Wild-eyed parents. Petrified students. Bat-crazy colleagues. Changing policies. Uncertainties. Obstacles. Frustrations. STRESS. Political division and its effects is enough to make you curl up rocking and sobbing on your kitchen floor. But there is one thing you can control. A trump card, if you … Read more
You no doubt have a packed schedule the first week of school, but classroom management must take precedence. Far and above everything else. Because it’s the foundation upon which effective teaching is built. It also ensures your peace and protects your students’ right to … Read more
Recently, I was asked whether I was good at classroom management my first year of teaching. I said yes but failed to explain a couple of important caveats. First, I had a remarkable role model. All four years of high school I took a … Read more
Question: How do you know what you want your students to do from one moment to the next? Yes, you have a curriculum. You have a schedule. You have learning strategies. But how do you know what it’s all supposed to look like? How … Read more
Extreme behavior. Impulsivity. Disrespect. Poor motivation. Attention issues. Hyperactivity. You name it, doesn’t matter. There is one strategy that works better than all others combined. It isn’t even close. Boasting maximum influence, this one thing renders every other effort to change behavior hardly worth … Read more
Okay, so there is a strategy I’ve been using every first day of school that I can remember. I’ve never written about it. But lately I’ve been sharing it with my coaching clients. It seems to resonate with them. As I explain it, I … Read more
If you don’t know exactly what does and doesn’t constitute breaking your class rules—with zero gray area—then you can’t be consistent. You also can’t be trustworthy or manage your classroom effectively. Just the way it is. Luckily, there is something you can do this … Read more
I’ve written about angry parents, complaining parents, uncaring parents, and overly chatty parents—and how best to deal with each. But never bully parents. So I thought I’d stick with the theme of the past two weeks and take on what is an incredibly stressful … Read more