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com)
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The Smart Classroom Management Plan

for Elementary Teachers

Copyright 2018 Michael Linsin

All Rights Reserved

Under the copyright laws, this guide may not be copied or

shared, in whole or in part, in any form without the written
permission of the author and publisher. Additionally, scanning,
uploading, and distribution via the Internet or via any other means
without written permission is illegal and punishable by law. Thank
you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Disclaimer

This is a discipline plan only. It does not provide specific safety or supervision advice or
guidelines, which are best determined by school districts and individual school sites.
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Introduction

The Smart Classroom Management Plan for Elementary Teachers

consists of a simple set of rules and consequences that, when
implemented and carried out in a certain way, have the power to
transform your classroom—as well as your teaching life.

The purpose of the plan is to hold individual students accountable for

misbehavior without having to lecture, scold, admonish, or raise your
voice—which frees you from the stress of trying to convince or coerce
your students into behaving and allows you to demand impeccable
behavior without causing friction, animosity, or resentment.

This, in turn, makes building strong, behavior-influencing rapport

and leverage far easier. In fact, it makes it nearly effortless. Because
when you have the freedom to teach without interference, your
personality, charisma, and passion for teaching will emerge naturally
and shine into every corner of your classroom.

The plan is designed to curb misbehavior regardless of the amount of

support you have from parents, your administrator, or anyone else for
that matter. It's been proven effective with thousands of teachers and
in the most challenging schools and classrooms imaginable. And it
will work for you, too.

Rules

An effective set of rules must cover every possible misbehavior that

could occur in your classroom, thereby providing a boundary that
protects and safeguards your freedom to teach and your students'
right to learn.

Individually, each rule must be brief, simple, specific, definable,

enforceable, and easy for students to understand. I recommend the
following four rules, which do just that on every account.

1. Listen and follow directions.

2. Raise your hand before speaking or leaving your seat.
3. Respect your classmates and your teacher.
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4. Keep your hands, feet, and objects to yourself.

If you're a kindergarten or first grade teacher, you may want to

replace rules three and four with simply 'Be nice.' Although you'll still
model and define for your students what this means, it gives them a
deeper understanding from the get-go, because they already
inherently know what being nice is and what it looks like.

Consequences

Consequences give your rules the muscle they need to manage and
control your classroom—because without consequences, rules are
merely suggestions, destined to fall on deaf ears. The best
consequences are those that don’t interrupt the flow of your
classroom, that are quick and easy to carry out, and that actively
dissuade students from misbehaving.

It's important to mention that there is no magic in any set of

consequences, including those I recommend. By themselves, they do
little to dissuade misbehavior. I can't emphasize this enough.

It's the way you present them, model them, and enforce them that
make them effective. It's your consistency, your fairness, your clarity,
and how well your students like and respect you that give your
consequences meaning, that cause them to matter to your students.

We'll cover these critical topics, including everything you need to

know to make your plan maximally effective, later in the guide. In the
meantime, here are the three consequences I recommend:

1st consequence: Warning

2nd consequence: Time-Out
3rd consequence: Letter Home or Parent Contact

A misbehaving student would receive a warning for the first

transgression of the rules during a single school day. The second
transgression would result in an immediate time-out or, if the
misbehavior happens right before lunch, recess, or any other break in
the day, immediately upon their return.
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If a student breaks a third rule, regardless of whether it's the same

rule they broke earlier in the day or a different one, they would go
back to time-out and their parents would be notified at the end of the
day. If a fourth, fifth, or even sixth rule is broken during a single
school day, they would continue to cycle back in and out of time-out
until the day ends.

If a student misbehaves just before dismissal, then check with your

administrator to determine how long you may keep the child after
school. Five minutes is a good rule of thumb, but even one minute or
30 seconds can be effective. There is something about being last to
leave, left behind the rest of the class, that is especially impactful.

Upon return the next day, however, I don't recommend starting the
student in time-out for behavior that occurred the day before. Part of
what makes the plan effective is the message it sends that every day is
a new day and a chance to get it right.

Explain Why

In his bestselling book, Influence, Dr. Robert Cialdini describes a

well-known experiment by Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer,
demonstrating that when we ask someone to do something—or not do
something—the response is more favorable when we give them a
reason.

