It’s one of the most common questions we get here at SCM. “How do I start over after becoming inconsistent?” The assumption is that it must be a big production. After all, the result of inconsistency is big misbehavior. Disrespect Rudeness Bullying Meanness Aggression … Read more
Teachers struggling with classroom management tend to overemphasize consequences. They have this idea that if only they can find the perfect set, then all their troubles will go away. So they scour the internet. They query their colleagues. They fiddle and experiment and update … Read more
For behavior to improve, your students need to feel remorse when they misbehave. They need to reflect on their transgressions and decide not to make the same mistake again. Great, you say, but how might that be done? How do you get students to … Read more
Many, many teachers are in the habit of looking the other way when the top 10% of their class break a rule. It’s understandable, and certainly easy to justify. After all, the misbehavior is nearly always an accident, like quietly asking a question but … Read more
There is statement I hear again and again from teachers struggling with classroom management. It’s often used as a reason for not holding students strictly accountable or justification for the chaos they’re experiencing. In reality, however, it reveals a profound misunderstanding of effective classroom … Read more
So you have this student, or maybe several, who during instructional time try to make their classmates laugh. Sometimes it’s just a look or whispered comment, but it can be a major disruption. It can also be hard to know how to handle. Should … 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