On 10/24/09, Madison wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I am a new high school English teacher, and I am failing
> miserably with one of my classes. I have a group of
> students for two periods in row. There are only 25 of them
> since they are lower level. However, they are my worst
> behaved class.

Here are some basic suggestions.

1. Be calm and Assertive in your use of language.

The secret to great discipline is to use language without bias.
No anger, condescension, emotion. The moment you do, you hurt
people and give them ground to stand on against your wishes.
Verbal violence is abuse. Ask, don't tell. Create context.
Tell them why. Create common ground.

You must disappear before others to keep your message central.
This means your ego and emotions needs to be eliminated to
make way for your message.

2. People would rather have choices than threats.

Choices will still have consequences. The way you express the
choices and consequences is what determines how they will work
for you. Follow this format. If you show fear, emotion,
anger...you give the students power in the class to walk all
over you.

a. Use a friendly voice and ASK, don't tell.
b. When you give options, always put the positive first, then
the negative and remind them of the positive. "Okay, today I
am going to ask you to do something for me. I would like you
to remain very quiet in class today. The reason you will want
to do this is so that you can remain in this room with me and
avoid a detention. I would hate to see any of you get a
detention. If you can keep yourself quiet, the class will work
well and we can all have a great class together." This is kind
of generic, but you get the point. Ask, positive, negative,
positive.
c. Be specific. Generality causes problems. Paint a picture.
Think for others as they should think for themselves.
d. Use the principle of greed. What’s in it for me. Most
people are selfish. Give in order to get.
e. Act. This is where you put your words into action. If you
create consequences, follow through. No emotion or ego. Just
do it and forget about it. Don't do it as an angry reaction to
force compliance. Do it because it's a consequence of not
meeting expectations. Tell them why and be the one in charge.

3. Raise expectations to motivate and inspire. If your
content is boring, they will misbehave. You need to kick it up
a notch and this might take some work on your part. Someone
else on this post already suggested video and other activities
that will engage the learner. This is the point. If it's not
fun and engaging they will likely self stimulate. This will
always go against your plan for the day. Raise your
expectations and keep them so busy they can't do anything else.

The great news is this: If you build it, they will come. They
will love you and enjoy your class. Look at the ideal and set
your mind on that. You are what you think about most of the
time. They won't care about what you know until they know that
you care. And so on...

More in my book linked below. I have 20 routines in my book
that will guarantee success and give you a chance to do what
you want to do-teach, motivate and inspire.

Steve

Superior Education

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