This underscores the importance of emphasizing the true purpose of

your classroom management plan, which is to protect your students’
right to learn and enjoy school without interference. You see, when
you make it about them, and explain how your rules are in place for
their benefit, it changes their attitude toward limits in general and
your role enforcing them.

It causes them to agree with your rules, appreciate their purpose, and
want to comply with them. This natural desire to want to know ‘why’
is why teachers who explain their rules and consequences poorly or
inadequately experience pushback, rebellion, and outright hostility.
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So before teaching your plan, first describe why it's so important to

have one. Describe how it ensures a safe and peaceful room
environment and safeguards their learning, their fun, their
friendships, and their very purpose for being in school.

Teaching Your Plan

When you first teach your plan to your class, you must explicitly walk
your students through every step and nuance of it from beginning to
end, leaving nothing out and nothing to chance.

There must be no doubt about what does and doesn't constitute

following and breaking your rules. Nor should there be any doubt
about how each consequence is given, received, and fulfilled.

The best, most effective way to do this is through modeling. You must
show your students the ins and outs of each rule by modeling both
how to follow them and how not to follow them. Put yourself in their
shoes by sitting at a student desk as you model how to raise your
hand, for example, or how to listen to directions or what respect looks
like and doesn't look like.

Show your students exactly what will happen when a student

misbehaves the first time, second time, third time, and so on. Share
with them exactly what you will say (See How To Give A Consequence
below) and what their response should be, then role-play with a
volunteer so they can see it in action.

To check for understanding, ask one student to model how to raise

their hand or mimic 'how not' to follow directions. Then have another
student model a different aspect of your plan. Let them try it out with
each other in groups or pairs so they can really grasp what each rule
and consequence means and why they're important.

Make your students prove to you that they understand. If you like,
depending on your grade level, you can even devise a written test. The
idea is to lay everything out ahead of time, getting your students on
record that they fully understand your plan, so that there are no
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arguments, misunderstandings, or drama when you begin enforcing

it.

How Long, How Often

It's best to begin teaching your plan within the first hour of the first
day of school. As far as how long it will take, a lot depends on you and
your experience. But generally, an hour or so a day for the first week
of school should be enough for initial learning. After that you’ll want
to review every day for the next three or four weeks.

Sometimes this review will only take a few minutes—or as long as it

takes to read aloud your plan. Other days you may want to review
entire sections in detail or model particular rules.

After three or four weeks, if you’ve been thorough with your teaching,
chances are you’ll revisit your plan only occasionally throughout the
year. Once per week or so being a good rule of thumb.

Warning Explained

A warning is a consequence in name only. In reality and practice, it's

a courtesy you provide your students. It’s a declaration of free grace
you offer by letting them know that you are aware a rule has been
broken, but that no real consequence is forthcoming.

It’s a consequence only in the sense that they are one step away from
being sent to time-out and removed from participating in the
classroom they enjoy being part of.

It's an opportunity to make a better choice going forward. When a

student receives a warning and then doesn't misbehave for the rest of
the day, this is a good sign. It means they're learning from their
mistakes and heading in the right direction.

Beyond your official acknowledgment that they broke a rule, nothing

else happens. They are not in trouble. If they proceed through the
rest of the day without breaking another rule, then the warning is
forgotten—wiped away the moment the dismissal bell rings.
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This approach isn't something you'll keep from your students. You
definitely want to communicate this true purpose of a warning. In this
way, because it's a courtesy, your students will appreciate it and be
glad for another chance rather than complain or rail against it.

If you're a kindergarten or first grade teacher you may want to

consider starting the year with two warnings instead of one. Once
your students have proven they understand your behavior
expectations through actually experiencing your rules and
consequences, you can make the move to just a single warning.

Time-Out Explained

Be sure you have two empty desks or tables in your classroom you can
send students to time-out—even if the distance from the time-out
areas and the rest of the students is only a few feet. You see, time-out
is a symbolic separation from a class your students enjoy being part
of.

It's not a place of isolation, grim punishment, or head-down

humiliation. It's a temporary revoking of membership in the class.

To be effective, a 12-15 minute time-out is minimum, even for

younger students. They need this amount of time in order to calm
down, reflect on their mistake, and take responsibility for their
actions. The maximum depends on the student and is based on
fulfilling three requirements:

1. The student must walk themselves to time-out, sit quietly while

there, and do the same work required of every other student in class—
even if it’s simply paying attention to your lesson. They are not
allowed to actively participate in class, so no group work, projects,
learning games, etc. They must only observe. If the student does what
you ask during those 12-15 minutes, then stroll by and whisper, “Let
me know when you’re ready to return to your seat.”

2. When the student feels they've learned their lesson and are ready to
leave time-out, they must raise their hand and wait patiently. When
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you have a moment, and at your convenience, approach them with a

simple, “Yes?” (As in, “Can I help you with something?”)

3. The student then must politely ask to return to their seat. If you're
satisfied with how they've handled their consequence and fulfilled
their responsibility, then smile and welcome them back with open
arms. You do, however, reserve the right to ask them to sit tight a bit
longer.

It's important to reiterate that this entire process must taught,

modeled, and role-played from start to finish. Again, so there is no
misunderstanding about what time-out means, what is expected, and
why they're there. This is critical to making it effective enough to curb
future misbehavior.

Parent Contact Explained

The most effective attitude you can have in regard to contacting

parents is that if a student misbehaves three times in one day, then
they have a right to know. In the past on the SCM website, I've
recommended sending a letter home with the student to be signed
and returned the next day.

This can be an especially powerful consequence because the child

must articulate how and why they behaved the way they did. It's a
deeper level of accountability that I still wholeheartedly recommend,
but with a few caveats.

First, I don't recommend it for kindergarten and first grade students,

who may not even remember their misbehavior or have the ability to
accurately explain it. This may end up frustrating parents and
ultimately not provide them the information they need.

Second, if you're a new teacher, or using SCM strategies for the first
time, then a letter-home consequence may not be the right choice, for
now anyway. The reason is that unless your classroom management
skills are already up to par, and preferably above average, then you're
likely to send a lot of them home and get very few back.
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Therefore, it's best to first establish yourself at your school. Wait until
you have a good reputation among parents and your administrator,
and are well liked by students, before using a letter-home
consequence.

Finally, utilizing a letter home isn't a make or break part of this plan.
You may simply prefer to contact parents via phone, text, or email.
And this is perfectly okay. Any of these can be effective enough to
have the well-behaved class you desire.

For those who prefer it, however, and would like the added strength a
letter can provide, here is a sample that is proven to be effective.

Dear Parents,

(child’s name) broke the following rules today (date) :

___Listen and follow directions.

___Raise your hand before speaking or leaving your seat.

___Respect your classmates and your teacher.

___Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself.

Classroom rules must be followed in order to protect the rights of every student
to learn and enjoy school. By choosing not to follow them, your child interfered
with those rights.

Please acknowledge receiving this letter by signing your name at the bottom
and having your child return it to me tomorrow.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Smart

Parent Signature___________________________________
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Practically, when a student breaks a third rule in a single day, and

they return to time-out, you don't have to inform them that they'll be
getting a letter home, or that their parents will be contacted, because
they already know this.

You've taught them as part of your classroom management plan

lessons to begin the year. A few minutes before dismissal, you would
simply hand them the letter.

In the beginning of the school year, you may want to call parents
(leaving a message is fine) to give them a heads up that the letter is on
the way. At any other time, however, if you don't receive a letter back
signed the next day, then give the student a new one (or copy) and
definitely call or send a message to parents.

Parent Support & Buy-In

There are two important strategies for getting parents to support your
classroom management plan. The first is to include your plan as part
of the informational packet you send home at the beginning of the
school year. Be sure this includes exactly how they'll be contacted if
their child reaches the third consequence.

If you're going to be using the letter-home consequence, attach it as

well. Add an area where parents can sign and acknowledge that
they've read and understood your plan. You may also want to include
a small note letting them know that if they have any questions, you
will review your plan and address any concerns during back-to-school
night.

The second strategy is that when you contact parents about their
child's misbehavior—whether via letter, call, email, or text—just stick
to the facts.

Tell the parent what behavior or behaviors their child engaged in and
what rules were broken. Refrain from suggesting or intimating that
the parent should do anything in response to your call. Keep your
tone calm and friendly and never, ever communicate your frustration
or disappointment.
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Because parents universally appreciate this approach—and because

it's rare—they are far more likely to support you and hold their child
accountable at home. However, it's important to reiterate that the
success of your classroom management plan isn't dependent on
parents, how they respond to the misbehavior, or whether or not they
apply their own consequences. The plan is designed to work all on its
own.

How To Give A Consequence

How you give a consequence matters. How you speak to your

students, what you say to them, and how you react emotionally and
with your body language after they break a classroom rule goes a long
way toward eliminating misbehavior.

Whether you’re giving a warning, a time-out, or handing them a letter

to take home, the key is to inform students in a way that takes the
focus off of you—the mere deliverer of the news—and places the
responsibility solely with them.

Your students must feel the burden of behaving poorly. Because if

they don’t, if they don’t feel a sense of regret and a greater desire to
follow your classroom rules, then your consequences will be
ineffective.

What follows are guidelines to help you inform your students of a

consequence in a way that tugs on their conscience, causes them to
reflect on their mistakes, and lets accountability do its good work.

1. Tell them why. When a student breaks a classroom rule, tell them
clearly and concisely why they've been given a consequence. Say, “You
have a warning because you broke rule number two and didn’t raise
your hand before speaking.” Telling them why leaves no room for
debate, disagreement, misunderstanding, or anyone to blame but
themselves.

2. Let your agreed-upon consequence be the only

consequence. Refrain from adding a talking-to, a scolding, or your
two-cents worth. By causing resentment, these methods sabotage
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accountability. So instead of taking a reflective look at themselves and

their misbehavior, your students will grumble under their breath and
seethe in anger at you.

3. If the consequence calls for time-out, don’t escort them

there. Getting up and walking to time-out is an important part of the
accountability process. It acts as a statement, or an acknowledgment
of sorts, that they indeed broke a classroom rule and are ready to take
responsibility for it. Also, escorting them can make them less
motivated to go.

4. Be matter-of-fact. A matter-of-fact tone and body language

enable you to hold students accountable without causing friction.
Most teachers make a fuss out of misbehavior—reacting angrily,
showing disappointment, sighing, rolling their eyes. But this can be
humiliating for students in front of their classmates, causing them to
dislike you and undermining the critical rapport-building
relationship.

5. Think like a referee. A referee’s job is to enforce rules, not

mediate disagreements—which makes being fair, consistent, and
composed a lot easier. Thinking like a referee, rather than a judge,
also helps students see that your consequences aren’t personal, but
something you must do to protect their right to learn and enjoy
school.

6. Protect your influence. An influential relationship with

students gives you the leverage you need to change behavior. And so
anything you do that threatens that relationship—yelling, scolding,
lecturing, using sarcasm, etc—should be avoided. Simply tell your
students like it is, follow your plan, and let accountability do the rest.

7. Don't tell students how they should feel. Many teachers will
express their disappointment in the student while sending them to
time-out. They’ll tell them how they should feel, what they should
think, and how they should behave the next time. But this interferes
with the student coming to these conclusions on their own, which can
be a powerful experience and the very point of time-out.
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8. Move on. As soon as you’ve informed the misbehaving student

what rule was broken and the consequence, turn your attention back
to what you were doing without skipping a beat or waiting for a
response. The burden of responsibility then shifts in total from you,
the deliverer of the consequence, to the student. The interaction
should take no longer than 8-10 seconds.

Keeping Track Of Consequences

There are many options for documenting misbehavior, but I’ve found
that a simple class roster and a clipboard to be the easiest way to go.
Print out a roster or spreadsheet that includes one small square per
student per day and covers a period of one month.

Because the form is dedicated to behavior only, you don’t need much
space to record how many times and how often a student broke a rule.
Simple checks, dots, or vertical lines to represent each incident of
misbehavior will do. You’ll make these marks within seconds of the
misbehavior occurring or as soon as you’re able.

Slip a sheet or two of notebook paper under the roster so you can
include notes regarding any repeated, unusual, or severe
misbehavior. Because a warning is a courtesy to students, you won’t
need to describe a first and only incident of misbehavior occurring
within a single day—although you certainly can.
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If you send a student to time-out or contact parents, however, you’ll

want to jot down a description of what rule or rules were broken. This
can be done at recess or lunchtime or after the school day ends.

Example:

3/2 – Aronson, called out without raising hand, warning. Pushed

while lining up for lunch, time-out.

3/5 – Sellinger, talked during lesson, warning. Talked again during

lesson, time-out.

For severe misbehavior, or misbehavior that involves more than one

student, you may have to write more complete descriptions.

Make A Promise

One of the keys to ensuring your consistency is to make a promise to

your students to follow your classroom management plan exactly as
it's written and was taught to them.

Say, “I promise that I will protect your right to learn and enjoy
school by following our classroom management plan every time a
rule is broken.” Pause, look your students in the eye, and then say it
again.

By going on record and holding yourself accountable to them, you put

soft pressure on yourself and create powerful internal leverage to
actually do it. You make following through and doing what you say
you're going to do nearly effortless. In time, it will become something
you no longer think about. It just becomes who you are and what
you're about.

Common Questions:

What if you don't witness misbehavior?

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Vigilant supervision is a prerequisite of effective classroom

management. It’s your job to see misbehavior in order to protect your
students from disruption. However, it's inevitable that you're going to
miss something once in a great while.

When students misbehave behind your back, or just out of your view,
it takes a subtle, even sly, approach to identify the culprits and hold
them accountable. It takes pretending that you didn’t even notice
their misbehavior. You see, if at first you do nothing at all, if you show
no reaction or change in routine or behavior, it’s a surefire guarantee
that they’re going to do it again—usually within seconds.

But this time, you’re going to catch them in the act. You’re going to
use your teacherly sense to choose the right moment to shoot a
hidden glance in their direction. You’re going to heighten your
awareness, finely tune your hearing and peripheral vision, and
position yourself so you can anticipate their antics. You may even
move further away from them or put your head down to trigger their
misbehavior.

It can take an Oscar-winning performance, but eventually you’ll

witness the whole shebang. You’ll have them dead to rights and be
able to enforce a consequence without stress, drama, or the prospect
of having to prove their misbehavior.

What if a student misbehaves in time-out?

The best approach to avoid misbehavior in time-out is proactive. It's

to teach your plan from A to Z and in great detail before ever sending
students to time-out.

They must know without a doubt what is and isn't okay and what
exactly is expected of them when they take themselves to time-out.
Modeling 'how not' to behave is especially important in this regard.

Use the very behavior you've seen in the past as your guide to show
students what isn't okay. Pretend to be a student and model silliness,
bothering others, crawling on the floor, leaving their seat, making
noises etc. Leave nothing out and nothing to chance. In some ways it's
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an odd phenomenon, but you'll rarely again see the misbehaviors that
you model.

If, however, a student does misbehave in time-out, then they have

effectively triggered the parent-contact consequence. Before you
approach them with the news, however, take a deep breath and
remind yourself to remain unaffected by their behavior. The calmer
and less concerned you appear, the quicker the student will get
themself back on track.

Quickly inform them that they will now have to stay in time-out an
additional 12-15 minutes—or double the time of a single time-out—
and let them know that you will prepare a letter for them to take
home or will be contacting their parents. Then be on your way. Do not
wait for a response or an apology or anything at all. How they feel
about it isn't your concern.

Finally, as always, be sure they fix their misbehavior and show you
they're ready before allowing them to return to their seat in good
standing.

What if a student gets angry when sent to time-out?

The best response if a student gets angry is no response at all. As long

as you’re clear with them about why they must go to time-out, and
you've taught your plan thoroughly, deep down they’ll get it.

In other words, although they may be angry—and express that anger

toward you—in their heart they’ll know that they're in time-out
because of their behavior.

It’s normal to want to spell out for students how they should feel and
what they should be learning from their misbehavior and subsequent
consequence. But, as previously mentioned, doing so spoils the
lesson, with the student leaving time-out having not learned a thing.

You must give your students an opportunity to think for themselves,

to accept the consequences for their behavior and learn from them on
their own terms—even if that means a show of anger. If you insert
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yourself into this important time of reflection, then the very reason
they’ve been sent to time-out will become lost.

What if a student refuses to go to time-out?

