CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT: The Most Important Words

Hello, courageous snackers!

If you're reading this and you live in the Northern Hemisphere, then you know that warmer weather turns our hearts and minds (along with those of our children!) to the rest and recreation of Summer. Spring is The Season of Culmination, meaning more stress for everyone. Over the next month or so...

--some of our students and their families are preparing to move house

--some of our students will leave our schools, lifelong friends and allies behind to attend school elsewhere and will need to rebuild their tribe and safety net

--some, for whom our buildings are their safe spaces, will be without them for about ten weeks

so...which words are the most important??? Any that are KIND. Sometimes, we are the only people who speak to our students with kindness. Seems easy, right?! Well, we have to buffer our own levels of personal stress, and remember that so much of what we see in the classroom is developmentally appopriate behavior.

It's so important for us to deepen care for ourselves this time of year. In doing so, however, we can nurture our students and that mutual support can help bouy all of us at what is often the most challenging time of the year.

Say their names

Yes, it's May, but I know that there are students that never hear their names spoken by the adults in their building. Using my name is a sign that you know me. Pronouncing my preferred name correctly when you see me makes me feel important. It's not too late to ask. Feeling known is magical. You can't feel heard without it.

Say whatever you say more softly

I used to tell my students that my teacher voice and my non-teacher voice were different in that one was significantly louder than the other. Over the last few months, I've intentionally softened my classroom voice. Yelling and screaming, of course, are trauma triggers for some of our students. And for others, it invites them to respond in kind. Your classroom reflects your level of peace. It may mean letting go of certain expectations and allowing certain safe but previously unacceptable behaviors, and it's worth it.

Laugh as much as possible

In my first teaching assignment, I explained to the school's Art teacher that I was a brand new teacher. She told me, jokingly and with a broad grin, that "teachers mustn't smile until after Thanksgiving (a holiday that's almost four months into the school year)". After that, every time we'd pass one another in the hall, start with a friendly smile that would amusingly morph into the expected pre-Thanksgiving scowl (which, of course, caused intense giggling). I have yet to encounter an Art teacher whose heart isn't pure gold, and that lesson has transcended decades of professional training, advanced college degrees, and the comments of well-meaning veterans. Essentially, let the number of times you laugh in a day exceed the number of ounces of coffee you drink, and you'll be good! One of my favorites is an impromptu Just Dance battle. Students will always (try!) to beat their teachers!

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Have a super fun week!

Chef Charles

Head chef

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