Neediness can seem amplified the first month of the school year. Your new class is younger than the group you finished with just weeks before. And many come to you from teachers who coddled, over-helped, and rewarded them into apathy and dependence. Even if … Read more
“Hey, no talking during the lesson.” “I said to walk!” “Stop pushing in line.” No, these aren’t the type of reminders I’m referring to. In fact, they’re examples of what you should never do—first week of school or not—because they’re reminders given after misbehavior … Read more
If you have one or more difficult students in your class this year, then the first week of school is especially important. You have one chance to set them on the right track from the beginning. —Which is far easier than trying to coax … Read more
I’m often asked about the first day of school, so I’ve written many articles on the topic. Most are about establishing routines and implementing an effective classroom management plan—which are important, to be sure. But they’re not my number one goal on the first … Read more
Last week, I shared a way to make sure your class rules cover every possible misbehavior. But if you did the exercise, you may have noticed something strange. Something you weren’t sure what to do with. Something left over. You see, the exercise was … Read more
The purpose of class rules is to protect every student’s right to learn and enjoy school. It’s to form an impenetrable boundary that keeps misbehavior out and the freedom to teach in. Do your rules do that? Do they account for every possible disruption? … Read more
Recently, I had an unnerving conversation with a student after class. Here’s how it went: Student: “Mr. Linsin, did I earn full credit today?” Me: “Yep, 100%.” Student: “Are you lying?” Me: “Of course not. I would never lie to you.” Student: “Whew, okay.” … Read more
Likability is a key principle of SCM—because it makes building rapport effortless. It causes students to want to listen to you, please you, and behave for you. It helps make your consequences matter. Being disliked, on the other hand, makes classroom management far more … Read more