At first glance, the answer just might be yes. It makes sense, right? A student misbehaves and you give them a hand signal letting them know which rule was broken and the consequence. The benefits are: It’s quiet. It’s quick. It’s discreet. It’s respectful. … Read more
How you give a consequence matters. It’s not just do or not do. The way it’s performed goes a long way toward your students taking responsibility. It’s another of the small details that separate just getting by from exceptional classroom management. The latter requires … Read more
Here at SCM, we get many questions about the letter-home consequence. For the uninitiated, a letter home to parents can be part of the third consequence of the elementary classroom management plan that we recommend. The key word is ‘can.’ You see, it’s an … Read more
Here’s the scenario: You witness a student break a rule, so you enforce a consequence. But then, out of nowhere, a student nearby denies the misbehavior. In other words, they jump in and say . . . “It wasn’t him!” “He didn’t do it.” … Read more
A common scenario: A student disrupts your class and you deliver a consequence. All good. But the moment you finish, another student laughs at the disruptor. Laughter in this situation is infuriating because it makes light of the sacredness of uninterrupted learning. It also … Read more
A student breaks a rule. You calmly give them a consequence. And they react badly. They sigh dramatically. They roll their eyes. They complain under their breath, glare at you, blame others, etc. This is very common in the beginning of the school year. … Read more
Surprisingly, it’s becoming more common, not less. You’d think that refraining from threatening consequences—rather than following through on them—would be classroom management 101. But since the pandemic, and the precipitous drop in standards, the old “Stop what you’re doing or else” has made a … Read more
A student comes to you and begs for a second chance. They swear that from now on things will be different. They just need you to fix this one little grade, ignore their latest wee misbehavior, let them redo the test, essay, or project. … Read more