I’m taking a break today from my Stress Reduction series and getting back to some real teaching issues. That’s why we’re here anyway, right?
So August and September have come and gone with great behavior. Now the students are beginning to do a lot more testing of the limits. It’s been a while since I have taught 7th & 8th graders and now I remember how much they like to get away with. Even the good students do things from time to time that just boggle my mind. WHY DID YOU DO THAT? It’s crazy.
How do I handle these misbehaving miscreants?
- Stick to your rules
Consistency is the only way for success in this area. Just because a rule doesn’t work effectively one time does not mean the rule is bad. It may just be that circumstances kept it from working one time. Changing the rules midstream is never the best option. Especially if the only consistent thing is that the rules change. - Don’t pick favorite students
Okay, we all have favorite students. What we must avoid is giving them special treatment. I know teachers who let certain students stay after class to work on projects with them (and miss other classes) simply because they like them more. - Be nice, but firm
It’s so easy to lash out when children begin misbehaving. The other end of the spectrum is to just ignore it. Neither of these will solve the problem. We must respond and not react. We must be in control of ourselves, but we also must be in control of our classroom. We do all of these things, keeping in mind that the relationship we have with the students is one of concern and respect. - Love your students
Sometimes we despise their actions, but we can never get to the point where we despise the child. Everyone comes to you with a different background. Many have parents who instill fear or mistrust in authority. “Uh oh, there’s a cop. I wonder what he’s doing here.” When that spills over into the classroom, it’s often not so much the child’s fault as it is the child’s upbringing. That doesn’t relieve him of responsibility for his own actions, but it does give us a basis for understanding where they are coming from much of the time. - Pacing
Pacing is the rate at which we teach things. In other words, allow a little bit of downtime, but never a lot of it. Any time my children are not actively engaged, they find new and creative misbehaviors. As a band director, my job is different from most teachers in that it requires me to be involved in the entire learning process the entire time. I can’t just give them a worksheet or test or assignment and kick back for 10 minutes or an entire class period or whatever. This means that I have to be very involved in directly ensuring that learning is continuing. As a result, if I am boring, the students zone out. Pacing takes time to develop, but it is a skill that must be mastered in order to effectively teach and retain interest.
Check out these other articles on classroom management:
