If you’ve struggled with getting your students to listen, you might just need to put them in a better seating chart. This short video shows you how I can make an effective seating chart in less than 3 minutes!
“Do you need me to fuss at you to get you to behave?”
“Do you know what is expected of you when you come in my room?”
“This is a great opportunity to practice your listening skills.”
I think every teacher develops a short list of key phrases they turn to time and time again. I know I do. In different situations for different reasons, these key phrases can help a class regain its composure without you losing yours. I guess that’s why they call them “key phrases.”
“Do you need help controlling yourself?” … with the follow-up, “…because I can help you if you need it.”
“Focus please.”
“Having trouble focusing?” …again, with the follow-up, “…because I can help you if you need it.”
I think why these powerful classroom management phrases help my students is because they are aware of my clear expectations and my clear consequences when they don’t meet those expectations.
What are some of your key class management phrases? I’d love to hear them!
Darren Barkett
This has nothing to do with classroom management. I’ll just get that out in the open. But it made me smile, so I thought I’d pass it along. We all need to smile more, right?
I drink a lot of water during the course of my day (I hope you do too!). I found that it helps me be more patient and effective with my students (and my family when I get home). Recently I found some canned bubbly water that has no calories but is really refreshing- no this isn’t an ad for them. I started drinking them and found them wonderful, except when they got warm.
So I made a little can cooler out of an old styrofoam cup I’d had lying around. I cut that cup up and put it back together with duct tape to fashion an ugly little can cooler/coozie/hugger/whatever your region calls those things. It wasn’t pretty, but it worked.
Just this Monday, one of my quiet but smiley students came up to me at the beginning of class and whispered, “I’ve got something for you in my locker. Can I go get it?” She disappeared and reappeared moments later with the cutest little can cooler I’ve ever seen! It was in the shape of one of those aloha floral print button up shirts, complete with short sleeves, bright green with white flowers all over itl, and it fit my cans perfectly. I was so excited, as excited as only a teacher gets at these little moments of extreme thoughtfullness from his students.
I couldn’t help but show it off to all my students that day, who were appropriately unimpressed but smiled at how impressed I was. And I took it with me to lunch to show off at the teacher table. I couldn’t help myself from taking some slow, ostentatious drinks with my new can cooler. I don’t really think the others were envious, but I sure acted as if they should be!
Teaching can be tough, and sometimes, it’s the littlest things that can make your day. Now, every time I take a sip from my canned water, I can’t help but smile.
Darren B.
Hey! Where have I been?
Good question. If you teach, and I can only assume that you do since you’re reading my blog about teaching, then you know how easy it is to get lost in your job. This year I’ve really been involved at school and haven’t taken the time to update my blog like I should.
But that’s all about to change. I’ve recently had a serious increase in people signing up for my online classroom management training, and it’s reinspired me to continue with my blogging. After all, teachers learn best from other teachers, and I truly feel I’ve got something to offer the teaching profession.
If you’re looking for ways to become a better manager of classroom behavior, head on over to my website featuring my most current online class management videos: Take Back That Class – Class Management that Really Works! These videos are availabe for instant download and have helped hundreds of teachers manage student behavior- and in so doing, these teachers have told me that they really enjoy their jobs much more!
Doesn’t that sound good?
Darren Barkett
HelpingTeachersGrow.com
It always amazes me to hear teachers steeling themselves at the start of the year by saying, “I’m not going to smile until Christmas!”…as if their resolve to be unfriendly will help them with their classroom management problems.
This couldn’t be further from the truth. Teachers who use fear tactics to manage student behavior will find their task of educating their students much more difficult. Students naturally want to succeed, and when you’re the only adult in the classroom, these students will want to share their successes with you. If you are unaproachable and distant from your students, you will find that over time, your students’ performance and motivation will decrease.
I take the opposite approach. I smile broadly, especially when I’m feeling a bit stressed out by my students behaviors. I find that when the students see your refusal to become flustered, over time they will stop trying to get you flustered. When your students see that you approach a defiant student will a calm yet firm manner and a distinct refusal to become upset, your students defiant behavior will decrease.
I think what teachers are trying to say by their refusal to smile is that they are going to be very strict in the classroom. I have no problem with strictness or, as I like to say it, consistency. In fact, consistency must be the foundation of any classroom management system.
It’s when you combine your consistent implementation of your class management system with a calm, peaceful, and happy demeanor that you will be able to motivate your students to be their best.
Darren Barkett