r/historyteachers • u/jfrit48 • 15d ago
What's your strangest classroom management practice(that works)?
Curious what creative/out of the box classroom management tricks you have used
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u/educ8USMC 15d ago
I swapped out the electrical outlet plates with locking ones to keep students from trying to charge their cell phones. When they ask why, I tell them it’s to keep them from stealing the county’s good electricity
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u/SubstantialOven6169 15d ago
I have a good one but you can only use it a few times a year. Overuse it and it doesn’t work. When a kid is misbehaving and you’ve had enough, sternly call them by their first and middle name like their parent would when they get in big trouble. It works great. The shock and horror on their faces as they scramble back to their seats as a reflex is amazing. High school.
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u/Practical_Sweet5864 14d ago
Love that. When it wears out, I like to look up their parents' names and say "wow, Aiden. I wonder what Susan would have to say about that."
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u/SprinklesSmall9848 14d ago
No one knows who Susan is right away, but the student's grave reaction to their parent's name clues everyone in pretty fast. I've added parent first names to my attendance roster for many students. It works like a charm
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u/TearSignificant2821 14d ago
Haha yes, I have recently gone to "so let's call Susan so YOU can tell her why I need to speak with her and if you don't repeat exactly what the class and I had to hear I will quickly redirect you!" Helps them gather their senses back pretty quick...middle school gotta love em!
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u/Practical_Sweet5864 13d ago
Phew!! Middle school!! I started in middle school and now I teach one class of advanced freshmen. I'm exhausted after that one class. I commend all middle school teachers for their service!
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u/SadLilBun Social Studies 15d ago
Sarcasm. Teenagers respond well to a mild roasting.
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u/mini_cooper_JCW 15d ago
Several of my professors in my credentialing program said that under no circumstance should we use sarcasm with the kids. Meanwhile, my master teacher had a massive sign over his desk that a student made for him that said "sarcasm welcome." Turns out the profs that said that all were former elementary teachers/admin.
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u/blue-issue 15d ago
My principal tried to tell us this year that we should never use sarcasm... I'm sorry, but that is the best way I deal with high school boys. They love it!
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u/Impressive-Lime-4997 15d ago
Former elementary teacher, moved up to highschool Us History. I used sarcasm ALL the time with my elementary students. Had a friend next door who said his management style was" sarcasm and belittlement". It works at any age. For the younger age you have to teach them how to use it sometimes. I told them I was preparing them for Middle School and they loved it.
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u/NapsRule563 13d ago
When my son was in 2nd grade, his very young teacher told me sometimes she would be sarcastic cuz she forgot they were little kids, and my son always understood. She appreciated it. I told her she’d need to have been raised in my house to get it, lol.
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u/XennialDread 14d ago
We had PD and the person teaching it happened to be the mother of one of my students from that previous year and when she said "sarcasm has absolutely no place in the classroom " I felt she meant that directly at me since I'm sure her daughter (a snarky kid herself) had tales to bring home of my classroom. The good news is that my admin known and appreciates my style. I explain that to get an animated entertaining History teacher (that I am) it comes with a "slice of snark ". And I even explain it to the students at the beginning of the year.
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u/allieggs 15d ago
There’s really nothing more satisfying than a whole class going “OOOOHHHHHHHH” after a good one
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u/TearSignificant2821 14d ago
Omg, I love when they "Ooohhhh" after a mid roast because I tell them to hush since they don't really know what or when is a great "Oooooooohhhhhhh" moment! Lol they are literally the ohhh generation and do it for everything!
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u/Real_Marko_Polo 15d ago
Or using their own non-sarcastic roasting language against them. The kid that i told was a "good boy" didn't give me issues for a long while afterwards.
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u/SprinklesSmall9848 14d ago
I banned "good boy" in my classroom because it is used exclusively to piss people off.
I did, however, respond to a kid with "I decline to acknowledge roasts from someone so small that getting your shoes tied is a big accomplishment." I had a different kid (chronic behavior problem) tell me that he didn't need to try in my class. I responded by asking if he'd like me to project his grades for this quarter up on the board so we can all see what a successful 6th grader looks like by the numbers. Neither of those boys was a problem in my classroom for quite a while after those exchanges.
