Looking for effective classroom management policies and procedures for secondary classrooms? Here are 5 key starting points!
With these classroom management strategies, your room will have order and your students will thrive. Quickly create your classroom management plan here!
These classroom management strategies will help teachers with all levels of experience with managing classroom behaviours.
The ticket system has been a game-changing classroom management strategy for my own high school science classroom.
These 5 classroom management tips will help high school teachers be a master at managing their students all year! End bad behavior for good...
Effective classroom management strategies are essential for a positive and productive learning environment for middle and high school students.
Right after I landed my first teaching job back in 2009, my husband who had been teaching for four years at that point gifted me his copy of Harry and Rosemary Wong’s The First Days of School: How To Be an Effective Teacher. Even though so many things went wrong that first year, I am
These classroom management strategies will help teachers with all levels of experience with managing classroom behaviours.
Classroom procedures and routines are essential in creating a safe and productive learning environment. Here are 5 suggestions to add structure.
The ticket system has been a game-changing classroom management strategy for my own high school science classroom.
The use of cell phones during instructional time is a pervasive problem that is only growing in intensity. In this article, learn exactly what to do to completely eliminate their use in the classroom.
Being a first-year teacher standing in front of a room full of teens is probably one of the most challenging experiences any teacher has ever had. Teaching high school learners is not an easy task, but it can be a rewarding experience. Over the years, I have experimented with different ways of working with my students, but I have realized that teaching classroom routines should be the most important pillar of my classroom management system. Of course, students are generally well-behaved on the f
These 5 classroom management tips will help high school teachers be a master at managing their students all year! End bad behavior for good...
Guest Blog Post By Sam Bradford Let’s talk about “Classroom Rules.” Are they something you keep in your syllabus and mention the first day of class and never return to? Do you find that printing--and, if necessary, even laminating--a list of rules and tacking them on your wall safeguards you from problems with student conduct? We’ve all had the experience where a student comes to us and says “Gee, teacher, I sure was on a bad path, but when I saw that little sign that said ‘Respect Yourself and Others,’ it turned my life around. It was like, all of a sudden, I realized that I needed to respect myself. And others. I don’t know where I’d be if it weren’t for that sign!” Oh, you haven’t had that experience? You see where I’m going with this. I’ve been teaching for twelve years, with four of those years as a department chair, and two as Dean of Academic Affairs. I’ve had the opportunity to observe lots of classes across all disciplines in high school, and one of the most prominent trends I’ve noticed is that we could be a lot more intentional about building classroom culture. One other connection I’ve noticed is that the teachers who say “Some years you get good kids. Some years you get bad kids. At the end of the day, there’s not really much you can do about it” are often the same teachers with that posted list of classroom rules--rules that are not even readable from the back of the class and go as unnoticed as whatever paintings are in the same room as the Mona Lisa. I was one of those teachers until I learned about norms from the School Reform Initiative (SRI). I think that norms are one of the best tools for improving a healthy classroom culture. Norms are not rules. Rules can’t change. Norms change with the different chapters of the year. Rules are created by teachers. Norms are thoughtfully crafted by both teachers and students. Rules tell us what to do and what not to do. Norms remind us of what we need to be resilient and take risks. Step Up. Make Room. We’re All Trying. Stay Open, Stay Cool. Adopt, Adapt, Adept. One Second At a Time. Shake and Bake. What are norms? They are bumper-sticker-length phrases, usually in the imperative tense, crafted, agreed upon, and revised by the class. Norms can give us a boost when we’re feeling complacent. They can help us breathe when we feel paralyzed (especially for classes with overachieving students). They are things we tell ourselves and remind each other. Norms can mean slightly different things to different people. Step Up can translate to “I’m going to try to speak more often in discussion” or “I’m going to get ahead in the reading.” They can also be really creative. One of my all-time favorites: VolSTAYved. Get it? Stay involved. Rhetorically, they give you buy-in from your students and allow you to avoid the role of disciplinarian. Instead of “because it’s on my laminated page of Classroom Rules,” the stance is one of “I’m reminding us of our own language we agreed to. Is that language not helpful for us anymore? What would help?” How To Create Norms With Your Students At the start of the year, I use a discussion protocol to remember that learning comes when we take risks. SRI’s “Zones of Risk, Comfort, and Danger” is crucial for me. Then, we do a different protocol to establish norms, framing them with the idea that these are things that keep the maximum number of people in the risk zone for the maximum amount of time--either SRI’s “Attritubtes of a Learning Community” or “Norms Construction” works really well. I aim for no more than three norms per class so that it’s easy to remember. Once norms are established and unanimously agreed upon, I do make a sign with our norms, which are separate for each class. Yes, I sometimes laminate them. At the start of each class, I remind the students of our norms. Some days, it takes ten seconds. Occasionally, I’ll turn it into a warm-up activity. For example, “journal on which norm you most need help with today and why” or “take a post-it note and write the norm you most need today on that note and stick it on your desk as a reminder” or “find a meme that best captures our norm.” Similarly, you can use them as a conclusion activity: “Who in here deserves the VolSTAYved award for today’s work?” If I start to notice patterns in classroom conduct that impede learning, I’ll ask the class if any norms need to be revised or replaced. They can take ownership and build self-awareness. Things are very different when it’s the start of the year and no one knows anyone else as opposed to when it’s mid-semester and we’re comfortable. Or if it’s one week before a much-deserved Spring Break. Those chapters all feel different and require different reminders in order to do good work. By the end of the year, I’ve usually revised norms half a dozen times. The Result Of Using Norms The result? Better class cohesion than I’ve ever had. Constant positive feedback on student surveys. The student who, a month ago, told me “I adopted ‘We’re All Trying’ as a norm for our Diversity Alliance.” More than once, I’ve heard some variant of “even outside of class, I tell this norm to myself--it helps me.” Can your list of Classroom Rules do that? Related Articles: High School English Teachers: I Planned Your Frist Week Back To School (abetterwaytoteach.com) Want An Outstanding First Day of School Activity for Your High School (abetterwaytoteach.com) For more information on School Reform Initiative and how to bring this to your classroom or school, check out: School Reform Initiative – A Community of Learners SRI Theory of Action – School Reform Initiative Protocols – School Reform Initiative
So, there's a lot that I really DON'T do well as an educator. I LOVE to write and even wanted to be a writer instead of a teacher, but I STRUGGLE with teaching students how to do it. I really don't love informational text, I've been known to visually assess rather than collect papers, and when it comes right down to it, teaching my ESL students is plain HARD. I'm just now learning how to say "glue this in your notebook" in a different language! HOWEVER, if there's one area where I am always fairly confident that I'll keep my job, it's classroom management. Recently, a dear friend of mine was riding the students-won't-shut-their-mouths-or-respect-me struggle bus. WE'VE ALL BEEN THERE. During my first 3 years as a teacher, I honestly wasn't even sure what kind of classroom management style that I had. (And yes, there are MULTIPLE management styles) Let's face it, it's really hard to do ALL of the paperwork, plan ALL of the lessons, grade ALL of the papers, discipline ALL of the crazy, call ALL of the mommas, chaperone ALL of the dances, games, etc., on top of being a wife/husband, sister/brother, friend, daughter/son, etc. I'm tired just typing all of that. I'm definitely not the guru of all things "good children". In fact, last week I confiscated a 1990 black and white Gameboy and had a child use the mother of all curse words toward me all before 8am. HOWEVER, I have come to a point where I am confident in my classroom management style and there is REAL, authentic learning happening in my classroom every class period of every day. Sure, I still have the "blessings" who are never going to respect anyone (including themselves) and there have been days that I wish I could pipe in Lavender through the ventilation system but I usually deal with a fraction of disrespect and apathy that others I know deal with. I will preface this with not everyone agrees with my methods and some people I work with think I'm crazy. However, this is what I do to save my own sanity and push my students to be the super cool people that I know they can be. Therefore, I give to you, my Top 5 Tips for Calming the Crazy. 