The 3 Best Words for Classroom Management
Over my years of teaching various grade levels, I have tried so many different behavior strategy techniques. We all know that different models work well for different students. I found though my super simple 3 word classroom management strategy that works EVERY TIME!
Here is it… “Are you ok?”
No matter what the issue is or what student I need to talk to, I begin my conversation this way. I ask “Are you ok?” I have seen students’ faces turn from total anger to calm, confused, happy, and upset after I say those 3 words. Every time, it slightly defuses them. This way, we can start the conversation on recovering from whatever just happened with a calm temper. Classroom management is all about managing the students in a way to keep them calm, learning, and successful in your room. These 3 words do just that!
Reasons this classroom management strategy works
- It gives you words to say as your brain catches up with your emotions. This allows you to think before you talk.
- It shows the students you care about their well being first. They may have been defying your directions, standing on a chair, and throwing things when they fell off. This shows them that your #1 priority is their well- being.
- It gives students the opportunity to explain if something is wrong or on their mind causing the undesired behavior. This question gets right to the root of what is going on. Skip the “Why did the throw the pencil?” question. This just starts you on the whole journey to finding out the root cause of what is bothering this student.
- It creates an overall tone of caring and calmness for your classroom management. Students start to get used to the pattern that your first instinct will be “Are you ok?”. This shows them you’re not getting mad at them. This helps them feel more comfortable with confiding in you and talking to you about what is happening.
I will never forget I was being observed during a math lesson. One of my students (who I would use this strategy on at least once a day) asked to sharpen his pencil before the lesson began as our procedures suggest. He continued to sharpen his pencil my whole math lesson. I remember watching my principal watch me wondering what I was going to do. I calmly walked over to him (while freaking out and fuming in my head) and said, “Are you ok?”. He turned to me and said my pencil won’t sharpen. It was a simple problem that we were able to solve together in about 10 seconds. If I would have gotten angry and told him to stop rather than ask, he would have probably been frustrated and angry right back at me.
Conclusion
This classroom management strategy keeps communication and student well being at the forefront of solving any problem!
An important part of my behavior management is responsive classroom! Read more about that here!
I love this book about the Power of Your Words! This was really helping for me in developing my classroom management strategies!
