Classroom Management

I am often told by other teachers how well behaved my class is and that I’m lucky to have gotten such a nice group of kids.  While it’s true that every year I am lucky to have that particular crew, it’s not by accident that they are so well behaved. Their behavior is a result of a lot of hard work and behind the scenes planning on my part.  In my earlier years of teaching, I used the more traditional methods such as green, yellow, and red cards, marble jar, tickets, classroom economy, even online tools. I’m finally at a point in my teaching where none of those ‘gimmicky’ and slightly time consuming methods are necessary for me.  The way I manage is not easy, takes constant work, but offers great rewards. Here is how I manage my class.

1.  Develop relationships. HUGE. MOST IMPORTANT THING EVER.

1. Begin the year with student surveys and getting to know you activities then use that information to find commonalities between you and your students.  

2. Be positive.  Beginning with day one, I make 3 positive phone calls/emails to parents telling them something their child did that was great and how happy I am to have him/her in my class.  This can be hard especially with more difficult children. I start with the children I know will become difficult first while they are still in the honeymoon phase. This does two things.  First, it allows the parents to see that you also see the potential in their child and that not every phone call will be a bad one. It gets them on your side from the beginning. You’d be surprised how many parents tell me they’ve never had a positive phone call about their child; that’s sad to me.  Second, it makes the child feel great and he/she is now one step closer to becoming your biggest fan. Also, you can use it in the future as a threat or reward. “Do I need to call mom or dad and tell them what you did today? That’s what will happen if you continue.” Or, “Man, I’d love to call mom and dad to tell them how hard you worked on this activity.” They know you will follow through because you have called before.

3. Write love notes.  My students LOVE when they arrive in the morning or come back from lunch/specials with a little sticky note on their desk from me.  Simple and quick, say something like, “I love how hard you worked in math today. Love, Mrs. Meucci.” Usually, students stash them in a special place or keep them on their desk for everyone to see.  It also serves as a hidden incentive for other students to amaze me so they can also get a love note.  

4. Set high expectations for ALL students.  Students will rise to the level that you ask of them.  Do not accept less than their best every day and when they give you their best, shout it from the highest mountain.  Give students a reason to seek your approval. “I love how Julie lined up quietly. I love how John is ready to begin our lesson.  I love how Maria is talking with her partner.” Validate their ideas. “Hey, did you guys here the great idea Shawn just had! Shawn, tell the class what you were just saying because it BLEW MY MIND!” Maybe you have a special cheer or a bulletin board or a student of the week.  Sometimes, it’s even another positive communication home or a simple sticky note on their desk telling them how awesome they are. Whatever you do to make children feel special, do it and do it often. This will also broaden your fan base and make students WANT to earn your praise.  Think about it, how hard would you work for someone who appreciates your efforts?  

5. Let me be clear that developing relationships does not translate into making every student like you.  By the end of the year, I guarantee that every student will love and respect you but it surely won't start out that way.  Don't give in, hold your ground, and know that you are giving your students exactly what they need to be successful in and out of your classroom.  

2.  Explain EVERYTHING.  When are students allowed out of their seats?  How should they ask for a tissue or pencil? What is the protocol for lining up, walking in the hallway, borrowing your books, etc? Whatever you allow, you encourage.  And practice. Whenever you institute a new procedure, practice what it should look like. “Boys and girls, when I want to get your attention, I’ll say ‘Class, class, class’ and I want you to respond back to me in my same tone and volume, ‘Yes, yes yes’. Okay, let’s try it.  Everyone talk to the people around you. ‘Class, class, class!’ Then give them a few tries to get it right so that everyone has responded and everyone knows the expectation. Then later when they’ve got the hang of it and you want their attention and someone doesn’t meet that expectation, call them out.  Start positive, “I love how Anna knew exactly what I expected. I wish the rest of you knew.” I do call individual students out but only after I am sure they know exactly what is expected and we’ve been doing it for a while.  

3.  Be consistent.  As much as I can, I don’t play favorites.  Students know that everyone is open to being praised and everyone is open to being corrected.  We all know that fair doesn’t mean equal, but consistency applies to all. Expectations may be different depending on the child, especially those with special needs but they do not vary from day one to day one hundred.  It is important that you do not allow yourselves to fall into a routine and let the expectations slip. If they do, students may need a reminder and to once again practice the expected routine.  

