
Hi Paul,
I think it’s spot on. Your comments really struck me because I’ve been thinking just this week about how I should revisit warnings and how best to give them. It’s so important. And yes, there should be a weightiness associated with interfering with the sanctity of the classroom. A pause underscores this and sends a message to the rest of the class. Further, although you should never take misbehavior personally, it doesn’t mean that you give a warning with a smile on your face.
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts, Paul. I appreciate it.
Michael
Wow! It’s such a relief to find your website. I’ve grown pretty disheartened with the behavior of one or two of my students being disrespectful to me and other students, but having found your site I think the situation can be remedied.. A question. If a student receives a warning on one day, does that warning carry over into the next few days? So that if he/she breaks the rule again or another rule then the time-out immediately becomes effective? Or does one start anew on a new school day?
By the way, I just broke one of your ‘rules’. I was so engrossed in reading your articles that I have stayed on at work more than an hour. 🙂
Thanks for making these things available to us.
Hi Peter.
I’m glad you found us! I hope you become a regular reader. To answer your question, every day is a new day. The slate is wiped clean and every student is given a chance to start fresh the next day.
:)Michael
Dear Mr. Linsin,
I have been following this site, reading your book since my first year five years ago! Anyway, I have still been struggling with implementing your plan when I moved up to 7th grade from 6th, although I think I mostly have a handle on it now. At my school we are required to give team points, and tokens because of two behavior problem students. So I have a clipboard with a weekly sheet for every class, and circle if a student is missing a pencil, notebook, or is tardy. To keep track of warnings, I think I am going to just highlight yellow that section for that day on the individual student’s line. Now I have a quick question- for tokens we give out tickets, which the students can put in a bucket for a weekly drawing. (Again, mandated, not a choice) If a student is in time out, since he is “removed” from the class, he should not be able to earn any tickets, correct? I really don’t like the token system, but if I have to use it, I should make it a part of the time out, correct? Thank you so much for all your wonderful advice over the years!
Nikki
Hi Nikki,
The less meaning you can associate with the tokens, the better for you and your students. If you can get away with giving them to every student–or no student–then that is the best option. As for handling time-out, I can’t recommend something that we at SCM strongly don’t believe in. However, there may be times in your career that as the winds of educational change shift to and fro, you may have to decide whether to do something or teach something you don’t agree with. Only you can make such a decision.
Michael
I teach middle school. Putting a child’s name on the board ensures a huge disruption because the child will argue loudly and try to take over the class.
Hi, I have been in education since 1989. I left in 2012, and I am now entering back into it. I am taking a history and science teachers place at our home school. I have observed and substituted these 4-6 students, and find the outlandish talking to be offensive. I am being told to relax my guard bbecause they are going to talk anyway by my principal. Students have never been allowed to just talk openly, especially when the teacher is talking/teaching. How do you handle a situation like this?
Hi Suzanne,
Create a rule. Teach and model it. Enforce consistently.
Michael
I guess I need to visit the other site mentioned earlier. I am unfortunately an 8th grade teacher. If I were to yellow card a student, I too have had students tear it up, refuse to take it. I have already been told by my administration writing their name on the board is a no-no as it sets students to be reactive and argumentative. Students are to be disciplined one on one with no outward sign. I am also at a positive reward school, so one of your articles mentions this is ineffective in the long run. I have been trying this all year and completely agree, but it goes against the schools, district and state incentive PBIS (positive behavior intervention system) At this age, “goodie-goodie” students who get rewarded are bullied and peer pressured into complying with the misbehavior. Students are doing ridiculously bad things like throwing water bottles and other objects across my room. I don’t see it, and no one wants to be a “nark” when they do tell, others bully them. I guess what I am saying is 8th grade … What can I do?
Hi Tricia,
I don’t recommend the same classroom management plan for middle and high school students. I’m planning to write an ebook on this topic soon. Also, I have a book coming out in May of 2016 called The Happy Teacher Habits that covers intrinsic motivation in detail.
Michael
Thanks guys!
My problem is that, the child who usually comes first or second position is a talkative, playful ( too much) and sometimes a little bit rude. How do i overcome this pitfall?
Hi Sulaiman,
You make sure that your rules cover every possible misbehavior, including the ones you mentioned, then you hold the student accountable by enforcing your consequences.
Michael