HS teachers- How do you maintain order in your class?

Question

I am going back to school to finish my teaching certificate- that I started many years ago- I am concerned about todays youth, it seems like they don't care and they give the teachers a hard time. I know that teenagers challenge authority, but how do you get them to participate in school and what do you do when someone decides that he/she wants to cut up?

I will teach biology

Answer 1

When it all boils down to things you are right, today's youth has begun to show more and more disrespect for teachers and this is usually stemmed from lack of respect to their parents at home. I am finding a lot more ( not all) parents are not being parents anymore, they are expecting teachers to be both the teacher and the parent and thats just too much for one person to take, I find myself having to correct students on how to talk to an adult in a respectful manner and when a parent is called about the matter you get the excuse well they're still growing into their body. My way that I maintain order is that I have a no tolerance policy for any disrespect in my classroom. I know it is not right to single students out so that is why you have the rest of the class do it for you, if they find their peers don't like their behavior they tend to straighten up quickly. For example... if one student or a group of students decide they don't want work on a lesson you are teaching... stop your lesson... stand in the front of the class arms crossed not saying a word. Some students will pick up on your body language and try to hush the class. Then if it has not quieted down make the announcement if you are going to waste my time I will waste yours, usually a threat to hold students after school is a worthy opponent for them. I have found this works. Let your other students help set the tone for you, chances are they do not want to stay after so they qill quiet down and order will be restored.

Answer 2

So far, there have been some very excellent answers, but I would like to offer one more suggestion: Find out as much as you can about the administration.

It has been my experience that the principal's attitude avout discipline has set the tone for the school. If the administration is willing to overlook set rules and undermine teachers' efforts at classroom discipline, then you will have a very difficult time.

In one school, the principal was an "apologist" for the students because they lived in a poor neighborhood. The students were quick to figure this out. Rules were bent and broken, classroom disruptions were the norm and not the exception, no books or pencils were brought to class, homework was turned in late or not at all (until just before the end of the grading period, for which the teacher was expected to give full credit), etc.

However, if the administration supports its teachers and discipline is meted out quickly and fairly, then you may just enjoy the experience.

In another school (same grade levels and similar neighborhood), the administration would not accept disruptions in the classroom - good behavior was the expectation. Immediate in-school detentions along with afterschool and weekend detentions made it clear that bad behavior and rule breaking would not be tolerated. After the first month, the few continuing problems could be handled on a more individual basis.

Don't talk to the principals about disciplne in their school; talk to the staff, including custodians and cafeteria workers. And forget about statistics - the first school mentioned above had fewer detentions and suspensions only because of the principals refusal to use them and the teachers' knowledge that students would rarely be held to a standard.

Don't be afraid of the possibility of problem students, but be ready for them.

Answer 3

I have taught middle school for the past 8 years and have found that several things work for middle and high school students. The most important thing is to establish respect from your students. Try to be as fair as possible. When students see that you treat all of your students the same, they will not complain (as much) about being warned for misbehavior or getting in trouble. Second, I always start out my year being a little harder on my students with their behavior than I feel I have to be. That way I can loosen up a little throughout the year. If you start out easygoing with the kids and try to become more strict later on, you'll be fighting an uphill battle. Set rules and follow them. Let students know your expectations for behavior in the classroom. A lot of times students get in trouble because of not having understood the rules of the classroom or because the teacher did not consistently enforce the rules. Good luck!

Answer 4

I teach in a moderate- to low-income neighborhood high school, and i have found that no matter the class, giving respect first and foremost usually earns you respect right back. An atmosphere of high expectations along with consistent (deserved) praise will help keep your students in line. Don't be afraid to be funny with them and see a goofy side if you have one - I have no shame with my students...if we're doing Macbeth and it calls for thunder and lightning, I'm up there making the noise and bashing two lids together...the kids laugh but respect the effort. I have found that an atmosphere of safety, that is, the kind where they don't have to fear being made to feel stupid for a wrong answer, will also earn your respect. They take more chances in their learning this way, as well. Be flexible and fair and don't be afraid to go off on a tangent now and then. I often use a philosophical question to begin a lesson; they love to answer these kind of questions aloud. It sets the tone for learning that day...something like, "What joy from childhood do you not have today?" This tied in with a poetry unit...their answers were wonderful Praise often but only when deserved - they will pick up on false praise immediately. Do NOT pick favorites, either...all kids hate that. Good luck.

