Classroom Management

The importance of following through.

One lesson I have learned in my time in the classroom is the importance of following through with the consequences you give to students. If not, the kids will come to know you as is described as a "push over."

First, be very clear about your expectations and what they should be doing. For example, instead of saying, "stop being disruptive and do your work," a more explicit and i believe effective approach would be, "you should not be talking to anyone and you need to be working on problems 1-10 on page 18 of your math book." Students don't always have an understanding of class decorum or need explicit directions. Do not leave any action vague and be as direct as possible so they know what do and there are no questions asked.