1. Become a Bus Throwing Champ. Let's be honest for a second - the atmosphere in our world today is very much a "blame game". Many of our students have grown up in a time where all they know how to do is point a finger...which finger will vary. Now, as an educator there are SO MANY THINGS that we cannot control. Let me count the ways that our public education system has me locked down: EOCs, Benchmarks, Data collecting, IEPs, 504s, PEPs, Calling alllllll the mommas, etc. (crying is still optional, but highly encouraged). I say all of this to remind you that many things that our students are instructed to do, we would NEVER come up with ourselves. SO TELL THEM THAT! Be honest with them and say, "Our state/county office/ etc. is making me do this, ya'll. I would personally never do this, but we have to do it. I don't like it either, but let's push through and get through it together." This evens the playing field and lets students know that you understand them and their frustration. It takes you out of the dictator's position, and into a more genuine, compassionate authority figure who wants to work WITH them rather than DICTATE to them. You also have to consider this - do you think your admin. minds throwing you under the bus in their meetings when test scores are less than stellar? Chances are, some of them (not all of them - shout out to the real admin. homies who have their teachers' backs and love us through it) have no problem pointing a finger at you when push comes to shove. So, when the students start getting jittery, upset, etc. tell them - "Your principal says our test scores are not where they should be so we have to do these 900 math problems." MOST students do not understand the constant pressure that educators are under on a daily basis. I don't lie to my kids - I tell them when I get fussed at and when it hurts. I tell them that I get in trouble when they get in trouble. It's not a magic "fix", but it does help my students to see me as a "real" person and someone who knows some of the same issues that they face. 2. Love the heck out of them, and let them know it hurts. It's the age old lesson that all teachers must learn - every child, even the one who you pour your heart, soul, and wallet into WILL eventually let you down. It's part of life and it's our utter downfall as humans - hurting those who love us most. When you come to terms with this, you'll ultimately be a better teacher because this is the part that hurts. It's the part where we must learn what it means to love unconditionally. I've cried more tears than I care to admit over students who hurt me to the core of my being whether it be through words, actions, incarcerations, lack of effort, absence, etc. I've suffered through most of it. I realized that a lot of the feelings of anger that I felt toward students was actually a feeling of hurt or disappointment. It's so funny how hurt can manifest in the form of rage. Now, as hard as it may be, and as much as it pains me, I tell my students who disrespect me, "I cannot believe you would treat me like that. Your behavior truly hurts my feelings." Typically (not always), this makes them see the situation differently. They no longer have to be defensive, but rather thoughtful. I'm usually met with silence when I take this approach which is much better than yelling or cursing. I've also tried, "I've done nothing to disrespect you like that, so I do not know why you would disrespect me." When students KNOW that you love them and enjoy having them in class (fake it til' you make it, sister), they will not want to disappoint you. Hurting you will bother them far worse than feeling as if they've angered you. Most of them are accustomed to an angry household, they'll tune it out and immediately be triggered if you play that same role. If you simply cannot muster the strength to feign hurt when you are breathing the fire of rage, invest in a naughty notebook. This is probably my favorite classroom management technique. Have a notebook that looks official sitting on your desk. When a student disrespects you and you cannot find anything not anger-filled to say to them, silently walk over, take out the notebook, and start writing. Write down their name, what they did, what they said, and the date and time. Heck, even write in there what you would like to say to them. It helps if you pause every now and then, look up at the student silently, and continue writing. When you're finished, simply place the notebook back on your desk and continue teaching without giving them any attention. Trust me, this confuses (and often scares) the heck out of them. I've had students say, "Can I ask what you're writing?". My favorite response is, "Worry about yourself." 3. Do not accept apathy - from them or yourself. Being in control is DIFFICULT. It is truly HARD WORK. It does not come from sitting at your desk and giving students a list of tasks to check off before they leave each day. In many cases, it takes being honest with yourself to get down to the REAL problem. About 4-5 years ago, I was going through a big, awful, crappy time in my personal life. I was so exhausted by the time I got to work that I literally just wanted to sit down, drink a coffee, and scroll through Pinterest. I was a CRAPPY teacher during this time and my students were BAD. I'm talking kicking trash cans, slamming doors, calling me names that I didn't even know what they meant BAD. It wasn't that I wasn't lesson planning...I was. I was giving my students things to do, but I was rarely actively engaged. I would get angry when they took their phones out. I would yell when they