Tattling is annoying. It’s disruptive. It’s petty. It wastes time and gets on your nerves. We think of it as something students do to gain attention or get others in trouble. So we wave them off. We send them back to their seat. We … Read more
This week I’d like to share with you a very simple strategy. It’s something you can do every day. It takes less than a minute. But it can improve any area of classroom management your students are struggling with. On the surface, the strategy … Read more
There is a common misconception that you must have a big presence to be an effective leader. You must psych yourself up, throw your shoulders back, and move boldly among your students. Your voice must boom. Your walk must swagger. Your eyes must squint … Read more
Last week we talked about how consistent accountability combined with a kindhearted nature results in a nicer, friendlier class. They work together to rid your classroom of incivility and disrespect. They turn what you thought and feared were most disagreeable students into the lovely … Read more
Stroll through virtually any school and you’ll hear teacher voices spilling out into the hallways. You’ll hear them echoing above the clatter of their classrooms. You’ll hear them correcting and admonishing, directing and demanding for attention. If it were an office building, library, or … Read more
The easiest way to improve classroom behavior is one few teachers ever consider. It’s at once blatantly obvious and far off the grid. You won’t find it in modern professional books and are unlikely to hear about it at conferences. Yet, it’s as plain … Read more
Much of the stress teachers feel today comes from sources outside of the classroom. New curriculum, policies, and programs, tweaks and changes to this and that, and the near-constant call for flexibility—all zooming at you at an alarming rate—can feel like an ever-present dark … Read more
Spend a day visiting classrooms at your neighborhood school and you’ll find many buzzing with tension. It’s a disconcerting sensation that hits you the moment you step through the door, making you all but gyrate with heebie-jeebies. For students, who are unable to escape … Read more