Keep Your Classroom Management Strategies Strong All Year
Once you have your classroom set-up and spent the first few days with your students laying a strong foundation, it’s time to set up the classroom management strategies for the framework of the house that is your classroom so that you can Keep Your Classroom Management Strategies Strong All Year.
And, if you have ever exercised, dieted or learned something new, you know that keepin’ on keepin’ on is the hardest part…I hate that. We have to continually remind ourselves that this is a journey, not a sprint, that persistence pays off and that after a while it will become habit yadda yadda yadda. Those things are easy to say when looking forward or back, but when you’re in the thick of it, trying to convince yourself along with 200 teenagers of this AND having to repeat yourself 6 freaking times a day (or however many sections you teach) it is a challenge for sure. And, there are some days it would be easier to quit than to keep your classroom management strategies strong throughout the year! BUT I promise you, keep on going and it will be worth it!
Teenagers question everything. EVERYTHING. Why do I have to do this? What am I going to get out of this? Teenagers are self-centered it’s true. BUT, you know what I’ve learned over the years in working with these pre-adults? If we all questioned what we were doing and why we were doing something, we might not waste as much time as we do. Anyway…
So today let’s talk about that momentum thing…
How To Keep Your Classroom Management Strategies Strong All Year
Continue Strong…Stay Strong with Those High Expectations
Students need to see value in attending class daily so make it that way.
Students need to have goals and high expectations for themselves.
Students need to know that you stick to what you say
Students Need to Re-do Assignments until they are correct (they get tired of that real quick!).
Students who perform at a higher level need to have opportunities to teach others.
Just Keepin’ it Real – The Not So Politically Correct Way
This is where I’m going to catch some flack but I really don’t care.
I’ve raised my own children and have taught thousands of teenagers over the years. They do not thrive in some parts of this world we have created for them. My students call it Keepin’ it Real with Momma Blevs time.
Call out students who misbehave & have face to face discussions when needed.
Students thrive in competition.
Some students are better than others at certain things and some students aren’t good at certain things and that’s great!
Out like a Mama Lion
In the post about starting your classroom management strategies strong, we talked about In Like a Lion. Now you get to turn into Mama Lion.
Care like a parent, not like a friend
My students call me Mama Blevs. They started this because they said that I’m hard on them and that I nag until they get their work done like their mother. It’s one of the best compliments that I have ever received as a teacher. Students don’t need you as a friend, they need you as their leader and their mentor. Students will work hard for someone they respect and care for.
Get to know your students
This is a big one! Take the time to get to know your students. I average 150-200 students a year and I know it isn’t an easy task, but it is so important to learn because it shows that you care.
Reaping the Rewards
If you start your year out with strong classroom management strategies, well-defined guidelines and high expectations, students know when they enter your class that they should act like young adults and that they need to be ready to go. When they learn in detail what those expectations look like and entail (they do freak out a little), it’s also at that point in the year when you have established that parent/teacher relationship and that you know they can do it – so most of them want to rise to the occasion and they will work hard for themselves and you.
At the end of the year, I get several notes from students thanking me for preparing them for college, work, and life. They thank me for pushing them harder than they’ve ever been pushed, for our keepin’ it real Mama Blevs talks and for investing in their lives.
When they THANK you for both caring and pushing them to their limits, you are doing something right.
PIN FOR LATER
If you want to read about how to set up your classroom management strategies for success and have great classroom management strategies from day 1, you can read Be a Classroom Management Rock-star for great tips
If you want to help your students learn what they are naturally good at or drawn to, OR, if you want to learn these things about yourself, check out my posts by clicking on the post name below:
