Because I believe it’s a mistake to reward students for good behavior, I’m often asked, “So, then, the stickers, prizes, and such . . . should teachers refrain from giving them out at all?” Well, yes and no. Anything that whiffs of bribery should … Read more
When covering classroom management-related topics and routines, it pays to be highly detailed. Providing steps for independent work, modeling how not to enter the classroom, teaching the ins and outs of small-group collaboration . . . Anything and everything that involves what you want … Read more
Effective classroom management requires you to hold difficult students accountable beyond just the four walls of your classroom. Washing your hands of misbehavior that “technically” doesn’t happen on your watch—at recess or with the art teacher, for example—sends the message that you don’t really … Read more
This week’s article is in response to a cavalcade of questions regarding one of the most frustrating classroom management issues. Namely, how do you deal with a student who, despite receiving consequence after consequence, continues to call out in class? Before we get to … Read more
It’s common for behavior to worsen during the final few weeks of the school year. Sensing summer break approaching, students begin to feel their age outpacing their grade level. They grow restless and excitable. They become bolder, testing the boundaries to see if they’re … Read more
They enter your classroom bleary eyed. Some have bed-head and pillow lines etched on their faces. A couple are still finishing up breakfast. One boy appears to be wearing the same pajama top he wore to bed the night before. For more than a … Read more
So a student, let’s call her Karla, pushes another student while rushing to enter the classroom after recess. You see the incident and quickly realize that, because it’s her second rule violation of the day, a time-out is in order. As soon as Karla … Read more
There exists a cadre of teachers who are able to command effortless respect and polite behavior from their students. There is something about them, something unique in the way they carry themselves that causes students to behave differently around them. It’s as if they … Read more