They’re needy and urgent. They follow you around and pull on your hem. They ask a zillion questions and expect your personalized attention. It doesn’t occur to them that you have other students, which drives you mad and stresses your willpower to the brink. … Read more
Things happen. Interruptions fall from the sky. Events and incidents out of your control invade your well-ordered peace like the hordes of Cimbri. A fire alarm. A student yelling outside your classroom. A schedule change. A recess downpour. Colleagues you count on drop the … Read more
Your temperament will transfer to your students like Covid in a college dorm. Thus, your calmness from opening bell to dismissal is critical. That isn’t to say that you can’t be enthusiastic about your subject matter or that you shouldn’t emote, playact, and express … Read more
There is a simple way to improve classroom culture that works fast but actually moves the needle. To be clear, by improving culture, I’m referring to raising levels of . . . Respect Politeness Empathy Responsibility Work Habits The strategy I’m going to share … Read more
Going a day without modeling is like gardening without a trowel. Because modeling engages students. It draws them in and holds their attention. It removes any doubt about what you want them to do. It also provides purpose that motivates and dissuades misbehavior. But … 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
Once in a great while, especially in the first few weeks of the school year, your students may test you to see if you really, really do mean what you say. Or sometimes there is bad luck involved . . . A fire drill. … Read more
You spend precious minutes preparing a great lesson. It seems fun. It’s interactive. It gets students moving. And you’ve got a great story to introduce it. But just as you begin explaining to your class what they’ll actually be doing, you see eye rolls. … Read more