Things happen. Interruptions fall from the sky. Events and incidents out of your control invade your well-ordered peace like the hordes of Cimbri. A fire alarm. A student yelling outside your classroom. A schedule change. A recess downpour. Colleagues you count on drop the … Read more
Once in a great while, especially in the first few weeks of the school year, your students may test you to see if you really, really do mean what you say. Or sometimes there is bad luck involved . . . A fire drill. … Read more
Grading yourself post school year enables you to view your classroom management performance objectively. It provides clarity and self-awareness. It allows you to hone in on your weaknesses and reflect on how they can become strengths. What follows is a report card based on … Read more
If you take misbehavior personally, then you’re weakening your ability to manage your classroom. You’re also: Creating stress. Building resentment. Increasing the odds you’ll lash out at your students. But you’re not alone. Scores of teachers struggle with this. So what to do about … Read more
If you don’t know exactly what does and doesn’t constitute breaking your class rules—with zero gray area—then you can’t be consistent. You also can’t be trustworthy or manage your classroom effectively. Just the way it is. Luckily, there is something you can do this … Read more
So what is brazen behavior? I define it as anything especially disruptive, silly, or defiant. Some examples: Running or chasing in the classroom. Yelling, bursting laughter, or falling on the floor. Roughhousing and practical jokes. Ignoring specific directions or commands. Throwing spitwads, erasers, or … Read more
Before you peel out of the parking lot and into the summer sun—or even if you have already—and while it’s still fresh in your mind, it’s smart to do a quick self-evaluation. To identify the areas in which you did well this past year. … Read more
Here at SCM, we’ve talked a lot about the importance of maintaining a calm disposition. It is, without a doubt, the most effective way to keep misbehavior-causing excitability out of your classroom. But it’s also caused some confusion among SCM readers. You see, staying … Read more