October 2021

What if they run riot?

Blog

‘I am so worried about managing behaviour in the classroom’.  The classic answer to our interview question of ‘What do you think your biggest challenge as a teacher will be?’  And that is understandable: as a novice teacher you will have prepared your first lessons with forensic detail and know exactly what you want your pupils to learn, but your cognition will be crowded with thoughts around managing the behaviour.  We are proud that our first induction sessions are given over to what it means to be a human-first teacher, that is, exemplifying the quote below:

 

‘They don’t care what you know until they know that you care’.

(originally Theodore Roosevelt)

 

Digging deep into practical strategies of how to show your pupils you care is a focus for our induction days.  Because, armed with this toolkit, you have won 85% of the battle of how to manage behaviour. Surprised?  The other 15% of practical strategies is kept simple.  For example, the one-voice rule.  This means, and you will make this explicit to your pupils, that there should only be hearing one voice at a time, whether it is the teacher of a member of the class.  Teaching the behaviour as a curriculum (see Tom Bennett, ‘Running the Room’) and what respect means to our pupils, gives them meaning and allows pupils to enact it.  Keeping it simple for the trainees empowers them and allows their crowded and overwhelmed cognition a straightforward focus on how to manage the pupils’ behaviour. Essentially, high expectations for all (have high expectations and they will be met, have low expectations and they will be met) combined with a compassionate, caring teacher is how a novice teacher starts to manage the behaviour in their room.  And what is like the first few times you teach? Well, here is a selection of comments from this year’s cohort, collated over the last few weeks:

 

• ‘Have done my first starter today (2 more tomorrow).  Went really well and so much better than I thought!  Gave them my expectations speech and they all sat in complete silence for the whole starter session until I explicitly said they could talk! (was not expecting that, also not expecting it to last 😂)  You were right, it is a lovely feeling to be in front of them, wasn’t really anything to be scared of. . . ‘
• ‘I’m so happy!  I just taught my first full lesson.  At the end he (the class teacher) said he’d be thrilled if all of his lessons were as focussed and productive today.  It went really well and I am SO relieved!  I DID IT!  There’s plenty for me to reflect on and lots more to keep improving on, but I just wanted to share my absolute elation at having survived and had a really positive lesson with year 8!’
• ‘Am feeling rather pleased with myself and just wanted to share with you.  The headteacher has just popped his head into the office during a free period and said ‘I’ve been hearing really good things about you, well done!’.’
• ‘I thought I’d email now before I forget.  I had a full lesson with my year 8s today and one of the boys has huge maths anxiety, normally does no work, never contributes to class and sometimes will skip maths.  Today he put his hand up to answer a question and that is massive for him.  I’m so proud of him and am hoping he starts to love maths soon!
• ‘I just wanted to let you know that I had a fabulous week!  My feedback was positive and I enjoyed it.  I also planned for and helped with Open Evening for Year 6 and had some lovely compliments from my colleagues.  I had the opportunity to meet some governors, as well as the year 6’s and their carers.  I also spent some time with the LGBTQIA+ children in school who were so receptive in helping me to understand their needs.’
• ‘I have seen a couple of students this week outside of the history department who have greeted me and asked if I’m going to be their teacher, which was lovely!’
• ‘Warm and positive welcome from the school.  The history department is a dream, full of supportive strong women with a passion for the students.’
• ‘Everyone is really helpful, we’ve had many interesting discussions with teachers there who are all so open and willing to give advice and bits of very valuable information.’
• To date, five weeks into the course, I have had around 50 emails like this.  And not even one mentions struggling to control the class: they are all positive and effusive in their joy of teaching.  The moral of the story is this: it is a very real fear to be anxious about standing in front of teenagers teaching your first lessons, but trust in your training and support and ……breath.  Enjoy that moment when you realise your dream of being a teacher is now being enacted!