Surprisingly, it’s still common advice: Never smile the first month or two of the school year. The idea being that if you show kindness toward your students, then they won’t respect you. Instead, they’ll perceive you as weak, a pushover. They’ll test you, challenge … Read more
It’s a question that has been brought up again and again among SCM readers. And now sits near the top of the article suggestion list. Should you or shouldn’t you enforce a consequence when you notice a student daydreaming? Or staring off into space. … Read more
Encouraging your students to become service-oriented is a powerful classroom management strategy. Because it creates empathy. It causes them to see their classmates as people just like them, with the same hopes, feelings, and struggles. It virtually eliminates bullying and improves self-worth. Most importantly, … Read more
To help ensure you begin the school year on the right classroom management foot, I compiled a list of questions. The questions are meant to test your preparedness. They’re meant to assess your level of commitment. They’re meant to save you from first-week-of-school mistakes … Read more
This may be one of the easiest strategies we’ve ever covered here at SCM. It may also be the most powerful. But first, some context. Right or wrong, today’s students have less freedom than in decades past. Generally speaking, their lives are more controlled, … Read more
Routines are the lifeblood of a well-run classroom. Because, done right, they save tons of learning time. They keep students focused and on task. They cut way down on misbehavior. They also make your teaching life a lot easier. For everything you do as … Read more
Via negativa is a method of improvement whereby one focuses not on what to do to become more proficient. But on what not to do—which, for many, is an easier proposition. It’s a method that is especially effective for improving classroom management. Because, you … Read more
Good teachers are observant. In fact, their students swear they have eyes in the back of their head. But the truth is, they just make it a priority. They see the value in keen observation because it allows them to . . . Witness … Read more