The pandemic has wreaked havoc on our students. Stuck at home for months. A year or more of lost learning. Socially stunted. Screen addicted. Anxious. Fearful. Depressed. Pacing like a bear in a zoo. Then poked, masked, separated, and dipped in sanitizer. Told their … Read more
Two teachers standing next to each other were supervising a large group of students when two of them began wrestling. One had the other in a headlock. They weren’t laughing. They were bent over, red-faced, breathing hard. It may have been a fight. Or … Read more
This post isn’t meant to be humorous. It isn’t meant to be judgemental or hypercritical or make you feel like a failure. It’s meant to be helpful. You see, viewing classroom management through a negative lens—as in, what not to do—can bring the greatest … Read more
There is a growing sentiment among educational leaders that students should be able to turn in work anytime without penalty, even weeks after the due date. The reason, they say, is that removing deadlines evens the playing field. It addresses racial grading disparities and … Read more
When I was a new teacher, I got wind of a “stellar” teacher who taught at a nearby school. He and I were at the same grade level, so one afternoon I swung by to check out his classroom. His room was immaculate and … Read more
There is a mountain of misinformation about how to manage difficult students. It’s on a never-ending loop. Cycling through every school. Wafting down every hallway. And passing from teacher to teacher. At best, it’s confusing, contradictory, and difficult to apply consistently. It also does … Read more
The questions usually come via email. But I also get them face to face when doing personal coaching. They’re often asked with a hint of incredulity, as if what I write isn’t necessarily how I feel behind closed doors. “Aren’t there some moments that … Read more
Effective classroom management is as much about what you don’t do. As it is about what you do. The mere absence of bad habits. The omission of certain teacher traits and behaviors. The removal of common but ultimately hurtful strategies . . . Can … Read more