Teaching made easier

What is your number one pet peeve? Is it kids shouting out? Is it kids pushing or talking in the hallway? Is it kids leaving their working space a mess? Not turning in homework? What do all of these things have in common? Are they actually all symptoms of one problem or are they different problems. I used to think that these were all separate problems. If I could solve the shouting out, I would focus on the action - shouting out and not on the cause of the problem. This is like trying to fix an escalator by walking backwards on it. You are going to wear yourself out, but you are not going to fix the escalator. You actually have to get off the escalator and turn off the engine. Ok - so if these all are symptoms of one problem, there are two questions. What problem(s) are these all symptoms of? And. . . Are there solutions to that problem, if it exists? I think these are symptoms of a few select problems. The first problem is a lack of impulse control among students. A lack of ...

Here is the classroom management plan that I am now using: My rules are: 1) Follow directions 2) Raise your hand 3) Be kind My consequences are 1) A reminder 2) A modification - change seats or activity or partner (1 minute to comply or move to step 3) 3) Break - in or out of the classroom as needed depending on the students behavior (1 minute to comply or move to step 4) 4) Parents contacted My biggest challenge with the plan is being consistent. I worry that students won't like me if I follow the plan or that they won't like class. I think I want kids to say that class is fun or that they like learning. So I made a list about what could happen if I am consistent or if I am not consistent All of the cons of being Consistent I might make a mistake and give a kid a consequence for something they didn't do. It sometimes is surprisingly hard to know what is happening.  I might embarrass a student  I will have to feel uncomfortable. It is uncomfortable to ...