Allow me to let you in on a secret: There is a shocking difference between classrooms run by teachers with excellent classroom management and everyone else.
Of course there is a difference, you knew that. But the sheer scale is what is so surprising.
Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to observe a lot of teachers, and to this day it still blows me away. The amount of learning, politeness, and happiness in a small number of classrooms is staggering compared to the chaos found virtually everywhere else.
What you assume about your colleagues from the way they carry themselves, from their professionalism and knowledge, is often all wrong. The staff lounge is full of extraordinary teachers. The classrooms? Not so much.
Why is that?
I’ve thought a lot about this question. The simple explanation is that teacher ed. programs and school districts underemphasize the importance of classroom management.
It’s hardly mentioned—at least, in an effective sense. And when it is, it’s about doling out rewards, guiding community circles, and using false praise.
The result is that teachers enter the profession unprepared. They lose confidence and quit or spend the rest of their career pretending to be a good teacher.
A small few realize their classroom management shortcomings, go on a hunt for what really works—which is no easy task—and turn their career around.
The deeper reason that there is such a profound difference between good teachers and the rest, however, is what I call the great disconnect.
You see, there is a vast difference among teachers in their belief in students and what they’re capable of. With expert classroom management, you’re able to see what is possible.
The proof is right there in front of you, staring you in the face. And this changes everything.
You know for certain that you can push for excellence and have it materialize in front of you because you have the ability to create a learning environment in which students want to listen and behave.
If you don’t know what’s possible, if you’ve never seen whole-class transformation, then it’s hard to believe it exists.
When what you see year after year is misbehavior, disrespect, and middling improvement, and what you experience is stress and dissatisfaction, it’s only natural to be a skeptic.
It’s only natural to believe the lie that the students are the problem. This doesn’t mean that they aren’t a challenge or that they don’t bring with them a host of poor habits and behaviors.
They are and they do.
I also want to be clear that I’m not blaming teachers, which I’m often accused of. My goal is to communicate to everyone who will listen that it’s not only possible to have a hardworking, well-behaved class, but it’s doable for anyone.
It isn’t quantum physics. There are skills you can learn that will allow you to walk into any classroom in the world and transform those students into your dream class.
I’ve seen it over and over again. I’ve read it in the thousands of emails we’ve received here at SCM. I’ve experienced it myself every single year of teaching, in every grade, and in the most challenging schools on Earth.
The truth is, and this isn’t easy for a lot of teachers to hear . . .
There are no excuses.
Many of our readers here at SCM have become experts in their own right. They know our principles and strategies as well as I do and are able to put them into practice predictably and effectively year after year and with class after class.
If you’re not there yet, the biggest hurdle is the great disconnect. It’s knowing and believing that it’s possible and that it isn’t as hard as you’ve been led to believe.
So where to start?
I recommend The Total Classroom Management Makeover or The Classroom Management Secret to get an overview of the SCM approach. You may also want to check out one of the classroom management e-guides in the sidebar.
Together, these resources will quickly get you on the road to great teaching and behavior management.
We also have over 600 articles in our archive covering every classroom management and successful teaching topic imaginable.
But first let me assure you. You can love your job and make an impact on your students that lasts a lifetime. You can teach without stress or working late hours no matter who you are, where you teach, or who shows up on your roster.
You can take over and transform any group of students.
If you don’t believe me, give us a chance to prove it to you. Put SCM to the test for one month. That’s all. Apply our simple principles and strategies as explained—paint by numbers—and see what happens.
You’ll become a believer too.
If you haven’t done so already, please join us. It’s free! Click here and begin receiving classroom management articles like this one in your email box every week.
I bought the classroom management for art PE and music teachers and it changed my life. I was hating the transition from HS Spanish to 5th/6th grade specialist, where I had 15 home rooms coming in from 15 different classroom management plans. It worked so well for me I actually turned down a high school position!
It was a lot of work and tough, tough self reflection. The hardest was to get rid of “The Look” and I still have to apologize to a kid on occasion for doing it.
