Do you have any tips or references for me as I seek to improve my classroom management skills?

Question

This is my third year teaching. I'm good at curriculum, activities, and assessment. But I struggle with being in charge, as that does not come to me naturally. I'm better with kids one-on-one, but teaching high school full time pays the bills better. I know I need to be more consistent with my rules and accept that there will be conflict. Thank you for any advice.

Answer 1

Well, you are exactly right-staying consistant is the key. I have read Harry Wong, which most newer teachers swear by, but it didn't do much for me. Maybe because classroom management was beaten into me in teacher school, and because I came from a corporate environment and had a lot of management experience.

My best tips are stay organized and get the students to do as much of the work as possible (passing out papers, hanging your bulletin boards, etc). It's harder when you are in a middle or high school. Also, have systems for everything, so the students know what to expect. I start each class with a DO NOW activity, like write out specific vocab to warm up for the day's lesson, or puzzles or other very short schema activators (5 min), then go into the day's lesson. I also have a homework bin, so I never collect homework. They drop it in the bin when they come into class. At the end of the period, I scoop it up and put it in my accordian folder. No downtime-ever! Keep the lesson moving and spend as little time as possible on the poor behaviors-remember they are only looking for attention.

Start the year with a list of 'actions' in ranking order of severity, for unacceptable behavior. No need to reveal the list, just ramp it up as any individual student continues to misbehave. You'll go through many ideas before you find the ones that work. Writing essays never worked for me, but standing up for 5 min, 10 min while the lesson is going on-the kids hate it. That reminds me-I regularly use kitchen timer for all kinds of things. This way the students can't ever say "It hasn't been 5 minutes yet!!!"

I also make it clear that I don't tolerate whining (and I teach 12 year olds!). It takes a little work in the beginning of the year, but it really stops the bellyaching.

Do you do a lot of hands-on activities? I find that if a student thinks poor behavior will sideline his chances of participating, he'll work to behave. I often make a student stand on the side and watch everybody else participate, while he has to take notes, and still do his associated lessons/assignments, strictly from observations. They hate that too!!

It's easier, to, when you start with a clean slate. You already have a reputation now at your school, so you will really have to work hard to stick to your guns!! I know you can do it. Keep doing what you are doing-asking other teachers-that's what worked for me too! No need to reinvent the whell-the answers are out there already.

Good Luck!!! :-)

Answer 2

Read some books before school starts. Here are some good ones:

The First Days of School by Harry Wong

Setting Limits in the Classroom, Revised : How to Move Beyond the Dance of Discipline in Today's Classrooms

First-Year Teacher's Survival Kit: Ready-to-Use Strategies, Tools & Activities for Meeting the Challenges of Each School Day

Rookie Teaching for Dummies

Fred Jones' Tools for Teaching


I teach 2nd grade, this is my 3rd year, and I too have the same thoughts on classroom management. I purchased all of these to read over the summer so I could be a better teacher.

I have read The First Days of School three times, once each summer, and it is really great, especially the classroom management section.

Setting Limits is the other one you should probably start with. The others you can read later or next summer, but those two are good ones to get you started.

Good luck!

Answer 3

I teach high school too, and this year I'm moving to the alternative high school, so I too am a little concerned about my classroom management. I feel that Harry Wong is great for elementary and middle school, but most teenagers are savvy to his techniques, and I don't think they work AT ALL in high school. Some of his techniques are liable to get a high school teacher laughed out of the building! I personally am a huge fan of Jim Fay (The Teaching with Love and Logic guy)! But more than anything else....
I think high school teachers need a sense of humor, patience, and sincerity. Make sure the kids know you care about them, and they'll work for you. Make sure they know you're on their side; that you're not the enemy.
Sure consistency is important...absolutely!!! But so is being fun and irreverent!! I make fun of myself and the material I teach in an effort to get them engaged. (Romeo and Juliet, otherwise known as Bonehead Teens and What Not to Do When Dating, and you should just see what teenagers can do with the pronunciation of Oedipus!) Teenager's lives are difficult enough without a sourpuss, stick in the mud teacher!! In my situation, I didn't have a strong support system from administrators; sending kids to the office did no good, so I learned to get kids to behave in my own unique way....by entertaining them and myself. If I kid got out of line, they knew they'd be doing grunt work in my classroom after school. I've never had any serious problems...

Hey, good luck, and most importantly, enjoy yourself; you've only got one life!!!!

Answer 4

High schoolers need descipline and consistency. Set down the rules from the first day of class and don't ever deviate from them. If a student disrupts the class, tell him/her to stop, giving them ONE chance. After their one and only chance to behave properly, if they don't straighten up they need to be sent to the office. DO IT RIGHT THEN! Don't wait and never give them more than one chance to correct their behavior!

It may take a time or two for the students to relize you're not kidding around. Eventually you'll get everyones respect.....and admiration.

Answer 5

You just gave yourself the best advice - consistency.
Sadly, it only takes one incident of inconsistency to throw off your classroom management program. If they can "get by" with something one time, they'll see it as a challenge to get by with something else. This works on the positive side too. If part of your plan involves a reward, whether tangible or intangible, you must always provide said reward.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

I read somewhere about 'charisma'. Most teachers come in and attempt to get the students attention by asking them to stop/pay attention, etc. Try just crossing your arms and staring at them. See if that works.