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Classroom Behavior Problems

June 25, 2020 By Rachel Vincent

Classroom behavior problems could be your fault

You’ve taught your rules and procedures. You’ve set up a classroom management plan.  Yet, you are still having classroom behavior problems and you can’t figure out why.  Well, I hate to break it to you, but you could very well be the problem.

The problem with too many warnings

When I first started teaching, I didn’t realize I was the reason I was having so many classroom behavior issues.  Unfortunately, I handed out warnings like Oprah handed out cars!  You get a warning! You get a warning!  Everybody gets a warning!

Now you may be thinking, Rachel, teachers should give out warnings.  Yes, we should!  But how many warnings are enough?  I have come to learn that warnings actually mean different things to different students. Some students respond to a warning and that’s all they need to change their behavior.  Some students need multiple warnings.  And some students, it doesn’t matter how many warnings you give them.

The problem for me and probably for you isn’t the number of warnings.  It’s how you give the warning.  The issue is when you give the warning with a tag line.  You say things like “that’s your last warning” or “if you do that again, XYZ happens” And then when the student does it again…we say something like, “I told you not to do that” or we just continue to warn.  And we never follow through with what we said.

Consistency is key

Students learn quickly if a teacher means what she/he says.  They learn if we are going to follow through with a consequence or not or if that really is the last warning.  Even if we’re inconsistent, students will err on the side of getting away with it and they’ll continue to push the boundaries.

We have to mean what we say and we have to be consistent.  Sometimes it’s hard, but if we want to minimize classroom behavior problems, we have to stick to it.  Of course, there are always special circumstances, but for the most part, you can minimize behaviors by being consistent.

Choose your consequences wisely

Another way to make sure you’re saying what you mean and being consistent with classroom behavior problems is to think carefully through your actual consequences.  Telling a student they can’t do something for the rest of the year in September is not a consequence that you might be able to follow through with. 

I made this mistake in my 2nd year of teaching when I had a couple of students throwing crayons.  I took them away and told them they couldn’t have them for the rest of the year.  But guess what happened a few weeks later when we needed crayons…I gave them back.  My students learned that I don’t follow through with my consequences.  What should I have done?  I could have shortened the time frame on losing the crayons.  Or I could have told them they would have to earn them back.  I could have told them they would only be allowed to have them in their possession during the actual coloring portion of the lesson.  But just saying no crayons for the rest of the year was not a good option.

The best thing to remember is to make sure you mean what you say and you are consistent with what you’re saying.

Wanting more advice on classroom management? Download my free guidebook!

Your classroom behavior problems may be your fault

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    msrachelvincent

    Rachel | 4th Grade Teacher
    How long is your students’ attention spans? I o How long is your students’ attention spans?
I only have about 10 minutes before I lose them! 🤪
And I don’t know about you but my lessons are typically longer…so I try to mix it up every 10 minutes with a Think-Pair-Share or some kind of movement
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#teachersofig #iteachtoo #iteach4th #iteach456 #teachersofinstagram #teachingelementary #attentionspan #minilessons #thinkpairshare
    6 ways to get your students participating in your 6 ways to get your students participating in your lessons!
1️⃣ Think Time - giving your students time to think about the answer keeps your over achievers from answering all the questions 
2️⃣ Movement - Stand/Sit if this is your answer
3️⃣ Turn & Talk - Everyone shares their answer with a partner
4️⃣ Hand Signals - Perfect for multiple choice questions
5️⃣ Think-Pair-Share - Combines the think time with turn & talk 
6️⃣ Repetition - repeat important information to help it stick
🗣🗣Which number are you trying this week?!
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#teachersfollowteachers #igteachers #iteach #teachergram #iteachfourth #iteach345 #teachingstrategies #studentparticipation
    Do you have these 4 teacher goals?! 1️⃣ Instr Do you have these 4 teacher goals?!
1️⃣ Instructional Goal - How are you improving your instruction?
2️⃣ Relationship Goal - How are you building relationships with students or coworkers?
3️⃣ Balance Goal - How are you trying to have a better work-life balance?
4️⃣ Non Instructional Goal - What other area are you trying to improve?
Here’s my 4 goals!
1. Vocabulary Instruction 
2. 2 Positive Notes a Week
3. Leave by 3:00 3 out 5 days
4. Clean off back counter once a week
What are your goals?
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#teachersfollowteachers #igteachers #iteach #teachergram #iteachfourth #iteach345 #teachergoals #teachergoals🍎
    Coming back from break is a lot easier than the fi Coming back from break is a lot easier than the first day of school!
Less teacher talk 🗣
More student talk 👥
1️⃣ Give your students time to catch up with each other. Even adults like to chit chat about what we did during break!
2️⃣ Review procedures by playing a fun game. Charades is a great way to act out procedures to see if other students can guess what they’re doing!
3️⃣ The halfway point of the school year is a great time for students to set goals!
What’s your favorite thing to do after a break?!
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#teachersfollowteachers #igteachers #iteach #teachergram #iteachfourth #iteach345 #studentgoals #classroomprocedures #classroomideas
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