2: Planning and Proximity

            In our last chapter, we posited that the teacher’s primary responsibility in the classroom is setting and maintaining a healthy atmosphere of lively, respectful engagement.  The coming chapters are dedicated to helping you achieve a classroom atmosphere that will bless you and your students.  A good atmosphere will vary some from teacher to teacher or even day to day for you.  Some subjects benefit more from particular strategies; some teachers have unusual gifts.  A good teacher leverages assets rather than rues deficiencies; no one but Christ has the corner on the market of best teaching; students enjoy variety in methods and personality just as you do. Signs of a poor classroom atmosphere are fairly universal: student disrespect and disengagement.  Students may be ignoring the directions of the teacher, speaking rudely to one another or the teacher, failing to accomplish much in the allotted class time, or expressing themselves through other body language that shows a carelessness about the academic goals set by the teacher.

            The first thing that a teacher needs to understand is that she is the adult with responsibility and authority in that classroom to guide instruction.  You should set your classroom rules, make them clear to students (even print them and post them; include them in the syllabus), and rehearse them from the first day of class and as needed.  This is an integral but oft overlooked aspect of your class planning.  Be confident, confident enough to never raise your voice or react to any instigation; instead, respond considerately, consistently, patiently, and maturely when a concern or challenge arises.  However, don’t use a cool, calm, and collected cover as an excuse to overlook something amiss in the room (say, students chattering when you requested quiet), just teaching more loudly or pretending that it’s not happening (yes, some teachers actually do this regularly, and all teachers are tempted to after five or six periods sometimes).  Remember that honor and respect are the foundation of wisdom.  Honorable behavior is the primary lesson you will always teach to all your students so long as you live.  If the behavior in your room is not right, you cannot proceed with your subject lesson; there is no point; you have a more vital lesson to emphasize first: the wise in heart will receive commands (Proverbs 10:8).  If kind, patient, clear, instruction is not heeded, then consequences must follow, never as vindictive punishment—always as a means to help that student return to the table of classroom fellowship.

           

So, let’s consider a case in, perhaps, more detail than necessary: you are giving a quiz and want respectful quiet.  You have a class with a number of chatterers.  Your posted and rehearsed classroom policy is this: respect the Lord, your teacher, and your peers. You proceed, standing, scanning the room with eye contact as your speak: “OK class, in three minutes, we will be taking a quiz.  Once I begin handing out the quizzes, there can be no talking to your neighbor for any reason.  If you need to borrow a pen or paper from a neighbor, please do so now.  (Pause so they can do so without interrupting you. Wait.  When you are ready to speak again, scan for eye contact).  Class, if you a have question for me, please raise your hand.  Please respect the Lord by honestly doing your own work, and respect me and one another by refraining from any talking or chatting until all quizzes have been turned in.  If you talk during the quiz, expect to receive a 0 or reduced points, depending on the situation.”  Of course, this is rather formal, but note that it leaves time for any necessary chatter, clearly specifies when and how the chatter will cease, ties back to the classroom rules, and provides a clear consequence for breaking the rule. 

The best way to keep a class on track with good atmosphere is simply by building engaging lessons that start the moment your first student enters the room.  I would often put a strange quote or joke on the board with some element of incorrect grammar (whatever grammar subject we were studying or whatever I noticed lacking in the recent essays).  The students would copy and fix the grammar when they sat down, still talking with friends as they did so until the bell rang.  I would greet them at the door, let them know of the assignment, and see that they were working on from my door sentinel duty.  That way, I knew all students were ready, with their materials out, when class started.  So, have a routine, but make it fun.  Love thy neighbor.  Who wants to be lectured to all day long?  Teacher conferences often reminded me how little I enjoy listening to someone endlessly pontificate, so I try to keep my pontificating to a minimum.  Notice that within minutes, my students have accomplished something on their own that is directly related to improving their ability in the subject.  I can take roll while they finish up.  Then we pray and recite any memorization poems together.  Then I can have students fix the opening grammar quote on the board, or I can orally review if we have little time.  Then I would take care of calendar business and deal with whatever lesson subject I needed to address.  The rest of the period would be planned work on their own or in pairs or groups where the more they accomplished, the less homework they had.  I would always ask students what the homework was one minute before the class was excused.  If I heard a chorus of correct answers, I would then invite them to pack up.  If not, I would tease them until I hear the correct chorus…then pack up.  If possible, go to the door again to wish them well as they leave.  Fill your heart with thanks for your students before they come, while you teach, and as they go.  No weekend written homework (I did assign reading sometimes, though); no essays or tests due Monday; no work over holidays…but a rigorous weekday pace.

