Control

Hello everyone,

Classroom control at its most elemental level means that a teacher can command silence. This is an important thing to be able to do, and the inability to command silence may be a serious safety issue in some conditions.

At its highest level, classroom control is the ability to have students be immediately obedient under all circumstances. This is best achieved when students have such a high level of trust in the teacher that they are willing to be completely obedient. This can also be achieved by using fear and intimidation, but that is a poor--or at best temporary--substitute for love and trust, which accomplish the same feat better and open the door for real learning as well.

Classroom management and classroom control are related, but are not the same thing. Management includes taking roll, timing activities, utilizing space, doing paperwork and balancing other administrative requirements with teaching, as well as controlling the class.

Let me, please, focus on control.

I favor the concept that control should come from trust and respect, but I acknowledge the practical idea that trust and respect are earned, not commanded. That means that when students come into the classroom in the beginning, you can't expect them to automatically trust you and respect you. You must establish both of them, and the highest levels of classroom control will follow automatically.

This all means that, at first, you may have to be willing to allow the students hate you. I've written about this concept many times, but it bears re-emphasis. In the course of ensuring that you can control complete silence when necessary, you may impose consequences on students that will upset them. Don't worry about that if your consequences are proportional and fair.

Once you've established the ability to command silence, there are some things that you may want to be careful of so that you can build the trust and respect necessary for complete control without compulsory means:

Never lie to your students.

Be very careful about coloring things with your opinion; let your students know that, though you have an opinion, you will always give them both sides.

Teach correct principles; be as certain as you can be of your subject; if you are not certain, be honest. (They will accept experimentation and the possibility that a lesson will fail; just be honest with them about it.)

Use control wisely; never be arbitrary; never command silence when quiet is sufficient; never command quiet when noise is preferable; and vice-versa.

Do not let individual students take control of your class; do not let attempts to take control happen without consequence; however, be willing to let dissenting voices be heard if they are appropriately voiced.

Respect your students, despite their immaturity. (Respect, like friendship, is reciprocal.)

Your students want you to control their environment. They want a safe, orderly classroom. Individually, they may seem to want to cause trouble, but--believe it or not--they really crave a well managed classroom.

If you keep these principles in mind, over time, you should start to see control that comes from respect. As you progress in your career, you will begin to have students coming to you in gratitude for the things you taught them and the respect you earned.

Jeff Combe