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Tips from Four Teachers A: When I’m feeling overwhelmed by all the things I could do, should do, need to do, and want to do, I make a “Capture List”—a sheet of paper on which I write down all of those things. Then I choose a couple of the “want…

"Matthew! Get away. You're not sitting with us!" Libby hissed the words, her voice oozing with contempt as she stuck her leg out to keep Matthew from joining the small group gathered for silent reading. I whipped around. The vehemence in Libby's voice shocked me. Libby generally treated her classmates…

Language is one of the most powerful tools available to teachers. We can use language to stretch children’s curiosity, reasoning ability, creativity, and independence. One effective way to do this is by asking open-ended questions—those with no single right or wrong answer. Instead of predictable answers, open-ended questions elicit fresh…

Question: What's one way you use language to encourage positive behavior? A: When I comment on children’s work, I try to be very specific. Describing what I notice — “You took your time getting this finished, and it’s extremely neat” or “I remember when writing was a struggle for you.…

When Corey joined my fourth grade class, he already had a history of school struggles and had spent part of third grade in a self-contained room for children with behavior problems. When he was mainstreamed into my class in fourth grade, Corey had trouble making good choices, interacting with others,…

Derek was a fifth grader who was avoiding writing. Whenever we had writing time, he would ask to go to the bathroom, and there he would linger. After observing this for a week, I decided to have a problem-solving conference with him. A problem-solving conference is a technique for addressing…

Question: Think of an instance in which you used a teacher-child problem-solving conference. Why did you choose that strategy? A: Edward often clowned around during work times, keeping everyone from getting work done. When logical consequences didn’t help, I decided to try a problem-solving conference. I thought this might be…

Chris was a student who struggled socially. He was in Sarah Fiarman’s mixed-grade class for two years, first as a fifth grader and then as a sixth. Of all the points working against Chris, the biggest was probably his reputation as a trouble maker. By the time Chris came into…

A teacher's language is a powerful teaching tool. Our language can build children up or tear them down. It can model respectful and caring social interactions or just the opposite. Effective language encourages and supports students in their learning, rather than criticizing them for their mistakes. As child psychologist Rudolf…

Joey, a second grader, returns from a doctor's appointment in the middle of a math lesson. "Welcome back, Joey," his teacher says with a smile. "We're working together to solve the problem on page twenty-three." The combination of the teacher's words and the teacher's smile helps Joey feel comfortable and…

In 1993, after teaching for twenty years, I still loved my chosen profession, but I often felt frustrated. It seemed as though I spent an inordinate amount of time on classroom management and discipline. My approach at that time was basically authoritarian, and language was one of my primary tools.…

Editor's note: Teaching Children to Care by Ruth Sidney Charney, first published in 1991, has transformed many teachers' practices. This well-loved book has sold over 70,000 copies and is widely used as a textbook in teacher education. This is an adapted excerpt from the 2nd edition, which was published in…

Question: I’ve had pretty good success using time-out with most children. I have children go to time-out to regain their self-control as they start to lose it. But what about the child who just refuses to go to time-out when told to? I keep trying different things, and nothing seems…