Five minutes. That’s all it takes to improve your relationship with your students. And why is that important? Because having rapport with students translates to powerful and behavior-influencing leverage—the kind of leverage that compels them to want to behave, to want to do well, … Read more
‘We can be us just for one day.’ –David Bowie, Heroes The common notion that you have to forgo your personality to effectively manage your classroom couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, sharing your uniqueness, your charisma, and your joie de vivre … Read more
Building rapport with students can be a remarkably effective way to improve classroom management. But there is some confusion over what rapport is and how one goes about building it. Rapport is nothing more than a connection you make with your students based on … Read more
If you’re a regular reader of this website, then you know that effective classroom management doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t need elaborate charts. You don’t need an incentive system. And you don’t need to beg, bribe, or threaten students to behave. But … Read more
One of the keys to effective classroom management is to build relationships with students. Making personal connections–through humor, kindness, likeability, and more–is a powerful way to influence behavior. It can also be astonishingly rewarding. The give-and-take with students, the trusting rapport, the shared affection–these … Read more
I hope you’re reading this. I hope the title piqued your interest. If it did, I’m glad you’re here. The topic is a special one. I hope I can do it justice. Bringing laughter into the classroom is so close to my heart that … Read more
The idea is simple. If your students like you, they’ll want to please you and seek your approval. Which gives you leverage—leverage to influence behavior like almost nothing else. And the best news is… it’s automatic. Your students will automatically behave better simply because … Read more
If you’re a regular reader of this website, then you know creating leverage is critical to classroom management success. One of the most powerful ways of creating leverage is to become admired—a hero to your students. I know. It’s not your job to be … Read more