Managing for Success in Your Classroom

Opinions about the best classroom management practices are as varied as the teachers who use them.  Despite that variance, most agree that you have to have some sort of systematic approach to classroom expectations.  Starting the school year with a vague idea of what is acceptable behavior can make for a long and trying year.

Here are a few thoughts adapted from “The Dos and Don’ts of Classroom Management: Your 25 Best Tips” via Edutopia.  What others would you add?

Greet students at the door

When you greet students at the door it tells them that you are ready for them.  It starts their day right by reassuring them that their favorite person is in the building.

More rules doesn’t mean better behavior

Keep it simple.  Too many rules and expectations won’t be much different than none if the students can’t remember them.

Make your expectations clear from the start

Albert Einstein once said, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”  If your expectations aren’t clear, repeat them.  If that doesn’t work, try rewording them.

Keep calm

There will be “those” days.  If you can keep your head on your shoulders and exude calm, your students will reflect it back.  If you don’t feel calm, act like it anyway.

Don’t take it personally when students misbehave

Battles of will are rarely won by either side.  Students need consistent responses and consequences that are free of extreme emotions.  They crave consistency despite behaviors that might suggest otherwise.

Manage transitions

Have a plan in place for any and all transitions.  That doesn’t mean every move has to be choreographed, but be thoughtful and intentional when moving around the classroom and school.

Be transparent

Routines and management shouldn’t be magic tricks that students stand in awe of.  Students should be included in the development of expectations in their classroom.  At the very least, teachers should make an effort to explain and model the reasons for the “why” behind what they expect.

Ask others for help

When all else fails, go find a colleague.  Teaching is too hard as a solo act.  Seek out a veteran or a teacher who has a similar class and ask for advice.  It could be the start of a long professional relationship.

Here’s to a satisfying year!

Well, here we are on the brink of another school year.  Every year brings a new sense of excitement and enthusiasm.  The possibilities are endless in August and September.  The challenge for all of us is keeping the momentum going throughout the year.

The same amount of planning that goes into preparing for the school year needs to be applied evenly over the course of the year.  Many schools start out with fun and motivating themes, but it is easy to lose our focus and direction once the school year gets into full gear.

It’s important for school leaders to build checkpoints into the calendar to revisit and assess the progress of school-based initiatives.  Here are some questions that might be helpful for those seeking to build lasting change:

What are your focus areas for the year? Do they encompass all areas of instruction and your school’s culture?

How many initiatives do you have going?  Too many? Too few?

Is everyone clear on what those focus areas are?  Could they give an elevator speech that explains those areas in simple terms?

How will you support, monitor, and assess the success of your focus areas?

How will you sustain your initiatives over the course of the school year?

How can your community support your efforts?

If, like Stephen Covey suggests, we begin with the end in mind, what tangible results will our efforts yield in June?

What other questions would you suggest?  Feel free to add your thoughts in the comment section of this blog.  The excitement of August and September makes our profession special.  Sustaining that excitement over the course of a school year, while challenging, can make our school year satisfying.  Here’s to a satisfying year!