One of the biggest mistakes a teacher can make is to have an emotional reaction to misbehavior. This can play out in a number of ways. Glaring Lecturing Arguing Berating Brooding Grumbling Threatening Scowling Pacing Using sarcasm In other words, you show displeasure in … Read more
One question on every student’s mind the first day of school is whether or not their teacher is a pushover. It’s natural. They want to know what they can get away with, where the line is. And the answer comes easily. They just need … Read more
Here at SCM, we embrace simple things that have a big impact. Maintaining a calm disposition is one of those things. If you do nothing else, if you make no other changes to your teaching practice, you’ll notice some surprising effects. You’ll experience what … Read more
The more polite students are, the fewer class rules are broken. Therefore, if we improve politeness, then we can save a lot of time and trouble holding students accountable. The problem, however, is that teaching politeness doesn’t work. Not in this day and age. … Read more
Having energetic students isn’t a bad thing. In fact, there are three big advantages: They’re primed for learning. They’re fun to teach. They’re eager to participate. However, they’re also prone to excessive talking and disruptive behavior. Therefore, even if you have solid classroom management … Read more
If you’re like most teachers, you’re in a hurry for much of the school day. Your curriculum is packed. Your schedule is overloaded. You never have enough time. And you’ve been led to believe that there is nothing you can do about it. Rushing … Read more
No, not freely. Students should never be allowed to talk socially in class whenever they wish. However, when narrowly defined, giving your students the option to talk with their friends for a minute or two during the school day is a smart idea. Here’s … Read more
The classroom management secret, as defined in the book of the same name, is this: Creating a classroom your students love being part of combined with an unwavering commitment to accountability. Every one of the hundreds of SCM strategies support this definition as well … Read more