I do have a question. Now that we are heading back to in person, they took away my tables to give to homeroom teachers (….) and I have dots on my floor for the kids to attempt to keep their rolling chairs on.
Normally I do a silent cue (to keep the class rolling in Spanish. It is usually enough). Then out loud warning, then break from classmates. The break is super rare – maybe a handful of times ever in a class. (Not including kids on an IEP of course who have their own needs).
If they are already 3 feet apart and as per admin I am not allowed to have them move about the room to take a break… what would be a possible step 3?? This Covid stuff is wild.
I would do it anyway. Since it happens so rarely I would think the odds of getting caught are slim.
I am going from 30 years in 5th grade to 2nd. Do I use the exact same plan for them? I have been using your plan ever since I found it. Just not sure if I need to tweak it for younger students.
Denise, I moved from second to fifth and back to second regularly in my 25 year career, and I can honestly say that most of the things I used in my classroom management for second graders were just as effective for fifth graders. I might make the language more fifth grade appropriate, but the basics of my systems were all the same and equally effective. The things that you love about fifth graders will also endear second graders to you, especially as the year gets a few weeks off the ground. At first they will seem like babes, and they are, big first graders. Here is my best advice… first always remember that second graders WANT to like you and they WANT you to like them. They WANT to become kids who understand the books they read and when they do, they will forever believe that as the person who taught them comprehension, you are the one who taught them to read, not that first grade teacher who gave blood sweat and tears to get them to read paragraphs and simple stories. This is what makes second graders so much fun. As their comprehension grows their writing grows and those little babies who came in will dazzle you.
There is a trick… establish procedures that work for you from day 1! Train them and train them well. Teach them exactly how to make you smile all day every day and they will do their very best to do just that. This is more than rules, it’s where things go, how they walk and how loud their voices should be at different times, how you like them to do jobs in your room…. and what makes you laugh and smile. They are warm, perceptive and they are open. Unlike fifth graders, they make inferences quickly and pick up nuances that you want them to get because while fifth graders are building independence from you, second graders are much less literal than fifth graders and they love to take suggestions because they are still good at pretending and nobody told them that school isn’t an adventure. Prepare to have fun and train them to be big thinkers like your fifth graders and they will step up to the plate and surprise you every time. Expect them to be amazing and you will have the time of your life.
If you aren’t having fun… email me. I would genuinely be honored to be a pen pal to another professional.
I have everything ready to go to implement on Monday! It feels odd to implement a different system in April, but I figure this is a good trial run and I can make adjustments for next year.
Just do it, Jenna! It’ll change everything!
Kim, I agree with Jenna! Do it! Give it a trial run! No time like the present! Kids at this point in the year respond to anything that isn’t the same old thing! They will respond even more if it improves their understanding of things you are teaching, improves the way time is used in the classroom (bright kids hate to have learning time wasted on discipline as much as teachers do.) And, if it makes them get treated better by classmates or makes their friendships easier it will really make then your fan. Sometimes the end of the year is a PERFECT time to really work the kinks out of something that will do wonders when you start back in the fall.
Good luck! Have fun and have no fear!
You are the teacher who is willing to take a risk to do better because you know better now!
Many articles, books, and philosophies on classroom management seem to be geared toward elementary school teachers. Do you have resources for high school teachers?
Yes, he does! I’ve only taught elementary so haven’t read it, but you can find his high school classroom management plan here: https://smartclassroommanagement.com/the-smart-classroom-management-plan-for-high-school-teachers/
Michael,
Your classroom management strategies saved my career. I found your blog by accident with a Google search when I was feeling total desperation about the behaviours I couldn’t get a handle on in the classroom. You’re right, there was nothing about classroom management in my teacher training. I had no idea what to do. Being authoritative is not in my nature, so I rely on your methods to the letter. They work absolute wonders.
Are there any resources to watch a teacher using a smart classroom management approach? I’m struggling with implementing many of the concepts I have learned from your blog and I just want to see them in action, specifically a teacher giving instructions for how to do a procedure or a game. My students get very chaotic at the beginning of anything fun and exciting.
