Classroom Management Tips: Becoming “Cool as a Cat”

It had been a stressful week. Mr. Stressedout Teacher was almost at the end of his wits. When one student made a snarky comment about another student’S answer, he lost it. “Jane, I’ve had it with you. If you can’t respond with civility, you just need to keep your mouth shut!”

Immediately, he knew he had made a mistake. He felt awful. What now?

Perhaps Mr. Stressedout’s story was a bit exaggerated, but I suspect all of us have done or said things in the classroom—or with a group of adults in a learning session—that we regret. Combine stress with what I called the “mid-winter blues,” and you have a potential formula for disaster.

That’s why I really liked a recent article in the December issue of ASCD Education Update newsletter titled “Stay Calm and Teach On.” It’s written by Update editor Sarah McKibben and does a great job of pulling together classroom management tips, insights and advice from some “reliable sources.”

If you are an ASCD member, you can find the article online, and I heartily recommend it.

(Editor’s note: ASCD has ‘unlocked’ this article and it’s now available to everyone. ASCD basic memberships are just $39 a year with easy access to all their publications and online resources, including member-only webinars and the wonderful Educational Leadership magazine.)

In this short blog I want to summarize a few of the tips found in the article that might be worth considering.

Try a whisper campaign

Doug Lemov, author of Teach Like a Champion and managing director for Uncommon Schools, a charter network, shares an abundance of advice. One particular tip that I liked is his approach to correcting student behavior. He suggests moving away from calling an individual student out in class when he/she misbehaves, which can launch a “public battle that can be disruptive for everybody.”

Instead, Lemov conducts a “private individual correction” by whispering to the student about what he observed and helping them reengage in the learning. Other times, when he is feeling particularly annoyed by a student’s behavior, Lemov takes an indirect path to the student, thus avoiding calling the attention of others to his actions AND giving him time to think about what he is going to say to that student.

Enthusiasm is another important factor in building a respectful and engaged classroom. When a student makes a misstep, or doesn’t meet the desired standard, Lemov often suggests that the teacher acknowledge what happened and then stress the need to try again – “try to do it perfectly” – thus turning the tables away from criticizing to instead encouraging students to do their best.

Imagine you’re a referee

Two teachers quoted by Sarah McKibben in this article – one high school and one middle school – offer similar advice. Using previously established classroom management plans, teachers should deal matter of factly with incidents that violate the class code or contradict class norms.

When it’s time to give a consequence, San Diego HS teacher Michael Linsin “doesn’t tell a student how to think or feel—he sticks to the classroom management plan. ‘Like a referee, I just follow the script.'”

Linsin, who authors the Smart Classroom Management blog, told McKibben…

By resolving not to “get excited and upset if a student misbehaves,” you are following the contract laid out when you taught rules and consequences at the start of the year, says Linsin. “Shifting the responsibility to your classroom management plan removes a huge burden off your shoulders.”

Teach on little cat feet

Paul Murphy, another teacher quoted by McKibben, recalls his early elementary school teaching days when he was inclined to shift rapidly from enthusiastic teaching to “snapping at a student” the next minute. Not only did he find this exhausting, but his students didn’t know what to expect next. To moderate that behavior, he decided to “teach like a cat—be less excitable and reactionary, and save his energy reserves for lively and engaging lessons.”

“When a kid misbehaves, I try to remind myself that it’s not about me,” Murphy emphasizes. “It’s almost always about something going on in that kid’s life that we don’t know about. I think empathy can help us not react.”

I’ve just touched the surface of this idea-packed article. Be sure to take a closer look for yourself!

As you read this, I hope you are thinking about some of the classroom management techniques that work well for you or your colleagues. Let’s get a discussion going. What do you use to engage your students and ensure that learning takes center stage?