The school year is in full swing: hopes and goals have been established, classroom and school expectations are in place, and learning is in high gear. Everything is off to a great start. So why are you noticing some students beginning to test limits and misbehave? And what can you do to help them get Read More »
Continue Reading
OCT
20
2019
Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Re-establishing Balance in Your Classroom
With the changes in fall weather outside, the weather inside the classroom is likely changing too. As a result, teachers often find themselves responding to misbehavior more than they did earlier in…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
SEP
05
2019
Preparing Students to Become Independent Learners using Routines & Procedures
It’s the start of a new year! Day one is either right around the corner or has just recently taken place. The beginning of the year is filled with so many fresh…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
JAN
17
2017
Revisiting Classroom Rules
How often do you revisit classroom rules? Most teachers establish rules at the beginning of the year, and many devote time to modeling and practicing rules with students in the first weeks…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
NOV
07
2016
Responding to Defiance in the Moment
Children who defy us often get to the core of our fears as teachers. They make us question our abilities and provoke feelings of insignificance. But when we rise above our own…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
JUL
13
2015
Public Discipline Systems
Public discipline systems—like Class Dojo, stoplights, moving clothespins along a colored card, writing names on the board—can certainly be appealing. Some days can feel as if they’re spent just disciplining, and public…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
JUL
01
2015
Music Class Rules
I’d been teaching for over 30 years and felt pretty comfortable with the way I managed my music classes. But a few years ago, I took a Responsive Classroom workshop, and it…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
JUL
01
2015
Special Area Rules
Special area teachers may come up with their area rules on their own, use or adapt classroom rules, or use schoolwide rules. No matter where your special area rules come from, the…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
APR
17
2015
Teaching Without Using Rewards
Children build on their strengths, and to do that building—to grow academically and socially—they need us to recognize and encourage their positive efforts. But what’s the best way to offer that recognition…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
FEB
05
2015
Keeping Rules Front and Center During the Winter Slump
Recently I noticed my first graders having more trouble than usual sticking to our classroom rules. Several possible explanations came to mind as I began to reflect:“Am I not doing something I…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
JUL
28
2014
Time-Out & Teaching Self-Regulation
As a classroom teacher I looked forward every year to teaching students all kinds of academic concepts and skills that would enable them to be engaged and successful in their learning. Organizing…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
JUL
09
2014
Responsive Classroom and PBIS
"Are Responsive Classroom and PBIS compatible with each other? Can our school use both?" We at Responsive Classroom hear this a lot from educators. If you're hearing the same from colleagues, or…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
MAR
11
2014
Waiting to Speak
Recently, more than a handful of my first graders were struggling with waiting to ask questions or make comments during direct instruction. I responded by using tried and true teacher practices: giving…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
SEP
06
2013
Twelve Days
That's how long it took for school to start feeling normal to me this year. Up to then I was in full-on back-to-school mode, and so were my students. Kids' shoes were…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
MAY
24
2013
Checking In: Helping Students “Catch Themselves”
Often students struggling with emotional behavioral disabilities are overwhelmed by and over-reactive to daily events that seem mundane to others. They become easily stressed and frustrated, can feel out of control, develop…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
APR
16
2013
When Children Are Defiant
I once taught a second grader who sometimes subtly refused to go along with what we were doing. For instance, if we had to leave the classroom and John didn't want to…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
MAR
13
2013
Teaching Students How to Wait
If you've ever dined out with children under four years old, you probably brought along a toolkit with games, coloring books, "I Spy" activities, or apps on a mobile device to keep…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
SEP
05
2012
What’s in a Rule?
Rules reveal a lot about what is valued in classrooms and schools. Recently, when visiting classrooms in a large school district, I saw vivid examples of how the rules of each room…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
SEP
03
2012
The First Days of School
What can you do, this school year, to bullyproof your classroom? Establishing a positive classroom climate where kindness prevails and everybody is included is a vital first step.
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
AUG
01
2012
When the Teacher Is Away
For years, I had wanted to travel with my father to India, his native country. Finally, I had the opportunity—but the trip meant I would miss five days of school right after…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
JUL
26
2012
Time to Change the Routine?
Which parts of your school day just don't seem to work as well as you'd like? Now's a great time to do some problem-solving, imagine new possibilities, and plan to make changes…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
MAY
14
2012
I Didn’t Do It!
What do you do when a student flat-out denies doing something you know (or are at least pretty sure) she did? Are consequences ever appropriate in this situation? Do you just give…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
JAN
27
2012
Bringing Rules to Life
Do you think that without looking, your students could name your classroom's rules? Most teachers establish classroom rules at the beginning of the year, and many devote time to modeling and practicing…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
JAN
10
2012
Revisiting Rules
I have such great memories of my third grade students' enthusiasm during the gymnastics unit in physical education. After this special, they'd come back to our classroom full of excitement about what…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
JAN
05
2012
Try This: Y-Charts for Revisiting Rules
Are you looking for a strategy to help your students navigate particularly tricky times of day, such as transitions, recess, lunch, or dismissal time? Try making a "looks like/sounds like" chart (often…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
OCT
24
2011
Responding to Misbehavior
No matter how carefully we teach positive behavior, students will still sometimes misbehave. They'll forget the rules, their impulses will win out over their self-control, or they'll just need to test where…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
JUL
19
2011
The First Six Weeks of School
The early weeks of each new school year offer teachers distinct opportunities and challenges. It is during this time—when expectations and routines are established, rules generated, and goals articulated—that the foundation is…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading