This document provides tips and strategies for effective classroom management on the first day of school and throughout the year. It emphasizes establishing clear rules, procedures, and expectations from the beginning to set the proper tone. It also stresses the importance of structured activities, positive reinforcement of good behavior, moving problem students, limiting power struggles, showing students you care, and minimizing unstructured downtime. The overall message is that strong classroom management through organized routines and procedures is essential for a successful classroom environment and school year.

1. How you manage your classroom will determine
whether or not you are a successful teacher.

2. Topics to be discussed on the first day of school are extremely
important. If a teacher does it right, it sets a great tone for the
year!
 Student Agreement/Syllabus
 Rules/Procedures
 Expectations
 Successful
 Okay to be wrong
 Directions to high school
 Green Eggs & Ham
 Emergency/Fire Drill
 Seating Chart
 Share enthusiasm/excitement
GREET AT THE DOOR!!!

3. The #1 problem encountered by teachers in the classroom
is NOT discipline, but rather the lack of structures and
procedures.
 Classroom management is like an offensive
lineman, in that they’re only noticed when
something goes wrong.
 Once it’s gone, you can never get it back.

4.  Have them for almost everything
 Entering and exiting the room
 Homework Procedures
 Materials - where they’re located
Have a “location” (dry erase board, easel, bulletin board, etc.) where that
day’s expectations can be seen by students when they enter the room.
*Learning and creativity should be free flowing but behavior
needs to be directed with procedures.

5.  Make the punishment fit the behavior (crime), not your level of frustration.
 Handle discipline discreetly.
 Learn what to overlook.
 Avoid power struggles with kids.
 “What hill do you wanna die on?”
Have rules, but not too many
*Handle as much as you can on your own without it allowing it to
take away from learning.

6. If kids think you care, they’ll behave.
 Show concern, not aggravation.
“You were behaving a little inappropriate and
it’s so unlike you.”
“I know something must be bothering you for
you to act that way so I just want you to know
I’m here if you need to talk.”
 Made the point the behavior is inappropriate.
 Maintained students dignity.
 Acted out of concern, not frustration.
 Let the student know you care about them.
What have you accomplished?

7. Make the students feel
welcomed.
(It might be the only greeting
they’ll get all day.)
 Greeters (Walmart, Restaurants,
Airplanes)
People appreciate and respond to
environments where they feel welcome.
Students who feel more welcome are more
likely to “buy” what you’re “selling.”

8. When you observe positive behaviors,
reward them.
 Bomb de-activators (for when they
“bomb” a test/quiz)
 Homework passes
 Mystery Motivators – reward them
with something that appeals to them
Teachers are trained to recognize problems, diagnose the cause and respond
accordingly. Why not try these things on positive behaviors.
“Thanks for _____________, it means a lot.”

9. By greeting kids at the door, you
can see potential problems.
 Problems in the cafeteria, a previous class, in
the gym, home.
 Send them somewhere
 “Do you need a minute?”
 “Why don’t you go get a drin.k”
 Play messenger (blank envelope)
*Recognize a potential before it becomes a actual
problem.

10. Without a seating chart, “problem” students will gravitate to the back
of the classroom. Even with assigned seats, problems tend to arise in
the back of the room.
MOVE AROUND!!
 Get to the back of the room (or that’s where the
problems will be)
 Use what works for you without the “teacher
eye” or verbal reprimand
 Move problems up front
*Physical distance = mental distance in the
classroom

11. Don’t ask a question you aren’t prepared to hear the
answer to.
“How many times do I have to tell you?”
“Do you have a problem?”
Questions such as these provoke defensiveness and create power
struggles.
 Last word kids – no matter what you say, they
will always get in the last word (cause they
know it pushes your buttons.)
 Yellers and screamers – eventually kids know
its coming. They’ll tune you out and ride out
the storm.

12. “Down time” – any time a student has nothing to do.
Usually occurs at the end of the period or an assignment as
a teacher “transitions” to their next class.
Structure EVERY minute of the class period. “Teach”
through the entire class.
There are several activities that can be used when confronted with the possibility of
down time.
 Homework – Teach by the 10, 20, 10 method
 A brain teaser, or problem of the week
 Tickets out the door
 DEAR time

13. Don’t be afraid to make promises to your students.
Tell them what they can expect of you.
 It makes you accountable to your students.
 It will put your students at ease.
“No one is going to work harder to see that you’re going to be successful.”
 Let kids know that it’s ok to be wrong.
(Hall of Fame baseball players are
unsuccessful 7 out of 10 times.)
When kids are feeling nervous or anxious, their brains focus
solely on relieving the anxiety.

14. “Bell work” doesn’t have to be problems. It can be the
procedures you’ve established at the beginning of the
year.
 Having proper materials/tools for that days lesson
 Handing out homework to go over in class
Get them working without knowing they are working.
Get them busy, keep them busy, keep your
sanity!

15. Don’t excuse the behavior, but still…attack the problem.
Some of the struggles our students deal with are beyond the scope of what we have
ever encountered in our classrooms, and for that matter, in our homes.