When you arrange your classroom furniture, make sure you can easily get around every desk where a child sits. It is difficult for someone to misbehave when the teacher is standing right beside him. The teachers who sit behind a desk or table seem to have the most trouble with classroom management. You can offer instruction from any location in the classroom. Nobody wants the teacher standing right beside him so the best way for a child to change his behavior is to change your proximity to him. Many teachers think this means to drag his desk right up beside hers. That sends a message to all the other students that you will not hesitate to remove them from the group but it ultimately humiliates the student who feels like he has to explain to everyone who walks in the door why he can’t sit with everyone else in the classroom. It really is easy (and silent) to get up and go stand by the child who is making a bad choice and it certainly does preserve the dignity of the one struggling to do the right thing in the first place.  Many teachers also don’t consider that when one child is humiliated or reprimanded publicly, it makes an impact on some of the children who are always compliant and obedient. Those children often hold themselves to a higher standard and they develop anxiety that they can make you angry enough to do that to them.  Consider how that message will be received by the one it is intended for as well as the ones that it is not. Also, don’t yell. Sometimes we feel like we have to increase the volume in order to be heard. The louder you talk, the louder the children will talk. There are some groups of children that other classes always hear coming down the hall. They are typically followed by a teacher scolding them for the noise they are creating in the hallway when she is creating a lot of noise herself. The lower your volume, the quieter the children have to be to hear you. If they are working and you need to get their attention, use a chant or a class reset to get their attention. Wait until you can speak with a soft voice before you give directions. When someone does something totally inappropriate, go over to his desk and whisper to him. If you need to, take him in the hallway. Everybody does something inappropriate at some point but it does not mean they deserve to be yelled at or humiliated.

The use of a chant or a class reset to get everyone’s attention is a great tool for your “toolbox”. One example that is  a tried and true technique  is where you clap a short and simple pattern, and the class claps it back. Of course, in your classroom, you will have taught this amazing technique the first week of school. Train the students to know that some important information is coming immediately behind the clap so they will await further instruction. Proximity to your students is critical, especially your PEC students. They often need extra support and reassurance, and do not mind you being close by. Establish a quiet personal signal  that they can use to get your attention when needed if you are not nearby. I can’t imagine any situation in the classroom where yelling is beneficial, unless it involves a safety issue.

Pamela Webster, M. Ed. SPED

If you are an experienced teacher with a story or a tip about using proximity to enhance classroom management, please share it in the comments.