Students who refuse to go to time-out typically do so because either

they don't fully understand your classroom management plan and
what constitutes breaking the particular rule in question, you're
inconsistent and therefore unfair, or you have a poor relationship
with them. Therefore, being sent to time-out understandably doesn't
sit well with them.

So, if this is happening in your classroom, the solution is to shore up

these areas. Otherwise, it's going to happen again and again and any
immediate response or follow up strategy is unlikely to be effective.

If, however, the unlikely happens and, after making these fixes, a
student does decide to stay right where they are, then it's best to do
nothing for the time being. Give them some time to cool down and
think about their decision.

After a minute or two, approach them and say, “Before you make that
choice I’m going to give you two minutes to think about it. If after two
minutes, you’re still sitting here, then you'll be unable to participate
as a regular member of the class for the rest of the day (essentially,
time-out where they sit) and your parents will be contacted." Then be
on your way.

Now it's completely in their hands, their choice entirely. Either they
can go to a 12-15 minute time-out or endure what is essentially time-
out where they sit for the whole rest of the day.

And when a student knows it’s their choice, and that they're not going
to get any coaxing or prodding from you, or get even the slightest rise
out of you, then it’s a near certainty that they're going to quietly stand
and take themselves to time-out.

In the rare case they don't make the right choice, they'll learn from
the experience that a short time-out is much more tolerable than an
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entire day missing out on being a fully contributing and participating

member of the class.

If a student refuses to go to time-out near the end of the day, then this
is the only situation where I recommend the student starting the next
day in time-out or, again, having the choice to miss active
participating throughout the whole day.

Should you send students out of your class for time-out?

The biggest problem with out-of-class time-out is that your students

will miss instructional time. Even if you send them with busywork or
a reflection form, many will feel as if they got away with something.

Having time-out in class, on the other hand, allows you to expect the
same hard work and attentiveness as everyone else—minus the active
participation. It also won’t burden you with having to catch them up
to speed or expose you to complaints from parents.

Another problem with sending students to another room for time-out

is that it's a weaker consequence. For time-out to be effective, your
students must feel like they’re missing something. When you send
them out of your classroom, this feeling is minimized because they’re
unable to see what they’re no longer part of. Time-out, then, feels
more like a break and less like a consequence.

What if a parent complains about your plan?

If ever a parent questions or complains about your plan, listen

politely and then simply and confidently state that every student has a
right to learn and enjoy school and that it's your responsibility to
protect that right, which you'll continue to do because it's best for
them.

As long as you're consistent and treat your students with respect,

there is nothing else to say. In fact, in most circumstances, the parent
will thank you for your good work.
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What if you don't have administrative support?

When teachers talk about administrative support, they're usually

referring to being able to send students to the principal for a long
lecture or harsher punishment or some magic mojo within the
intimidating walls of "the principal's office." But the notion of a single
person having enough sway and authority from afar to affect behavior
is long gone.

The truth is, the teacher has a much greater potential to influence
students and their behavior choices. Besides, sending students to the
office or counselor, or to anyone else for that matter, communicates
loud and clear to the misbehaving student, as well as the rest of the
class, that you don't have full command of your classroom.

In effect, you’re saying, “I can’t handle the problem myself, so I need

to find someone with greater authority who can.” This results in more
misbehavior, not less.

The only exception would be an incident involving dangerous or

grossly insubordinate behavior, which would need to be documented.
Still, you would want to be the point person when deciding on a
consequence, in collaboration with your principal, and delivering the
resulting verdict to the student and their parents.

Should you use reflection forms?

The theory behind reflections forms is that if students are prompted

to reflect on their misbehavior while in time-out, then they’ll learn
from their mistakes and be less prone to misbehave in the future. But
the truth is, most students see reflection forms as just another
consequence, a hoop to jump through with the least amount of hassle.

So with little thought, they scribble down what they think you want to
hear. No reflection required. Furthermore, some will use the form as
an opportunity to explain away their misbehavior. They’ll point the
finger elsewhere. They’ll argue why their actions were justified.
They’ll recast themselves as victims, while taking no responsibility
whatsoever.
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Most importantly, reflection forms take students away from their

academic responsibilities. They give them a free pass not to do their
work or pay attention. Thus requiring you to check their progress,
plead for them to finish, and get them up to speed on what they
missed.

