Recently I had a chat with a new teacher, about classroom management.
And by 'chat' I mean we went round and round in circles for a very long time, in confusing long-winded hypothetical scenarios as I thought of every wonderful little management snippet that has been passed onto me by a long line of terrific teachers with wonderful tips, techniques and tidbits.
And there may have been some yawns.
And then I summarised. As all pretty-good-average teachers like myself, do.
Just be 100%.
Whatever you do, or however you decide to manage..... own it. 100%. It is the consistency that will achieve the results, not any sort of magic trick.
Do what you say you will do. Follow through on promises and manage things so that your students can anticipate their day and you as their teacher with 100% certainty.
And I promise, after a few months of 100%, your class will begin to accept 99 and you can breathe again.
My 5 Top Tips for Classroom Management
- Build relationships with your students. Making time to let them be heard is priceless.
- Talk to your colleagues about what works for them in the context of your school. Listen to the ideas of teachers who have the experience. Bloggers love sharing their ideas, but how many of them abandoned the classroom? Honestly, I am going to poke my eyes out if I have to read one more judgmental tidbit from someone who sits behind a desk after giving up after 8 months of teaching. Our best resource is each other. Chat with someone who has walked the walk and stuck with it.
- Keep your expectations and/or rules as simple as possible. Let your students help you make them if you have the time.
- Explain and reinforce your expectations with visuals to assist understanding. Explain them several different ways, with role play to 'act them out'.
- Consistency. As close to 100% if you manage it.
If like me however, and you want to supplement your basic management philosophy with fun and engaging strategies for your students, consider following my Classroom Management Pinterest board! I love finding new ideas and saving them here for you.
Thank you so much for following my blog, have a terrific weekend!