wouldn't shut up. I would take privileges away and they did.not.care. This was, BY FAR, the worst year of my teaching career. I didn't understand it and I would constantly complain about these "horrible kids". Even though this year was cry-to-my-momma awful, I learned more than ever. Yes, children SHOULD be respectful and do their work no matter what. However, the bleak, dark, reality is that they simply are not going to. We must be teachers who leave the home issues at home if we really want to see success in the classroom. It wasn't my students' fault that I was struggling, yet I accidentally took it out on them. You cannot expect your kids to be active learners if you aren't an active teacher. Is it a pain to make new lessons that the kids don't appreciate? Yes. Is it frustrating to have to walk around every minute of every class period and feel the sweat dripping down your back because you're working so hard? Sure is. YET....When I got up, got to work, and showed my students my own engagement, my classroom completely transformed. I was determined to not repeat the past (no matter what my bae, F. Scott Fitzgerald says) when I returned the next fall. I made sure I had at least 3 different activities planned each day (For example: Vocabulary Game on Quizlet.Live, Reading together, group analysis at stations), I wore my FitBit and set a number of steps to reach each class period, and I invested in a TON of sticky notes to write encouraging notes or "I'm so proud of you" notes to random students that I saw doing their best or going the extra mile. Things definitely didn't magically change in one week, one month, even one semester. They DID, however get better at a consistent pace and STAYED better. When I slacked, the kids slacked. When I got hype, so did they. Educating the future is definitely give and take, but if we won't accept apathy from our students, we cannot accept in from ourselves either. 4. Be Real. This seems simple enough, but it actually took me a while to understand it. You MUST develop your own style based on who you are and use it. If you aren't naturally spunky and lovey-dovey your students will smell that BS from two hallways away. Be who you REALLY are. If you cannot STAND cell phone use - tell them. If you don't mind cell phones but the thought of sleeping in class makes your skin crawl - LET THEM KNOW. When you tell them your pet peeves up front, they won't accidentally set you off and sever a relationship for the rest of the semester. Secondly, if you're not a super, overbearing authority figure, don't try to be. Love them through it. If you aren't a big fan of the hugs and camaraderie, push competition in your classroom and praise the ones who "win" while pushing the others to fight for their right on the winner's podium. This definitely doesn't come easy - and YEARS into my career, I'm still figuring out my own style. Some days I want to squeeze my kids and adopt them, other days I want to squeeze them until they feel the pain they've been metaphorically inflicting on me. HA! I say all of this to truly mean that you must be genuine in whatever you choose to do. It simply will not work if it isn't truly you. Keep working until you find out a behavior system that is your own and quit trying to find something cute on Pinterest, or something out of a professional development workbook to control your class. 5. Know Who is in Control and Stay Consistent Nothing will work if you aren't consistent. No matter who they are, how nice they've been, or who their mom is, you still have to hold them to the same level of accountability as that kid who kicks your car and carves your desks. Students NOTICE when you play favorites and there's nothing that causes animosity more than this. They respect rules and consistency. In fact, they crave it. Also keep in mind that just because you may not agree with some rules set by your admin, OR some rules are HARD to implement - you still HAVE TO ENFORCE THEM. It is NOT an option. When you don't enforce rules, it very plainly makes students disrespect you and other teachers who are enforcing them mad at you. (Refer to tip #1 if you need help enforcing a difficult rule set forth by admin.) Please keep in mind that you are the adult here and it is YOUR classroom. The power is in YOUR hands - even when you think it's not. You may have to make an example out of someone, but once you do this ONE TIME (Preferably as close to the beginning of the semester as possible), I guarantee you that issue will decline. Again, I'm definitely no master teacher and I've been cursed more times than I like to admit. However, just know that there IS light at the end of the tunnel. As bad and as crazy as your students may seem, there is something that will alleviate the crazy. It may not dry it up and eliminate it, but it will help it. Some groups are tougher than others, and you will always have that handful that live to push your buttons. Keep in mind that for every wildchild, there's kid in that room that needs you and truly wants to learn. It's not fair for that child to be held back because another classmate is being crazy. Overall, know your kids, know yourself, and know that you are not alone. Fight the good fight, ya'll.