Before starting a fun and exciting activity, I go over the rules and emphasize the consequences as well. As is true for adults, as long as the children know something they don’t like will happen if they don’t behave (like missing out on the activity entirely after one warning), they’ll behave! But whenever I forget to do this, chaos ensues! Then I have to stop everything and belatedly go over the rules and consequences, which is harder to do.
Thanks for the advice Chris! I just really wish I could observe a teacher who believes in smart classroom management. I feel that it would be helpful to have a model. I have questions- how to correct misbehavior during a game without killing the fun vibe, how much to be like a policeman looking for misbehavior so that I won’t let anything slide… Because then I feel I’m being very negative. I’m constantly telling them I’m watching them to get them to behave which feels awful! While many students rarely get notes, every year I have 1-2 that get one every day and parents assume I think they’re bad kids no matter what I say. But it’s the kids’ choice not mine. I struggle more than anything to follow this plan and keep a pleasant demeanor without negativity and policing. I have 15 second graders, several have ADHD and are extremely active. I really want to watch a teacher who believes in this in action. It’s so hard to find, I’ve been looking on youtube for years. Nearly all give false praise among other things. I wonder what Michael would think about Agape Management or if there is anyone else you/he would recommend more.
I also found the book for Art PE and Music years ago and have not turned back!
It was a dose of tough love and self reflection. I needed to adapt the consequences to more steps before I contact parents so that I would not be tempted to turn a blind eye on unwanted behaviors.
To give context I teach students 1-3 grade and see them for only 55 minutes at a time. I have only one or two times per year that I even get to step three in my consequences. I have 100 students per year and haven’t had to call a family in the past 7 years since I started using Michael’s advice.
Thank you, SCM!
What book do i get to transform my class
I love the SCM articles and have purchased one of the plans. However, I’m an ESL teacher in another country and I feel like some parts of the plan are difficult and almost impossible to implement.
The challenges are endless and leaves me feeling like a failure of a teacher.
Hi I would also like to see SCM in action because I have a hard time teaching ,spotting all the behaviours and giving warnings totally consistently all at once. It feels as though I’m focusing on the negative behavior all the time. Then I start to doubt if the process works. If we could actually see a video of Michael in action it would be worth 100 articles. Thanks
Belinda YES I completely agree. I’m not exaggerating that I have been looking for a video example for YEARS and I’ve read every article on this site. Michael makes more sense than anyone I’ve ever heard or read on classroom management. I’m all in, but I just need to see it!
Thank you for your informational blog. This information should be taught in university.
A real disservice is the neglect of classroom management instruction in teacher training programs. Classroom management was ignored entirely in my two year program at a state university. I asked a professor for advice toward the end of my program and all he offered was “if your lesson is good, you won’t have need for classroom management.”
In my experience, teacher training programs are ideologically driven. Anything that smacks of punishment is abhorrent to them. It’s all roses in the Ivory Tower. No one wants to be seen as a Ms. Trunchbull.
I had to go off the grid for advice or I would not have lasted in this career. The blogs and books of Michael Linsin, Craig Seganti, Harry Wong, Richard Eyster & Christine Martin, and Gary Rubinstein are the classroom management education that carried me through and what I should have learned in university.
What helps me with classroom management each year = BUILDING A RAPPORT WITH STUDENTS! If student likes you, for the most part they are going to respect you. There should be a balance of seriousness and fun when it comes to the classroom. I have experience with various grades and demographics.
A great quote to remember is, ““At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.”― Dr. Maya Angelou
Does SCM work with ASD students?
Thanks much. Interesting and informative.
I’m very optimistic that this platform is gonna make my work a little transforming
As you say … a staff lounge full of extraordinary teachers, yet struggling in chaotic classrooms…. we must relentlessly hunt for what really works, and believe in what’s possible with young minds.
This article makes me so angry. It popped up on my Google feed and I really wish it hadn’t.
Yeah, lots of teachers are unprepared. There are many terrible programs out there. It’s the same as with any profession. Do your research before committing to a school.
