Classroom Management

1. Students will perform so much better if they know exactly what is expected of them. It is not enough to say, "You need to be good on the rug". They may not know what good means, so be EXPLICIT! They also need to know both positive and negative consequences for following expectations and instructions. This can be your overall classroom management system or for a special activity/event. Once your students know how to "sit on the rug" you can say something like "Take a couple of calming breaths and fix yourselves if you need fixing in 5..4..3..2..1".

2. The kids will learn how far they can push you right from day one, so make sure that you always follow through with consequences. They actually will love that they know you are consistent because they can adjust their behavior to succeed. When teachers do not follow through, the kids get mixed messages and will test you. If your kiddos were doing well, but are struggling, then regroup and go over expectations again. Keep practicing until they are all successful. This may take some time up front, but will save you loads of time in the long run.

It is important not to humiliate the students if they will be getting negative consequences. I keep a sticky note pad with me to write names and a quick note as to what they were doing. When the kids see my get out my sticky note pad, they typically fix themselves.

3. Your students will have more ownership if they are a part of building classroom norms and rules. I always have an idea of where I want the conversation about rules and norms to go, so I ask guiding questions. I have found that building norms and rules is best after a day or two in the beginning of the school year. I choose specific books (See List) that get the children thinking about how to treat one another. They write or draw their ideas for rules on sticky notes when we debrief books and I categorize those notes into our classroom norms (norms?). Here is a picture of my classroom norms.

4. I would highly recommend reading Daily 5, even if you do not plan on implementing it because it does such a great job at building good work-habits, stamina and self-reflection. For anything that you are expecting your students to do independently, you need to give them tools to be successful. First, create an anchor chart of correct behaviors (What does it look like? Sound like?). Next, practice those behaviors using a timer. As soon as 1 kid is off task, regroup (I use a train whistle as my gathering sound). Then have the kids do a thumb rating for every point on the anchor chart. I do a heart rating (show their thumbs in front of their heart), so that I can see without all the other students looking at each other. Finally, have them practice again and again until their stamina builds to 20 minutes. Start with a goal of a few minutes and add a minute each time they are successful over several days or weeks. Remember... be consistent! If you let a couple of kids be off-task, independent time will not be successful!

5. Students (and people in general) will behave better if they have the time to self-reflect and set their own personal goals. And YES, this can begin with very young learners. You have already read about thumb ratings for independent work, but this idea can extend to various other behaviors. I teach habits of work and habits of character that the students reflect on. You can get your freebie of this here. The kids choose which of these they are going to work on and we make a plan on how they will accomplish their goals.

6. There are tons of attention getters out there to help you get all of your students to focus. Some of my favorite are T: “Mac and Cheese” S: “Everybody Freeze” (and they put their hands up), T: “Class, class” S: “Yes,yes”, and T (Turn off the light) “Hands on top” S: “Everybody stop”. I use different ones throughout the day. If even one student doesn’t participate, we keep practicing until everyone is participating.

7. I like to go over my picture schedule in our morning crew meeting everyday so that my students know where they will be going and what they will be doing. See picture below. I use a train whistle as my gathering sound and a tambourine as a switch centers signal. If I am doing an activity that requires a clean-up, I always give a 2-minute warning. At the signal,they must all clean up or I take away whatever they are working on for a few days. This rarely happens because of my consistency in my practice. If we are getting ready to go to recess, everything must be cleaned and organized before we leave. When they come back in I do not start teaching right away (some kids might get left out of the lesson if they are using the bathroom or getting a drink). Instead, I do some kind of mind warm-up or read a poem. When the kids come in from morning recess they get their spelling words and word work materials right away and start practicing. I teach my mini lesson after that.

8. I like to give my students some freedom to make good choices about where they want to sit, but I also know that I can choose groups strategically based on both behavior and academics. I strive to sit kids in a heterogeneous way so that they can learn from each other as much as possible. If I am having a difficult time with behavior I will also implement a seating chart for my rug.

9. Before I get into praise, I want to preface that empty praise can actually do more harm. Make sure that your praise is specific and earned. I have expectations for each thing we do throughout the day as well as my crew norms. I use praise in a variety of ways. For example,if the kids are being release for independent work (and although I have already stated my expectations) I will say things like “Johnny, thank you for getting your pencil out and getting started right away.” I also use praise for the kids who are acting naughty… I find them doing something good and let them know that I love their good choices. Or for a kiddo who doesn’t really participate, I scaffold them into taking more and more risks with their learning and say things like,”I am so proud of you for trying to spell that tricky word”.

10. This is my favorite. I always try to get to know my students as much as possible. I ask them about their lives, I invite them to have a special teacher-student snack on Fridays for a small group of kids so that we can talk. I read their stories and talk with them about it. I write them a detailed letter in their warm fuzzy books. I tell them that I care about them, and I also show that I care about them (especially the kids who have naughtier behavior). Remember, everyone wants to be loved and respected. When your students feel that you are there to love and support them, they will be much more willing to reciprocate the love and respect.

Read my Go To Behavior Tricks for ideas that you can use easily from day 1 (coming soon)