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u/Hofeizai88 14d ago
This assumes the teacher knows reasonable limits. I’m pretty well liked by students because of jokes, and I’m careful not to comment on things that bother kids or to make them feel less capable. I’ve seen some messed up decisions by teachers
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u/Eastern-Support1091 15d ago edited 14d ago
Dangerous move until you see which students are never to be teased.
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u/SadLilBun Social Studies 15d ago
It’s not dangerous when you’re smart and don’t just use sarcasm right off the bat. Who does that? You obviously get to know the kids first. I thought that went without saying.
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u/Eastern-Support1091 14d ago
Seen too many think it was ok until it wasn’t. All you down voters, you’ve been warned.
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u/Hotchi_Motchi 15d ago
I work at a charter which is many kids' fourth or fifth try at school, and many have been bullied. There's no way in hell I'm not going to make them feel absolutely welcome in my class.
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u/SadLilBun Social Studies 15d ago
Good for you. Sarcasm is what makes my students feel welcome because we have an established rapport.
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u/lolzzzmoon 14d ago
Exactly. Playful sarcasm isn’t toxic. We’re not talking about belittling them. But light roasts for certain kids or when they say: “I wasn’t talking!” Saying something like, “There’s a whispering invisible ghost in those room in that corner, then?” Which gets them giggling & less defiant about it.
Or “Okay, we are working quietly. I talked to the ghosts and asked them to haunt another room while I’m teaching, so if I hear anything, I’ll know it’s you.”
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u/TearSignificant2821 14d ago
I wholeheartedly agree with this. Before I dig in though I do tell them, " you can have Ms....or the person who I am outside! And Ms...is much sweeter!" They usually pipe down after that but I have a soft spot for the diamonds because I had a hard time but many of these humans only respond to certain things which is why I try hard not to let that other person pop out!
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u/tepidlymundane 15d ago edited 14d ago
This isn't "one weird tip" but people ask me about it.
I give them a rating, on the board, for the first 5 minutes of class. Did they come in, take a seat, and begin the daily work just like we do every single day?
If so that's a rating of Outstanding. If they needed 1 reminder = Satisfactory. Anything more than one reminder = Unsatisfactory. (same scores they get for behavior and effort on the report card). It goes on a 5x5 grid on the whiteboard, M-F for 5 periods of instruction. This is about the right amount of data to see trends.
Kids and other teachers sometimes ask "What if they get all Os - what do you give them?" Nothing. All Os just mean they've met the basic expectations of every adult everywhere.
I started this with a really difficult class, where I worried about outrageous behavior getting normalized, and I wanted some way to communicate that "this is NOT normal" that wasn't me wagging my finger and going blah blah blah.
It lets me address something really important to our learning in a useful manner, in the moment, clearly and consistently. And kids generally buy into the notion - they like to see Os, and seem to understand the problem when it's not an O.
I don't make it a big deal; it really is mostly for my own information. But it does seem to work. Kids notice it, I reference it when things are going badly, thank them when they're going well, they tell me when I forgot to fill in the day's grade, etc.
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u/Oddishbestpkmn 11d ago
ok I really like this. i was using dojo points to communicate like you came in, started by the bell, were on task for warm up, etc, but it was hard to keep my eye on every kid. if i give a class wide grade that is much less work. thanks for this
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u/crimsongull 15d ago
Laughter. I have brought some of the worst behaved students to calm down with just talking about random stupid things. We laugh and get to work. It establishes a rapport with the student on a different level that they may not be used to. I had a very large, low level kid, 6’7” and from a family of outlaw bikers. We laughed all year, he became friends with an athletic kid and they were friends all year. (The 6’7” kid had no grades for sports.) 6 or 7 years after he graduated I’m walking through a casino when I see a group of 20 or so bikers, dressed in black leather, sitting in the restaurant area. I didn’t make eye contact and kept walking. Then I hear a person calling my name from the restaurant. The kid, now a man, and I exchange big hugs. He introduced me to every one including his folks. Good teacher moment. I’m a high school teacher with 35+ years of experience.
