I never realized, when I went into education, that half of my time would be spent managing behaviors and inspiring students to stay on track. I couldn’t have imagined the bandwidth and energy classroom management would drain from my enthusiasm to “just teach”. It was oh so different from playing school with placid stuffed animals. Real teaching cuts idealism down to size swiftly, especially with teenagers.  

At my first school in Washington Heights, the newbie teachers were coached during a set of professional development days, by a revolving door of senior staff on how to conduct ourselves, as we embarked on our new profession with adolescents. Wisdom such as, “Don’t smile until Christmas,” and dress more “professionally” than your age, ensued. It all sounded good until the first students burst through my door. Fresh off their summers and hopeful that the new school year and teacher would be a slam dunk, I always found them adorable in the warm days of September. So what did I do when I saw their sweet faces? I smiled so wide my face hurt and shouted “Welcome! Welcome!” It was against my nature to be so stern and glower. And after all, I wanted them to like me. Maybe even love me. 

However, I soon learned that my exuberance and warmth would be mistaken for weakness. By the third week of school, I had kids flat out questioning my authority and disregarding my efforts to “control” the class. Precocious students asked “How do you know that author X really wrote that book you’re handing out?” One boy in my homeroom, who danced suggestively up against the girls at their lockers, asked me why I was so uptight when I shouted in panic. And finally, when I gave kids detention passes, they adamantly denied whatever behavior I claimed to see with my own eyes. I was not just exhausted, I was tongue tied. 

And by the time I realized what I had stepped into, the chapter of my first semester had been written. My reputation, as brand new, soft on crime, and frazzled, had been sealed. I even left the building, after one awful, day in tears. 

The best thing about the second year of teaching is that it’s not the first. You can do it ALL differently and better. In fact, my second and third year were two of my favorites. I was still hot off the press, but hardened and a pinch more “seasoned”. 

Here are some things that helped me to sail and thrive in subsequent years. I even had my paraprofessional, the gentleman Mr. Green, taking notes and raising his hand during lessons. (I think he was supposed to be minding a certain child in class). Nonetheless, everyone was engaged and on-track for success! 

While some of the below may seem obvious and for ‘newbies only,’ check-in with yourself and see if you could use some fine-tuning. Sometimes, coming back to the basics is a sure fire way to recalibrate and get back on track. Goodness knows, teaching is a long game. 

Seating Charts 

Obviously, you can’t master the seating chart before you know the personalities and learning styles of the students. However, this all becomes apparent within the first two weeks of school, when that best foot forward slips back in line. I let students know from the onset that seats are temporary and constantly fluid. I tell them that my main goal is to optimize learning for everyone. And back seats will turn into front seats within a few weeks time. 

1. Placing Struggling Student in Optimal Seats

All kids want those “best” seats. However, a solid student will probably succeed in the back, next to the door, or even from a desk in the hallway! Accordingly, a student with a learning need, whether it be physical, academic or emotional, needs an optimal seat to thrive. I place these children front and center or in optimal locations with easy teacher access. This way, I can constantly cue them to get started or stay on track, sometimes with just an eye signal or a slight tap on the desk. 

When group work begins, I can dash over to these students to clarify misunderstandings or ensure they’ve understood my directions. These seats also provide the best viewing of the board or screen where no one has to pivot a chair or crain a neck. Kids that need the most reinforcement must both have the simplest pathways to success, the clearest view of their teacher and the most accessible location for redirecting behavior. Unwanted behaviors can be minimized or maximized by anticipating the opportunity for distraction. Is Jonah facing Christopher, his partner in crime? Or is he boxed in by Alexa and Sadie? The teacher’s constant enforcement enables these students to feel the onus to stay on track. A great seat is like an invitation to succeed. And the truth is, some kids need it more than others. In a classroom, we strive for equity, not necessarily equality. 

Relevant Do-Nows

The most hectic part of the period is when the kids enter the classroom from the hallway. They are essentially leaving a “rager” behind in the corridor. And no one wants a good party to end. You, as the teacher, have mere moments, fleeting seconds, to set the expectation for working. A.) You want a clear routine that is the same every day. B.) You want “Do-Now” written large and clear up on the board, with an expectation of getting down to work immediately. 

Do not let them ease into the period and leisurely finish their conversations. Unless you intend to spend the next 45 minutes grasping for control of the class and reminding them why they’re here, you must be firm and crystal clear. The first few minutes matter most in setting a productive tone.

Thus, a ‘Do-Now’ is the immediate task written on the board, ready to go, when students arrive. The routine must be practiced and enforced until the students get it right. It sets the expectation that there is important and worthwhile work to be done at once. It lets the students know you are prepared for them and have an expectation for engagement…NOW. 

My favorite ‘Do-Nows’ are thought provoking and reflective…

“Can you remember a time when you were really surprised or even shocked by something? Perhaps it was delightfully unexpected, totally out of the ordinary or a major disappointment. Describe the event or situation in detail. How did you feel or react? Free write in your writer’s notebook.”

I love a Do-Now that’s creative…

“Describe your bedroom using the five senses. Think about the way things look, feel, smell and sound. Make someone else curious to see your unique space. Think of a small thing that makes your room totally your own. Free write in your writer’s notebook.” 

The best Do-Nows are both thoughtful and gauge prior understanding…

“Why did the Spartans send their boys off to military training, the Agoge, at 7 years old? Can you imagine heading off to military school, to live in the barracks of the Agoge, at 7? Why or why not?”

In any case, setting the tone from the first few moments of class is one of the most significant ways we can gain positive control of the room. When we have students working towards our goals and moving fluidly, with clear expectations, we are already on the road to a successful period of learning. 