But you know what? We all know what we’re getting into. The vast majority of teachers are VERY well prepared. I was one of them. The same can be said about the rest of my cohort. But we were released into an environment where behavior problems were running rampant, at a time in history where childhood trauma is at an all time high.
I once left a job because of this kind of rhetoric. It broke my heart. I had students climbing on furniture, crawling out the windows, spitting on me, ripping apart books, and breaking every single thing they could get their hands on. I had a computer monitor thrown at my head. They ripped all the keys off the keyboards. This started very first thing in the morning. It was in a gen ed, elementary school classroom in an urban school district. It was not unique.
I had structure. I had routine. I had engagement. I am empathetic, patient, and understanding. I am a person of color. I can relate to my students. My classroom was a veritable utopia of high interest items that I introduced slowly over time. And yet, a handful of my students ruined it for everyone. They clogged the sink and ran the faucet. They called 911 from my room phone. They hit me, and their classmates. They ran away from school.
Teacher turnover was very high.
I asked for help often. This would be my downfall. I was thrown under the bus. Told that I had weak routines, no structure, and needed to improve student engagement. I had a kid with microcephaly for Christ sake, and didn’t have so much as a classroom aide.
I finally resigned. I was asked to leave the same day, in an effort to do damage control. My students and I (yes, even the most destructive ones) cried together while being watched by district officials. I was not allowed to tell parents/guardians. I’m sure they think terribly of me.
My experience isn’t unique. We as teachers are often the sacrificial lamb. But we aren’t all knowing or all powerful. We need help that we aren’t getting. We need public acknowledgment of the widespread impact of poverty and childhood trauma. We need resources that we are not being given.
Don’t put this on us. You should know better.
Thank you for giving yourself to your students and trying to make a difference in their lives. In 36 years of teaching various levels in various schools I understand that some administrators are not helpful, and the mixture of student needs can be overwhelming. It will take a national focus on the welfare of all children from birth, if we expect to influence learning. Lead poisoning and food insufficiency affect brain development and self-control. Social equity is essential in order to have the ‘normal’ variety of students with whom to use these management techniques. Just one or two chair tossers makes the class too uneasy to be giving the teacher full attention or confidence. I had one girl known to be a loner, and a class terror. At the ‘get to know teachers night’ I told the mom her daughter had such beautiful long hair, and her mother said they would never let the girls cut it, in such an odd way that I took note. When the girl threw her chair at me a few days later, I told her she could get it back when she was ready to sit down. We went on with class ignoring her and it took about 5 minutes for her to sit. I pulled her on her chair out into the hallway and sat next to her, I said something is bothering you and I’d like to help if you could tell me what it is. Think about it and we can talk later before recess. Then we went back in and continued the lesson. When the class went out I told her that her outbursts frightened the children and it will be easier making friends if they weren’t afraid. I said she can come talk to me about anything that’s bothering her so she doesn’t get frustrated. She never had another tantrum, made a few friends, and told me later that she was tired of sitting on her hair but her parents wouldn’t let her cut it, so she wore it up in school. I wish all class difficulties were as successful.
Thank you for sharing.
I have been a SCM follower for a few years, have purchased and read books, and have spent hours reading the articles. I still struggle daily and am really hard on myself for not totally implementing what I have learned.
I teach Pre-K in a public school, and question whether the Elementary classroom management strategies are appropriate for 4 year olds. I would love to hear others thoughts on this!
I teach middle school, 7th and 8th grade, should I get the High school plan or the elementary? We are on block schedule like the high school and I teach math.
Dear Michael,
I have a student who continually forgets to bring back his “letter home.” As of today, he has forgotten 5 days in a row, and has missed 5 recesses. I also give him the choice of sitting with me, or walking around the track with me. (We don’t talk.) He has always chosen to sit on the bleachers. We are on Spring Break right now. What do you suggest I do with this 6th grader?
I love your books and your blog! Thank you so much!
I had this problem occasionally when I taught 5th grade. I would just call the parents and move on. One time, I actually had a parent who held on to the letter so her sin could have silent lunch… I loved that Mom.