AboutPatricia Ireland-Williams Expertise I am a retired K-12 Public School Principal (8 years as a teacher and counselor) and 23 years as an administrator. I can help parents with questions about how the system works, provide ideas on how to solve school issues or assist teachers in coping with the plethera of stressors they face.
Experience I am currently an educational consultant and have served on the State of Arizona Solutions Team.
Question Thanks for taking my question:
I have no problem controlling individual students, but when the entire class starts acting badly, I have a problem controlling them, and they know that and they take full advantage of that -- since I can't punish everyone (by sending them all to the Dean's office). What do you recommend ?
Answer Since I do not know what subject or grade you are teaching, I will provide you a rather general answer.
Good classroom management begins the very first day no matter what the grade or level. A master teacher never allows the students to act badly in that the students KNOW what behavior is expected of them as well as what the consequences are of not following the desired behavior. A teacher should not feel that they should control the class.........students are more than capable of controlling themselves given that they know what is expected.
Usually when I observe an out of control class, I see a teacher who has gradually allowed little things to slip by so the students think that their behavior is o.k. until the teacher finally exerts some authority to tell them different (which is usually too late).
I would suggest that you spend some time with the entire class and express that you feel that certain behaviors are interfering with the effectiveness of the class. After all, you are there to TEACH and they are there to LEARN, not to behave badly. I would ask the students to identify what behaviors are not acceptable and list those on the board for all to see. After you have done that, ask them to come up with acceptable rules of conduct (list each one).
Have the class come up with 4-5 rules they can all agree to comply with and then begin again. If students do not comply, continue dealing with them 1/1 through conferencing, not punishment(referrals to the office should always be kept at a minimum). ALWAYS TRY TO BE POSITIVE..........GIVE LOTS OF PRAISE FOR THE GOOD BEHAVIORS AND TRY TO MINIMIZE THE NEGATIVE BEHAVIORS. If you do this, you will find that many students will respect you more as a result of your positive feedback.
Also, ALWAYS be sure to give high quality instruction which engages all students. Students who are in interesting, challenging, active learning environments rarely have time to act up.
I would also suggest that you give a daily grade for participation in class, classwork and behavior. Let them know that this is part of their grade and if students are not getting good marks, call their parents and discuss your concern.After all, no one wants them to fail your class! If necessary, set up parent conferences with both the student and the parent. In each one, come up with a remedial strategy which will address the problem.
You might talk to other teachers about your misbehaving students.......see what works for them. It has been my experience, especially in middle school and high school that some kids act up in one class and are great in another one. Your collegues probably have many great ideas which they will readily share with you.
If you need further help, ask your Administrator to help you. You also might want to take advantage of a behavior management class or workshop offered in your area.
Best wishes in your pursuit of better classroom management,