I realize that I’m leaving out a great deal.  Your school may require opening your lesson with a question; or perhaps you need to work directly from a school or national standard.  Whatever your context, the key is planning your lessons so that they have good routines (students know how they are expected to correctly engage) and then to bring as many surprising and fun ideas into the routines as you can reasonably manage (so students come to class desiring to engage, expecting good things).  Your best tool for classroom management is simply sound planning. 

            What if you have classroom standards, clearly established and elaborated, and you have sound routines with fun or clever delights peppered within…and you still have disciplinary issues?  No doubt, it will happen; one period of students will work swimmingly with a given setup, yet that other period of the day with that particular student chemistry, just always sets a challenge to you.  What then?  Know that your second excellent tool for classroom management is proximity.  When something bothers us or annoys us, we tend to want to get away from it.  But, as the teacher and responsible party, you don’t have that option when the annoyance is a student disrupting learning for others.  Any breach of conduct should elicit a clear, kind, firm movement toward the situation to address it.  Begin with eye contact and body movement aimed squarely at the student(s).  Again, whenever possible, address the specific student or students rather than the entire class.  If the offense was public (inappropriate outburst), then your response will be directed at the student, but obviously in view and hearing of the class.  Do so near the student, kindly.  If two students are quietly chattering, but still disruptive, go to them, speak directly and graciously to them, and help them engage appropriately with the material.  If the student often struggles, spend more time nearby his desk than elsewhere.  Often, the (likely) unwanted attention is enough to help direct matters in a better direction.  If inappropriate behavior proceeds past two warnings (or is egregious at the first), then I take the student aside to have a direct conversation, alerting him that the next infraction will be time sitting with the dean/principal/etc. 

            In all this, be kind and clear and direct.  Be patient, considering that there may be a reasonable explanation for something.  Hear the student out, then make your case.  If the student is sitting, sit or kneel yourself so that you can speak eye-to-eye, close. Never make snap judgments, even if you already think you know what you will do from the outset.  Work patiently, and let that patient, clear, sober assessment be evident to the student and any others who may be witnesses.  You are instructing the rest of the class as much as the wayward student when you are addressing him, so be wise with your words and actions.  The goal is always fellowship at the learning table for all students to accomplish the work before them, enjoying the work in good company.  Sometimes a student is having home issues or is otherwise seeking a pretense to get sent out (perhaps wishes to leave school all-together).  Do your best to win that soul, but use your administration directly when that soul-winning negatively affects your class atmosphere; guard your flock and their instruction. 

Ask yourself:

·      How have your favorite teachers set up their courses?  What made them so engaging? Can you model any of your class after theirs?

·      How have you seen discipline modeled well in the classroom?  What stood out about the way the teacher handled the challenge?  If you haven’t seen it modeled well, time to visit classes of merit! 

·      How can you make your class expectations and routines more set and sound?  Do your students know what is expected of them when they enter?  When they want to speak?  Are you ignoring behavior in your classroom that annoys you or distracts students in the room?  How will you break the bad patterns you currently have? 

·      What are two fun or interesting things that you can bring into upcoming lesson plans?  Perhaps a jeopardy game?  Perhaps a miming game to review terms and items for a quiz?  Perhaps reading outside on a lovely day? 

·      How can you better employ patience and proximity to clearly and effectively engage your students?  Would a seating setup change would help facilitate this? 

·      Do you always sit at your desk when students are working, or are you going student to student to help them.  Ideally, you check in, help for 5-20 seconds, and move on.  Don’t get bogged down too long with one student.  Help, then move on.  If you stay longer, the student will get too focused on your presence and may be unable to process the material.