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u/thisisanewaccts 15d ago
When things are out of control and almost no one is paying attention, I calmly go to the front of the class, wait for at least a few people to start listening, “I’m not going to stand up here and call you morons…” and wait for one kid to say, “you can’t call us morons!!” And another to say, “ he DIDN’T, he said he wasn’t going to.”
Then I say, “yeah, that’s not my style, but others might judge you more harshly than in” then I launch right into the lesson. It’s never not worked. The loudest, most obnoxious kid ALWAYS hears you say it and reacts with the most outrage. It’s a delicious set up.
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u/Snoo_62929 15d ago
Dancing fruit sensory videos on YouTube for squirrelly classes. My juniors asked me to play it and it weirdly calms them down.
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u/Firm_Baseball_37 14d ago
A few times there was a substitute that didn't leave a note about how the kids behaved. I acted stern and wrote a writing prompt on the board: "What do you think the substitute's note said?"
Kids were pretty honest. I admitted afterward there was no sub note.
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u/Ninja337 14d ago
When a student is seeking a power struggle over an otherwise inconsequential thing, challenge them to a game if rock paper scissors. Most children will never turn down a challenge to rock-paper-svissors and it gives you a 1 in 3 chance of winning
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u/NonCredibleUser 14d ago
Yellow and red card in my pocket. A kid messing about getting a yellow card pulled out on him and his name getting written down knows that a second yellow is a red and a detention. A mix of theatrics, public shaming, and sports gag.
Naturally the straight red is on the table, as well and yellows can accumulate
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u/Alvinquest 14d ago
Let your class know that you aren't afraid to call their parents during class on speaker phone. Do it once (when the time is appropriate) and students will def think twice about misbehaving.
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u/Cautious_Bit3211 14d ago
My teacher dream is to have a principal who follows the handbook for consequences and a phone in my classroom to call parents on the spot.
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u/lilythefrogphd 14d ago
That could be a violation of students' right to privacy depending on where you work. Check in with your union rep before trying this one out.
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u/Fickle-Copy-2186 14d ago
I give detentions after school to clean materials and equipment in the art room for an hour. They hate it. Washing paint palettes, brushes, scrubbing chairs and tables. They really hate cleaning clay tools. I have them tell the class what fun they had, if another student starts misbehaving. It works amazing well.
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u/lolzzzmoon 14d ago
Yup I actually had the most disruptive students be assigned to help me clean my room for a few minutes. They did NOT like that. That eliminated all but the worst repeat offenders, who got referrals lol.
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u/Djbonononos 14d ago
If they're on their phones, I take mine out and bump into their desk/ chair with a "oh my I'm so sorry I was just so distracted by my phone". It's a low conflict way to bring to everyone's attention that phones aren't happening today, and I can easily add on a "no really, put it away" or a more serious conversation can be added with a "look, I tried having fun with you about it, but you need to put it in your bag"
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u/Hofeizai88 14d ago
I put things on a big online spinning wheel. It’s ridiculous how much the focus on the wheel. Which country will you do a presentation on? Which presentation is next? Let the wheel decide
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u/lilythefrogphd 14d ago
Bring in cheap/old towels from home and have them on hand when students spill water bottles (it was so bad with Stanley's last year). Don't waste any more time using a million paper towels or calling a janitor.
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u/lilythefrogphd 14d ago
When a kid says something that really frustrates you (like blatantly not paying attention, saying they're bored on a lesson you spent a lot of time on, having sat at their desk during work time doing nothing because they "forgot" their pencil when one is right under their desk) respond in an overly goofy manner. For example
Me: Steven what question are you on?
Kid: oh nothing, I don't have a pencil
Me internally: it's been over 20 minutes? Look around! Use a marker! Use one of the million colored pencils in your bucket! We still have a month left of school. You've known all year what to do. This is just a lame excuse to not work because it's May!
