I just recently read NYC Educator‘s article entitled, Startup Tips. Great stuff there. Neither she nor any teacher of education ever advised me on classroom control. The standing platitude was “A good lesson plan is the best way to control a class,” but I no longer believe that. I think a good lesson plan is … Read more
Laniza over at Walk Tall has posed the question, how do you handle students who continually test the rules? She writes: I have about 3-4 students in each of my classes that I’m going to have to keep a tight leash on, at least for the first couple of months. My response is that I … Read more
I know some people who seem to have been born with an innate ability to get others to do things they really don’t want to do. Those people, when asked how to do that, generally don’t have an explanation. For them it is a natural skill. This isn’t the case with most people. It is … Read more
I realized something this week. As I start my sixth year of teaching, I finally have an amazing level of confidence when going into ANY group of students and knowing that I will be able to get them to be quiet and follow whatever directions I give them. I have been absolutely thrilled with my … Read more
I went to the doctor today. It was the first time I’ve been in over a year and a half. I have strep throat. And it’s summer. How lame is that? Enough with the complaining, As I was sitting here this evening wondering why my visitor numbers were a bit lower than they have been … Read more
This is the second in a series of articles entitled 5 Habits of Highly Effective Teachers. Classroom Procedures The procedures that you lay out in the classroom are the most outwardly evident procedures that you have in place. For this reason, they are key elements of your overall classroom management plan. Much of the procedures … Read more
Most students argue. It’s a fact of life. So it shouldn’t be a concern when our students argue with us. Or should it? Great teachers don’t have arguers Have you ever noticed how you can walk into a classroom and hear the teacher talking, and the students being quiet? They are given directions, and nobody … Read more
This article is part 4 of the series Questions That Will Save Your Career. Please read the other articles in the series. How Do I Keep My Students Quiet? How Do I Keep My Students Engaged? How Do I Keep My Students Interested? How Do I Keep My Students Learning? How Do I Keep My … Read more
This article is part 1 of the series Questions That Will Save Your Career. Before you can focus on engaging your students, or making sure they learn or whatever, you must learn how to keep your students quiet. The rest of the articles in the series are: How Do I Keep My Students Quiet? How Do … Read more
In The Beginning When I was in college, I had an assignment for one of my classes. The assignment was to write up my own philosophy of education. It was somewhat noble (“I teach children to be better people through music” or something like that). It was substantially trite. Most importantly, it lacked any passion … Read more