No, not every day, and not even every week. You need your lunch break to get away from teaching, if only for a few minutes. You need the time to take a breather, prep your classroom, or think ahead to the afternoon. You need … Read more
One of the great frustrations many teachers share is that they can’t seem to get their students to follow simple, procedural directions—at least not without considerable effort. In other words, they can’t just say what they want and step back and watch it happen. … Read more
If you were to break down what makes exceptional teachers so effective, you would find their ability to teach students to listen one of several key common traits. You would also discover that this one area of classroom management in particular is a near … Read more
The student stands wordlessly, eyes averted, still smarting from yet another backslide as the earnest teacher softens the blows of the student’s many transgressions. Listing positive attributes, offering reassurances, buoying spirits, the teacher seeks the slightest spark of understanding, the slightest recognition indicating that … Read more
One reason many teachers struggle with classroom management is because they confuse motivation and accountability. Although related, they are two separate areas of classroom management. To be effective, they must remain separate. Teachers run into trouble when their attempts to motivate students to behave … Read more
Small, seemingly insignificant behaviors in September will in almost every circumstance multiply into major disruptions down the road. A single incident of hushed side-talking during a lesson, for example, may be hardly noticeable the first couple weeks of the school year, but by November … Read more
If you were to have only one goal this coming school year, make it that your students enjoy being in your classroom. Because no strategy, technique, or method in the world works as well to motivate students to behave, attend during lessons, and focus … Read more
No matter what you hear from your colleagues, no matter how far they say they’ve gotten into the curriculum, or how they’re already working in groups or rotating students through centers, avoid the temptation to join them. Avoid rushing to catch up. Avoid pushing … Read more