Answer 5

Justin has a really good answer. And here's my 2 cents worth. I don't know what subject you are teaching and how much order you "have" to maintain. My classes were always the loudest and most active, but they also learned alot. We had rules but I worked with a variety of teaching methods to keep things interesting. I would have people stop by to watch, and observe. (once the State dept of Education from Washington DC came by)

BUT----I was in small hometown school with Pre-K thru 12. Everyone knew everyone! I had some kids for a single class from 8th grade to graduation. Even still I was always in the middle of the class, walking around, talking, involving the kids....and consistent with enforcing rules.

Trial and error, be on your toes and ready to change strategy if somethings not going right. Good luck!

Answer 6

The teachers in my HS that we're the most respected and feared were also the ones that had the most order in the class. I remember they shared the following traits:
1. They all liked to talk alot, walk around the room, and get constant input from students.
2. They would push the rules to make us laugh or give us special treats like movie days when we were good.
3. They were very strict and concrete in the rules they did make up. For example my Latin teacher would always threaten to beat us with this big stick he called a Boculum. Everyone would laugh when he would pull it out, but at the same time we were scared he would actually do it.

The thing is, kids have to fear you a little. They should know that you respect every student the same like you would one of your best friends (or at least make em think that). But they also have to know your not messing around and you take things like homework and paying attention in class very seriously. Threaten them, make the class laugh, push the rules a bit, break down their arguements in front of everyone if they try being smart, and never let em see your weak side. Hope that helps a bit. My sis is in the same situation as you and we talk about this all the time.

Answer 7

I'm by no means an expert in this area, but I have had a little experience that I thought I could share. I teach elementary ESL, but I did my student teaching at a high school in New York City. From observing other teachers and trying things on my own, I found these things to be the most helpful:

* Establish rules with the students' input. Devote an entire period to this at the beginning of the semester. Let them voice their opinions, discuss ideas with each other and you, and then vote on what the expectations of classroom behavior should be. Before you open up the options, set guidelines that there can be only three rules and they must somehow address personal actions, social interactions, and school property.

* Make your lessons interesting enough that students WANT to be there. Don't be afraid to joke around with them. Have a good time. Make learning FUN and MEANINGFUL.

* Be positive in your actions and words, but also be firm to show that you have high expectations. You don't want the students to think you're starting off with a bad opinion of them.

* Do journals (if it applies to your subject area) with the students. My students did a 5-minute journal entry at the beginning of class everyday. It not only served the purpose of settling the students down and getting them focused, but it was an incredible way for me to get to know them. Of course I couldn't write long entries back everyday, but on Fridays I collected the journals and read through each one of them. I'd leave questions here and there and also comment on several of the entries. Once the students saw that I really did read what they had written, they gave me some very insightful journals. Some days I gave them a prompt with something academically related and other days I asked them more personal questions about their hobbies, interests, etc.

* At the same time I was student teaching in high school, I was also student teaching in an elementary school (my days were split). I'd go from Kindergarten to 10th grade in a matter of an hour, and sometimes it was hard to make my mind shift so quickly. One day the high school class was unmotivated and many students were pushing my buttons. They were refusing to even take out their books. I looked over at my bag, and I saw stickers in there that I had just used with the Kindergarten class. In my panic, I looked for a student who WAS following directions and participating. I walked over to one and said very exaggeratedly, "YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! JUST BEAUTIFUL!" I gave the 10th grader a sticker, and you would've thought I was handing out $100 bills. In a matter of seconds, other students were racing to get their books out. I went around the room telling students how BEAUTIFUL they were and handing out stickers until every single student was eagerly waiting for the lesson to start. I still scratch my head that it worked, but I did resort to that a couple of times throughout the semester.


* I had a few students who liked to cut up from time to time. It never got so out of hand that I couldn't get the class back together, though. I had a very good rapport with the students. I respected them, and they respected me. If on occasion a student wasn't showing respect, his/her classmates would often call him/her out on it. Fortunately, the cutting up never got to a point where serious consequences had to be taken.

* The biggest problem for me was getting students to turn in homework on time. Halfway through the semester, I was frustrated with the poor grades due to lack of homework. I made a spreadsheet that showed all of the students and which assignments they'd turned in and which ones were missing. I wrote a heart-felt letter to go with it, and I handed it out one day. The students were amazed and embarrassed when they saw how much stuff hadn't been turned in. There were several students who had turned in everything (or nearly everything), and they were suddenly the envy of the class. Within the next two weeks, I had a majority of the missing assignments turned in.

Answer 8

Start as you ean to go on
Dont give up
Be firm
Supprt policy disciplinary rules
Get support from senior faculty and mentors
Dont backdown and get into compromises
Your rule is for them to follow
It isnt a democracy and things arent fair in the class

Answer 9

You could give everyone with up to five bad points. For everyone they do not use, they get one extracredit point. If they get six, they get a warning. Seven-break detention. 8- afterschool detention. 9-principal.