0 Building Classroom Discipline - Keys For Success

For a teacher, building classroom discipline is one of the most crucial aspects of classroom management, no matter what age group you are teaching. In fact, it could be considered absolutely vital, if you are going to have a successful year with your class.

It's essential that you establish routines and stick to them. Routines are a fact of life in the world, so it shouldn't be any different in any classroom. When there is no set routine, students don't know how to respond or what is expected of them. This can lead to problems as students test you to see how far you are willing to let them go. If you have routines, these battles are at least minimized.

Be firm but fair. If two or three students are creating problems, punishing the entire class will only serve to make the well behaved students resentful and will alienate them. You can use peer pressure at times, to try to get undesirable behavior under control. But remember the responsibility should not be placed only on the pupils. The buck stops with the boss in the real world. It should stop with the educator, in the classroom.

Your classroom will function more smoothly with rules, but the fewer the better. Students should have a voice in the rules of the classroom. Although you hold the final vote, it's a fact that students are more willing to follow rules that they have chosen. It's going to be easier to get them to buy into an extra rule or two that you insist upon, if they have a voice in setting the others.

Don't try to be a friend. This can be a tough one, especially for a young, inexperienced teacher. After all, you truly want your students to like you. But there's a fine line between being friendly and being taken advantage of. Don't cross that line. Your role should be the same as a kind, judicious parent. Be caring, but maintain some distance.

Respect is an important component of building classroom discipline. This should be more like a three way street, than a two way street. Students should show respect for you as the teacher, but also for their classmates. In turn you should also demonstrate respect for your students. Out and out ridicule and belittling remarks have no place at school. Even if a student misbehaves, make it clear that it's the behavior and not the individual that is unacceptable.

The classroom has to have a leader. That should be you. Just as the coach of a team takes control and manages players, and the way a game is played and practices are held, it is equally important for you to be the leader or coach in your room. Your playing field is the classroom and your team members are your students. A team will not be successful if players are not held responsible for their actions. The classroom should be no different.

Building classroom discipline should be an on-going process. If you start with the solid building blocks mentioned, you will be well on the way to having a successful school year.