Are you struggling to get everything organized at the start of class? Class change can be stressful–hall duty, students needing things, moving to a different classroom, or maybe just trying t…
Do you want to know the secondary classroom procedure I can't live without??
Routines help us accomplish our goals. Usually around this time of the year, we often start new routines with the hope of making good on our New Year’s Resolutions. This year, I’m resolving to start and revamp two of the most significant classroom routines: bellringers and exit tickets. I’ve been using both of these strategies
Don’t get me wrong — I love candy. And, a jolly rancher, a tootsie roll, or a starburst can work wonders in the classroom for student motivation and enthusiasm. So can pizza parties, and cupcake days, and brunch, and…I’ve had so many types of food parties I can’t even keep track! Recently, however, I’ve been […]
These are the 5 Procedures Every Classroom Needs. From hall passes to supplies to absent work, find the procedures to make your classroom work.
Inside: Read about the actions I take each year to increase and fairly assess student participation in my Spanish classes. Take a look at the resources I use for my students to grade themselves!
How to take back control of a difficult class when you're caught in the crazy cycle. When parents are on the attack and students...
Stay organized as a high school or transition special education teacher with your caseload, personal schedule and paraprofessional schedule!
Why do I love them so much? Because they love systems and I LOVE SYSTEMS. Even more than in my house, I LOVE having classroom systems. I think oftentimes we
These are the 5 Procedures Every Classroom Needs. From hall passes to supplies to absent work, find the procedures to make your classroom work.
Looking for fun budgeting activities PDFs? You'll love this collection of budgeting scenarios for high school students, and money management worksheets for students (PDFs). Teaching students how to budget doesn't
Your engaging lessons only stick when your Spanish classroom environment thrives. This unconventional classroom management strategy for Spanish teachers..
It was so nice to stop saying "shh" all the time.
Discover new classroom ideas for classroom management, decor, organization, storage, desk layouts, fun ideas and more!
Discover my three NO-FAIL strategies for motivating your middle and high school students.
Stop negative behavior in your classroom before it starts by reinforcing your expectations and recognizing positive student behaviors. With two simple tools, I successfully managed student behavior at the secondary level. A ticket system and "shout outs" are little to no cost, require little work for you as the teacher, and will encourage on task, positive behavior from your middle school and high school students.
The key to successful classroom management is increasing student engagement. Use these 5 strategies today to have students working hard in class tomorrow..
FREE rewards that teachers can give their students that will not cost any money, while at the same time, promoting a fun and interactive classroom atmosphere.
I never bought into the whole Clip Chart thing. As a parent, if I saw my child was on GREEN (or whatever the acceptable color is nowadays), I would still wonder if my kid made mistakes that needed a parent's guidance, or even worse, was a complete A$$ at school. I get that kids need a chance to redeem themselves, but kids are so smart that they will goof off all day and pull it together in the last hour. I've seen it happen. So with three words, I manage the expectations and behaviors in my class: "Here's your ticket." This is such an easy system to prep and implement. After you've laid out the expectations and have a solid strategy for gaining control of your class and poor behavior (see previous post about CHAMPS and 1,2,3 Magic), you can start holding your students accountable for their own choices. There are three types of consequence tickets, three types of reward tickets, and a weekly report for parents (or daily if you have an RTI student or young ones). Also included are editable posters and tracking sheets. PLUS, a 5 page document that walks you through how to get started. Here are some photos from my classroom. Download yours today and start holding your students accountable for the rest of the year!
By the end of the school year, we have our classrooms running like well-oiled machines. The students know what to do, when to do it, and what to expect from
Warm-ups are the perfect way to get students focused and engaged. Here are 5 reasons you should use warm-ups in your science classroom.
