Amid the pandemic, we’re seeing more and more students shutting down. Refusing to work. Rarely speaking. Staring off in the distance. Often hiding under a hoodie or hair shading their eyes. They need help. But the way most teachers (and counselors) engage these struggling … Read more
What could possibly be wrong with praising students for being kind? After all, altruism is something you want to encourage, right? You want to create a classroom where doing for others is common practice. It makes everything easier and more pleasant. So when you … Read more
If you take misbehavior personally, then you’re weakening your ability to manage your classroom. You’re also: Creating stress. Building resentment. Increasing the odds you’ll lash out at your students. But you’re not alone. Scores of teachers struggle with this. So what to do about … Read more
Consistency is the heart and soul of effective classroom management. Without it, nothing works as it should. And everything gets worse over time. Behavior Respect Work habits They continue to deteriorate until and unless you start following through. But how? That’s the big question. … Read more
Since returning to in-person learning, respect has taken a nosedive. Students are just different. We all see it. We all know it. The question is, what to do about it? Well, the usual keys are still in play. Clear Boundaries 100% Consistency Calm Enforcement … Read more
My gosh, how they’re bounced around like a ship in a storm. Rewarded one minute, lectured the next. “Caught being good” then counseled. Punished then praised. Scolded then appeased then forced into another humiliating behavior contract. Tighten and loosen, tighten and loosen. Difficult students … Read more
A number of schools and districts are outlawing time-out. The thinking is that it’s too punitive. That it’s associated with sitting in a corner and wearing a dunce cap. Setting aside for now that the way we teach it here at SCM is wholly … Read more
It’s popping up more and more in IEPs and 504s. Called Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), it’s marked by disobedient behavior toward authority. But what is it really? It’s a student who doesn’t want to be told what to do. They don’t want rules or … Read more