4. Have favorites.  I tell every child that he/she is my favorite and I genuinely mean it.  Each child has something to offer and if you look deep enough, you will find something you love within all of them.  I make it my goal to find it with each child and make him/her feel special. Sometimes it’s hard, but every child is worthy of feeling like they are the teacher’s favorite at least once.  It’s also much easier to be consistent with discipline when the students don’t think you have a few single favorites.  

5.  Routine is really important to kids.  Stick to a daily schedule. Students feel safe when they know what is expected. 

6.  Students run my classroom.  My goal is to set up my classroom so that if I wasn’t there, students could successfully run the room by themselves.  This means handing over control and that’s hard for us teachers to do at times. Each year, I try to think of things that I normally do and how I can turn it into a student task.  Last year, I handed over the responsibility of picking jobs. One very trusted students earned the responsibility of using my name can to randomly draw for jobs each week. She did this during her down time on Fridays and saved me from having to do it on Monday mornings (I forgot half the time and had to be reminded by students).  My students completely run lunch count. They write the menu on the board, each student picks his/her lunch, then someone counts it and write it on the lunch slip then they give it to me to check over. Think of something you could hand over. Maybe someone could write the spelling words on the board each week? Maybe someone could be in charge of updating the calendar and date?  Maybe someone could be the person to create a Google Slide for an upcoming lesson?

7.  Set students up for success by assuming nothing.  If you didn’t tell students exactly what you expected, don’t get upset when they didn’t read your mind and come up with it on their own.  If you didn’t tell them that you expect them to be silent in the hallway, it’s YOUR fault that they didn’t do it. Also, LINE ORDER for walking in the hallway.  Set them up for success by placing them next to people they won’t be tempted to talk to or get into trouble with. Human nature, if you were told to line up, wouldn’t you stand by your best friend?  And then we expect them to be quiet? Line order also gives them the safety of always knowing where to stand in line and never having to worry about being last (I make a big deal about the importance of a caboose being ‘only someone really trustworthy’ and students usually fight over wanting the end.  Then I ask someone if they think they could be that person for me and I usually have several volunteers. That way no one is ‘stuck’ at the end because they wanted to be there. We always line up in line order with the exception of going to lunch because we line up in order of what lunch we chose for the day.  That way students never have to wonder or ask, “Do you want us in line order?” because my response is “ALWAYS.” I will move people in line as the need arises throughout the year. Line leader is a weekly job so everyone gets the chance to be up front. 

Okay, now let’s get to my classroom rules.  Let’s face it. If you have already outlined your high expectations for students, there’s really no need for ‘rules.’  So, here are the rules in my classroom and my students can recite them for you at any time throughout the year. Also, these rules aren’t the same from year to year except for numbers 1 and 3. They can change depending on the needs of each group.

Rule #1:  Make your teacher look good.

This rule encompasses so many things.  Were you quiet in the hallways? Did you behave at lunch and recess?  How did you act at an assembly? Every time someone sees my class, it’s a reflection on me as a teacher (and I tell them this) therefore their actions tell others what kind of teacher I am.  Their job is to make me look good. In return, my job is to make them FEEL good (loved, confident, and respected).  

Rule #2: No cuddling (or touching others-this rule developed when I had a couch in my classroom, 4th graders shudder at the thought of cuddling each other, so it's good for a laugh)

Rule #3: When trick or treating, you must give all (insert favorite candy here) to your teacher.  

Obviously, students know I’m kidding but it does give me a few extra candies here and there throughout the year, and lightens up our ‘rules’ list.

Rule #4: Know when to stop. 

I encourage joking and sarcasm, but know the appropriate time and place.  This is something most students don't quite fully grasp.

Some years I’ve had to add Rule #5 Don’t be gross (wash your hands, don’t pick your nose, wear deodorant, don’t put things in your mouth, fart in the bathroom, say excuse me when you burp) and Rule #6 Don’t annoy your teacher (repeating songs, jokes, questions, silliness, etc over and over to the point of driving your teacher insane).  Obviously, those rules can only be added after relationships with students are strong and can never be posted or written anywhere (except here) because anyone outside of our circle of trust won't understand how our unit works.

Having said all of this, there are years when certain classes are tougher to tame than others and I resort to previously mentioned “gimmicky” management tools.  Those are perfectly fine and have a purpose but I’ve found that by taking the time to build strong relationships with students (and parents), not only am I developing relationships that make learning more fun and meaningful, but I’m building a classroom atmosphere of trust and respect where those tools aren’t needed and my time can be spent in other ways.