What if you're giving lots of warnings?

The good news is, as strange as it may seem, it can be an indication

that things are going well in your classroom. Providing that the great
majority of your students are heeding this initial consequence, and
not progressing to the next, it’s an indication that they’re taking your
warnings as they’re intended.

It’s an indication that consistently following your classroom

management plan is working and that your students enjoy being in
your room. Now, it’s natural to be concerned of students taking
advantage of the grace a warning offers. It’s natural to conclude that
perhaps the reason you’re giving out so many warnings is that your
students realize that there is no real consequence attached to it.

In other words, they see it as a freebie, as a way of getting away with

one act of misbehavior a day. But this is scarcely the case. If you were
to take a close look at their motivations for misbehaving, you’d
discover this concern to be unfounded. The truth is, it never occurs to
them.

The reason you’re giving out so many warnings is not because your
students are taking advantage of them. The reason is because the
purpose of the rule being broken isn’t embedded deep
enough.

The first step to correcting the problem is to determine which rule or

rules are triggering your warnings most often. Once you’ve identified
the problem area, you must set about correcting it by modeling and
reteaching that particular rule (or rules) in a much more detailed way.
You have to put them in your shoes while you’re trying to teach a
lesson. You have to put them in their classmate’s shoes while they’re
trying to listen or line up or enjoy their school day. You have to create
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an experience through which they can feel the frustration of being on

the receiving end of their disruptions. Open their eyes to how their
behavior affects everyone around them and why the rule is so
doggone important.

Only by seeing themselves as others see them will things change. Only
by identifying with the exasperation of others will they understand
the true purpose of the rule. Only through the lens of empathy will
they view the rule as you do.

Once they grasp that receiving a warning is less about them and more
about the rights of their classmates, their behavior will change. But
you must paint a vivid picture. You must model an explicit and
compelling scene. You must evoke the depth of understanding, the
empathetic view outside of themselves, the ah-ha moment that
illuminates the truth that a warning isn’t just a courtesy you offer
them. It's way to protect the peaceful environment they love being
part of.

The Power of Practice and Visualization

The single most important part of the plan is your commitment to

following it exactly as it's written and was taught to your students. As
previously mentioned, making a public promise and thinking like a
referee goes a long way toward making this happen.

But there is one more thing you can do to make it a virtual lock that
you'll remain consistent day in and day out for the entire school year.

Before your students arrive for each day of school, take a few
moments and visualize yourself responding to misbehavior. Sit
quietly in your chair, close your eyes, and see a student in your mind's
eye calling out, talking during lessons, or engaging in misbehavior
you find most bothersome.

Now see yourself approaching them calmly, delivering your

consequence matter-of-factly, and then walking away like nothing
happened.
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You can also practice actually doing it in your empty classroom.

Picture the one student you're most concerned about or who has
given you the most trouble. Pretend you're teaching a lesson and get
interrupted or notice a disruption. Now walk over to their desk and
practice delivering your line. It may feel a little silly at first, but it's
amazing how effective it can be.

When your students do finally arrive, you'll find yourself naturally

enforcing consequences exactly as you practiced—calmly, efficiently,
and without a trace of internal stress.

Conclusion

The Smart Classroom Management Plan for Elementary Teachers

works because every aspect and nuance is designed to cause
misbehaving students to take responsibility and desire not to make
the same mistakes again.

At the same time, it preserves your relationship with them and their
appreciation for being in your classroom. In fact, the trust that
develops due to your consistent follow-through and refusal to take
their misbehavior personally only makes their respect and admiration
for you grow stronger.

The plan has been tested, tweaked, and perfected over many years
with the most challenging and difficult students and classes
imaginable, and I can confidently state that if you follow the
guidelines above, you'll have the most well-behaved class at your
school.

Now go and put the plan in place. Follow it as if your very peace
depended on it—because it does. And love your job.

Thanks for reading.

-Michael
Buyer: DANIEL TRULLEN (danielbenicarlo@[Link])
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About

Michael Linsin is the author of four bestselling books about

classroom management. His simple and unique ideas about
managing student behavior are read by over 120,000 subscribers
every week on his website, Smart Classroom Management.

He lives in San Diego, California.