One of the major perks about being a teacher that I’ve definitely mentioned in a previous post is the fact that there are 12 people in J4 at Agua Fria High School who have to do exactly what I tell them to, or there are major consequences. It’s instant gratification for the thousands of dollars my parents spent to get me a business degree; I’m already in a management position right off the bat. The only caveat is that the people I manage are…14 years old.
One of the major principles of classroom management is to keep a small problem a small problem. That is to say, don’t let the minor misbehaviors become major ones. If you let them get out their seats without asking once to sharpen a pencil, God knows you’ll have them running around the classroom in no time. If you let them make snarky side comments, God knows no one will ever pay attention to you ever again. Sweat the small stuff – make it stay small stuff.
This is the exact opposite of how I was while in school. My philosophy, pretty much about life in general, is that it is easier to ask forgiveness than permission. It’s totally true. So I did pretty much whatever I wanted in school and got away with murder because teachers liked me and I performed well so if I talked to my neighbors or left school midday to go get Taco Bell, so what, he’ll be back and ace the test.
I now hate that mentality, and endeavor to be the No-Nonsense Nurturer, a teacher that gets the behavior and investment messages across while keeping a friendly touch in the classroom.
The way we manage behavior at the Phoenix Institute is called the Behavior Management Cycle. It is propagated by an elderly education guru by the name of Lee Canter. We had to watch a million videos of Mr. Canter – he’s an awful public speaker and definitely does the “T-Rex” presenting pitfall (keeping his elbows at his side while vigorously moving his forearms) while presenting. But his methods are sounds, and I’ve found them incredibly helpful in my practice.
It works like this: first, give incredibly explicit directions. They may be in 9th grade, but kids have no idea what to do unless you explain it to them explicitly and clearly and model exactly how it should be done. I thought this was incredibly stupid at first (who doesn’t know how to work quietly and independently?) but it really is true – no one knows what to do unless someone teaches it to him or her, and that includes procedures and directions.
Next, focus on the positive and do something called Behavior Narration – that means, within two to three seconds of giving out an expectation or directions, you narrate what the kids are doing. An example would be that if you explicitly direct kids to get out of their desks and do a headstand against the back wall of the classroom for six minutes, three seconds after you give that direction you would say things like “Melissa is getting out of her seat and is going to do a headstand; Javier is at the back wall ready to do a headstand; Junior has started his headstand and will keep doing this for six minutes” etc.
It sounds corny and hilarious and it is. My CMA (that’s my mentor at Institute) thinks I’m good at it and it’s effective because I think it’s so funny. So I behavior narrate my ass off and have the best time, and here’s the crazy thing: it works! If one student is misbehaving (and trust me, you always have a kid who commits those irksome minor misbehaviors nonstop), behavior narrate all of the positive things the kids around him or her are doing, and eventually he’ll get the social cue and start doing it, too. Peer pressure works wonders.
But what if he or she doesn’t get it the first time around? Well, the third step of the Behavior Management Cycle is my least favorite: giving consequences. No one likes to be a “bad cop”; we all want our kids or coworkers or colleagues or employees to like us. But sometimes, you need to let them know they are out of line and need to step up their game, behavior-wise. An example:
“Stewie [I would laugh so hard if I ever teach a kid named Stewie], the expectation is that you are doing a headstand at the back wall of the classroom for six minutes. You have chosen to not follow the expectation, and this is your first warning, and it has been noted. Please get to the back wall and do a headstand for six minutes with the rest of the class.” (Of course I would do this in my best teacher voice – calm, confident, assertive, and leaving no doubt as to who is in charge of this classroom).
Giving consequences sucks; you never want to take away students’ privileges. In the case of Agua Fria J4, that would be chances to win a bathroom pass which we call StarBucks! (We took our SuperStars theme to the logical extreme – and beyond). However, sometimes you need to just remind them what the expectation is, and that they need to be following it. It totally makes class run that much smoother and decreases the chances that the misbehavior will happen again.
So that’s the formal way; I have, and I think all teachers do have, informal ways of keeping the kids in line. If the back right corner is chatting, go stand in the back right corner and conduct the lesson from there. Move around seats to ensure an optimal seating chart that minimizes misbehaviors. Put your hand on a student’s desk if he or she isn’t working – chances are he or she will snatch up that pencil and start writing so fast you won’t even get to behavior narration (which would be sad – I love to behavior narrate).
The best, however, and my favorite, is the Teacher Stare (hence the Gaga allusion at the title of this post). It’s cold, it’s piercing, it’s effective – and I’ve mastered it. If two kids are talking, just cock your head in their direction, purse your lips, fold your arms, and squint your eyes ever so slightly – their heads will be down and pencils will be moving so fast you have no idea. It’s actually an excellent power trip.
So that’s how I keep my class in line and avoid my worst nightmare – a class so out-of-control that they run circles around me and tie me to my chair with duct tape and pummel erasers at my forehead.
And that’s also how I put my management degree to good use.
peace and love from the grand canyon state,
pb
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