The Quiet Before The Storm…

 

Whilst firmly settled in the luxury of a massive sofa, enjoying all that the holiday has to offer in terms of time, coffee and calm, I thought that now might be the best time to think about behaviour management. Not so much how to manage behaviour but the principles behind it. The what and the why, rather than the how?

With a week away from our delightful little critters, in the calm before the storm, I guess we’re able to think more clearly, without the pressures of the job and the strains and stresses students put on us (especially at exam time).

So what could a first principle of behaviour management be?

 

  1. Respect, perhaps?

No one likes to be thought ill of or treated badly, whether that means you’re shouted at, put down or simply ignored. Our behaviours will often mirror the behaviours we see from our students. Since I trained in a tough inner-city school, I’ve tried never to shout at students. It creates a divide, them and us. It creates a versus.

We’re in this together and mutual respect is key. Where does it start? Through modelling from us.

If I can’t say to my students, “Do I treat you with respect?” and get an honest answer of “Yes,” how can I expect behaviour management to be easy?

  1. Be human too.

Surprising as it seems to some of our students, we’re human too! It never fails to amaze me how, on seeing me in town or at the supermarket or even at school wearing jeans on a non-uniform day, students are flabbergasted. I do not exist in the real world for them…

Making it clear that we’re human is essential. Why? Because it is here that students will realise the need to engage in an appropriate teacher-student professional relationship rather than simply acting out against an authority figure.

When do I get furthest with behaviour management, when I ask students: “How do you think that made me feel, as a person?”

They know the answer, everytime.

Asking, “Do you want to be someone who makes others feel like that?” they’re forced to take responsibility and see the way it reflects on them.

We’re a team of people working together, aren’t we? Making this clear is what, in my experience, sweetens the classroom atmosphere most, like the cake I’m eating right now sweetens the holidays.

  1. Apologise, we all need to sometimes.

An apology is so powerful in restoring relationships and respect, don’t you think?

Whilst it’s not easy to admit fault, for anyone, it  can be especially hard in front of a class.

How can we expect students to apologise if we never do?

Perhaps most importantly, we can work miracles with our nervous, risk-averse students if we start actively showing them that it’s ok to make mistakes. An apology really can make things better.

 

So, in the calm before the storm, as I sip at my caramel latte and read a trashy novel just because I can(!), I really am able to look forward to the (far too rapidly) approaching final half term of the year…

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