One of the happy truths about classroom management is that you can always press the restart button. You can always call a do-over.
Any time you like.
So as soon as you notice your students becoming less motivated and more prone to misbehavior, that’s exactly what you should do.
Crumble up and start over.
Don’t wait until your students are climbing the walls, and you’re sobbing during your lunch break.
Do it now.
Every day your wet finger should be in the air, testing the behavioral winds of your classroom. If you don’t like the direction they’re blowing, it’s time to shake things up.
And start over from scratch.
Here’s how:
Begin first thing in the morning.
It’s best to start over in the morning, as soon as your students arrive to school. In the meantime, if you’re trying to get through a rough afternoon, slow everything down. Take your time, talk less, and wait until your students are quiet and looking at you before moving on to the next thing.
Rearrange seating.
Before your students arrive in the morning, change the seating arrangement—as well as where students sit in relation to one another. A new place to sit signals to students that change is in the air. The old way of doing things isn’t in play any longer.
Clean up the clutter.
Physical environment has a noticeable effect on behavior. A tidy, clean look, with lots of pride and open space, sparks an immediate understanding in students–without you saying a word–that excellence is expected. Clutter, on the other hand, whispers to all who enter your classroom, “Mediocre will do.”
Block out one hour (or more).
Most teachers are in a hurry to plow through the curriculum, giving less attention to the one thing that makes the greatest difference in the classroom: classroom management. Clear your schedule for first thing in the morning. Give yourself at least one hour to work your classroom back into shape.
Model procedures first.
Your students need to know exactly what to do, and how to do it well, during every minute of the school day. When they don’t, bad things happen. Routines and procedures are critical to your success—and sanity. They should be reviewed, modeled, and practiced during the first half of your one-hour block.
Practice walking in line.
Although all procedures are important, walking in line is at the top of the list. Nothing focuses students faster or more effectively than practicing a smooth, brisk, arrow-straight line. It gets them doing things the right way, which will then transfer to everything they do.
Reintroduce your classroom management plan.
After practicing procedures, your students will be calmer, more attentive, and more receptive to your instruction. Now is the time to reintroduce your classroom management plan. Model each rule and consequence like it’s the first day of school.
Recommit yourself.
If your students have become careless with their behavior, then you’ve become careless with classroom management. It’s as simple as that. So own up to it. Tell your students that you’ve done a poor job of holding them accountable and therefore haven’t fulfilled your most important job: to protect their right to learn without interference.
Then give your word that it won’t happen again.
Pedal To The Metal
Whenever you feel like you’re losing control of your classroom, it’s because of something you’re doing–or not doing. It’s not about your students. It never has been and it never will be.
It’s about you.
Effective classroom management is a daily, hourly, commitment. As soon as you let up and relax your standards, you’re going to pay for it–with interest.
The solution is to keep your foot on the gas, propelling your students toward your ever-rising bar of excellence.
Do this, and you’ll never have to start over.
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Great article!
I especially agree that taking it slow can go such a long way. You’ll really be able to see exactly where the breakdown begins, and address it right there. It will probably also help you keep a clear head and stay positive.
We’d love to have your insights address some of the questions posted at http://www.educatedexchange.com!
I am taking over from a teacher whose classroom is chaos. I have the 9th grade class for the rest of the year. I’ve observed, but haven’t taken over yet. Calling out, straightening hair in the back of the class, sleeping, off-task, ridiculing of students by peers – you name it, it’s there. Any suggestions?
Hi Nancy,
I recommend starting over as if it’s the first day of school. This website will help you do that. Begin reading through the Classroom Management Plan and Rules & Consequences categories of the archive and then go from there. There is no reason why you can’t have completely different results from the teacher before you. After all, the previous teacher is the reason why the class is the way it is.
Michael
Thank you so much for your great advice.
Rose
Your welcome, Rose!
Great article. I set aside an hour today and reset expectations. Where do you suggest going from here? How much time to I spend reviewing everyday?
Hi Bridgette,
You definitely need to practice routines. This is a big factor in effective classroom management. Read through the Routines & Procedures category of the archive. As for time spent on classroom management… as much as you need.