The tendency is to rush. To try and cover every policy and procedure. To cram it all in on the first day of school for fear that if you don’t, then your students will develop bad habits. They’ll get lax and sloppy and misbehavior … Read more
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
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 can be a serious time for teachers. You have so much to do, so much to get right. Routines, procedures, rules, consequences, policies, expectations. They all need to be taught in detail, modeled, and practiced. Then reviewed again and again. You have to … Read more
Most teachers begin the school year strong. They teach their classroom management plan in detail. They set expectations and polish and hone routines. They build quick rapport and inspire good initial behavior. Everything seems so easy. But then, three or four weeks in, things … Read more
Come the first day of school, you’ll be ready. Your room, your schedule, your activities and lessons. Your outfit. All primed, polished, and poised to succeed. You’ll even know exactly what you’re going to say when you greet your new class. Which is all … Read more
For years I’ve had a poster on my classroom door that reads “Learn Like A Champion Today.” Each student taps it on their way in. To an outsider it may appear to be a silly ritual. Cutesy, perhaps, but of no real consequence. They … Read more
Authority plays an important role in effective classroom management. Because it affects how students view you. It affects how well they listen to you and follow your directions. It affects their behavior around you, their trust in you, and their respect for you. Some … Read more