Every year, I ask three or four students with natural leadership ability to be part of my leadership team. I meet with them once a week or so. It’s informal, and the meetings don’t last long. I also don’t mind if others join in. … Read more
There is one thing you can do right now that will . . . improve behavior lower your stress build better rapport save time In other words, make teaching more fun and effective. Here at SCM we’ve been shouting this strategy from the rooftops … Read more
A danger in trying to improve classroom management is that you tighten up. You become tense and wooden. You’re so intent on following your classroom management plan and holding students accountable that it changes your personality. Somewhere in the back of your mind you … Read more
I’ve spoken to thousands of teachers about their classroom management struggles. They all have much in common. I repeat myself a lot. My advice is “do this and don’t do that.” This is one reason SCM has been successful. Our strategies are straightforward. I … Read more
Many years ago, before I started SCM, a district administrator who knew of my fascination with classroom management came to see me. She wanted me to visit a teacher at a nearby school. She didn’t tell me why, only that I would enjoy it. … Read more
No, you don’t have to be riotously funny. You don’t have to prepare daily jokes and stories. You don’t even have to try to make your students laugh. But you do need to prioritize humor in your classroom. Have a spirit of laughter, a … Read more
The SCM principle of being consistently pleasant has many and tremendous benefits. Chief among them is that it builds effortless rapport. By taking on an easygoing, good-humored disposition, your students will come to you and want to get to know you better. This in … Read more
Here at SCM, we believe building influential relationships with students is critical—for many reasons. Not the least of which is that it makes everything, especially managing behavior, easier. Which is why we’ve gone to lengths in our books to break down in the simplest … Read more