3 Solid Classroom Management Tips

You get to meet a lot of teachers when you’ve lived long enough. And many of them have the same old story to tell…their classroom is a nightmare to manage. Between kids that don’t want to learn and state regulations, it is sometimes easier to manage the national debt. These days, nothing comes easy. Well, hopefully, this article WILL make your life just a little bit less stressful once you step back into your classroom. I’m going to share three solid classroom management tips that I am sure will help a great deal.

One of the biggest problems facing teachers today is the disruptive student, especially the one who always has a smart answer and likes to talk back. A very wise man once said, “It takes a fool to talk back. It takes two of them to make a conversation out of it.” In other words, when dealing with a disruptive student, an effective technique is to simply ignore the student and go on with your lesson. Seeing that he or she is not getting the attention that they are looking for, they will soon stop. If not, simply write up the student, send a letter home, and let the administration and parents deal with the problem. Do NOT let it affect your classroom.

One way to keep an organized classroom is with consistency. In other words, whatever policy you lay down, enforce it consistently throughout the classroom no matter who the student is and no matter what day of the week it is. Many teachers ease up on students on a Friday because the weekend is coming. This leads to students expecting this all the time. And that’s fine, if that’s your policy. But understand that easy Fridays mean easy Fridays. If you’re going to take the privilege away, there needs to be a good reason for doing so. Consistency is very important in a classroom.

Finally, the tone of the classroom needs to be set right from the opening bell. If students are expected to have their books open ready to work when that bell rings, then that’s what needs to be stressed on a daily basis. Don’t wait for the students to comply. Go right into your lesson. Eventually, they’ll realize that they better get those books open or they’re going to be left behind. Too much time is wasted at the beginning of class waiting for students to “settle in.” This can’t be allowed to go on.

These few tips only scratch the surface. In my signature is a review of a great classroom management resource that I think you’ll find quite helpful.