Routines, Routines, Routines

Kids operate best with Pavlovian routines. No guesswork or room for interpretation. The first week should be light on the content and heavy on the building of routines or expectations. The best way to build class routines is alongside your students. This way, they feel ownership and accountability. Nonetheless, I’ve found when I was light on routines, too many things were open to interpretation. Take as much guess work out as possible. For example, you don’t want them walking in, dropping their books and asking to dart back out to the bathroom. Going to the bathroom after the first 5-10 minutes of class is very disruptive. Expectations large and small must be explicit. Here are some important ones to establish: 

1. Entrance/Exit procedures

2. Bathroom use

3. Homework policy

4. What I do when “I’m done” guidelines 

5. Independent Work expectations

6. Kindness/respect non-negotiables 

7. What it looks like to “work-hard”

8. Navigating around the classroom

For instance, my students knew that during independent work, when you think you’re done, you reread your work and ask yourself some self-check questions or exchange work with a friend for feedback. And then if you really think you’re done, you can open your independent reading book. 

Or something like going to the bathroom. If it’s an emergency, you’re a human being, you go. But in most situations, you don’t leave the classroom the first 5 minutes of class or in the middle of a lesson. 

Make Classroom expectations a collaborative activity in the first week of school. Place the chart up in the front of the room. Hold everyone accountable to the agreed upon routines. Everyone feels safest and cared for with fair and enforced structures in place.

One-on-One Chats

I always found one-on-one chats to be one of the most important tactics in building trust between an educator and a child…especially the ones that need a little more. The one-on-one chats are the hardest to get to. They often slip through the cracks of a hectic schedule. However, kids respond very poorly (I should know) when addressed in front of their peers. When sequestered or corrected in front of a group, any person is going to meet the moment with resistance. No one likes to be cornered. So when I had an issue with a student or I knew something was cooking, I worked to find the time to pull them out in the hallway or keep them a moment after class. When you are real, frank and candid with a child individually, you are most likely to nip the problem in the bud. And maybe, connecting with this child, who’s acting out, will help you both to forge a more trustful path forward and even gain you more cooperation during class. You must build alliances with certain children. 

I always start off with…

1. “You are such a valuable member of our class, especially when…”

2. “I see how capable and hardworking you are during…”

3. “I recognize how skilled you are at…”

4. “You are such a kind person.”

5. “I see you how helpful you are when…”

And then I question or let them know what I’ve been noticing. Let the child know you’re listening. Repeat what they’re saying. And be prepared to pivot when it’s nothing like you expected. Sometimes, we even get tears. And it’s all building and growing for the teacher and the student. 

Phone Calls Home 

I have seldom met a parent who didn’t appreciate a phone call home. A parent sees a phone call home as an olive branch. A parent once told me that no other teacher had ever bothered to call her before and she was so grateful that I cared enough to pick up the phone. Most times, with a thoughtful tone (always leading with a positive) you are giving a parent helpful insight about their child and how to support the ever important work you do in school. In fact, I wish I had made the time to do it more often. It’s always the extra mile that pays off the most…

When you call home, you are doing it from a place of love. You are not ratting out a child. You are enlisting the triangle of 

Parent + student + teacher = classroom success 

There’s nothing more solidifying for a child than knowing the two biggest authority figures in their lives are on the same page. They are subconsciously grateful for the boundaries put in place, even if they don’t know how to show it. On the call you might:

• Agree that the parent needs to reiterate certain points at home. 

• Develop a system of check-ins between teacher and parent 

• Lay out a behavior management program 

• Arrange a face-to-face meeting

For instance, something as simple as “the parent and the teacher will both sign the HW page nightly,” places a new degree of accountability on the child. I can’t tell you home many times behavior improved when the parents got involved. Now, will it slip again? Most likely. And then you send another email or schedule another phone call. The school year is a marathon. But the extra 15 minutes on the phone make for a world of difference in the classroom. 

 

Spread out Lectures 

Some call it a ‘mini-lesson,’ as I was taught in grad-school, as per the Teacher’s College of Columbia methodology. The concept is great. Really. But in actuality, once you get up there on your teacher's pulpit, with the wind at your back, it can be hard to step down. Plus, removing yourself from the front of the room, with one set of expectations, means relinquishing partial control of the classroom. Suddenly, there are a complex set of expectations that require more management. Whether it be group work or independent work, the class goes from one speaker and one forward gaze for all eyes, to twenty different directions and dynamics at once. So, this may seem obvious. But I can’t tell you how many times, my intention to instruct for 15 minutes turned into 30. Plus, there’s a lot of material to cover!

Demand active participation and engagement in as many ways as possible to keep the class focused. Some can even be done mid-instruction:

• Turn-and-talks OR partner-shares 

• Silent/written responses OR stop-and-jots

• Exit-slips 

• Class challenges/bonus point rewards 

The ebb and flow of teacher-led instruction and student accountability is a good formula for class management. My favorite way to teach is to intersperse one minute tasks of accountability amid the instructional portion of class. Clearly, independent/group work needs to be built into the day. However, on the road to group work, we can involve our students in order to make for a more engaging lesson. 

Remember dis-traction = otherwise attracted. It’s tough work this day in age to keep the focus of students who spend a lot of time on screens and media. And it’s not our job to go up against Tik-Tok. But we must mix it up to keep them on their toes. And we don’t need to do cart wheels. A little goes a long way. Finally, much of this can be spontaneous, when a natural moment for students to pause and think arises. Have a bag of tricks at the helm, and sprinkle them in.

Class management is as much a practiced art as mastering your subject matter. It takes time, experience and continued trial-and-error. And sometimes, a particularly rowdy bunch, can bring you back to day one. Also, remember every new semester and school year is an opportunity to press the reset button and set the tone for success. You’ve got this!