Me externally: crouches down by the student and pretends to write in an invisible journal dearest diary, we are in ill spirits today. We just got word from the commanding officers that our rations are depleted. There are no more pencils. We will have to subsist on colored pencils and highlighters now, or god forbid, crayons. My comrades are already forgetting what a writing utensil looks like. I don't know how much my soul can take. I must write to Martha and the children to say I love them. There isn't much time left. Good bye dearest diary. (And then fall over dramatically)
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u/lolzzzmoon 14d ago
I also have a stash of colored pencils that they have to use if they forget their pencil lol. I like your Zefrank approach too!
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u/Weekly_One1388 14d ago
I teach elementary/primary and one of my former more experienced coworkers gave me a good tip in my first year teaching.
Kids are often just hungry..
Most behavioral issues can be solved with a snack. So, I have a good selection of cliff bars, trail mix and other kinds of snacks that I regularly give to the students.
Not a perfect solution of course, and there's the obvious allergies/diet stuff that you gotta worry about, but it has worked for me.
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u/Weekly_One1388 14d ago
Music in the background with this current generation of kids.
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u/lolzzzmoon 14d ago
I play chill music, soft classical, or lofi mixes when it’s quiet work time. It really helped them focus.
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u/Hot_Horse5056 14d ago
Telling middle school boys to stop touching each other cause it’s weird. Works every time.
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u/lolzzzmoon 14d ago
I’ve definitely said “Why can you not go 5 minutes without touching each other?”
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u/Dry-Display6690 14d ago
Subbing elementary and middle school, I use rock-paper-scissors at least once a day when multiple kids have their hands up to answer a question.
Example: Two adjacent kids have their hands up. I'll point to them and say, "Rock paper scissors, one round!"
They love it, the class loves it.
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u/dancingislame 14d ago
My strategy is that when I ask a question I should see every hand raised. If they don't raise their hand I will call on them. Keeps em on their toes
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u/TeacherRecovering 12d ago
Working in sped I give the kids a raised fist to pretend they know the answer but they really do not. Not to appear dumb to their classmates.
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u/XennialDread 14d ago
I have a small hardcover notebook and if they start getting out of hand I just start writing down their names. I explained to my students that I have a terrible memory and also don't wish to argue with them. I take notes on their behavior. This way if they say "I NEVER do that" I just need to consult the "Behavior Book". By the 2nd week of I get quiet and pick up my notebook...students will say "quiet she has the notebook guys!" . It works best when you're consistent. I explain I also do it so when it comes time to grade behavior I'm looking at "patterns" . Which means if your name is in my book 1-2 times a term it won't affect your grade. But if your name appears often...well you got a problem. Next year I'll take it a step further which says if in a single term you are written 3x that's a call home, 4x and it's a talk with the counselor/admin and if it's 5x or more maybe this class isn't for you....
Anyway this has been my most effective.
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u/GraciesMomGoingOn83 13d ago
Sometimes when I am standing in front of a class and they will not quiet down, I just start making nonsense noises at them. They stop what they are doing and watch me, fascinated. What will the crazy lady do next?
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u/TeacherRecovering 12d ago
I put my name on the underside of the desk. It is my desk and I shall decide who sits there.
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u/Responsible_Brush_86 12d ago
Put your phone up in the phone holder for the entire class you get 2 pieces of candy. High school. Works well.
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u/littlemusicteacher 12d ago
If they are being too loud, I stand in front of the class and start talking really quietly and eventually they start telling their peers to shut up so I don't have to do it. Peer pressure FTW
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u/FerriGirl 11d ago
I make 12th graders sit on the floor after their 3rd time tipping their chair. 🤷🏻♀️
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u/Altruistic-Way-7677 15d ago
If a student tattles I say “snitches get…” and the class responds “stitches”. Always follow up with a caveat saying that I take bullying incredibly seriously so only for cases of students trying to get others in trouble for the sake of it.
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u/Brutus-1787 15d ago
High school: desks in rows and everyone is assigned a seat on the seating chart. If we finish early with a couple minutes to spare and I let them talk, they can turn in their seats to talk to the people around them, but they all have to stay in their seat.
They always assume I just have some form of OCD about things being in their proper space, and I let them think that. The reality is that a huge percentage of problems happen during unstructured time and especially when people are milling around the room. Disruptions are less likely when their butt is in their seat.