Building a Super Classroom

Ever wonder how to make your classroom a place where kids really learn and grow? It's like building a machine, and there are three main gears that need to work together: Behavior, Academics, and Social Emotional Learning.

• Classroom Management First: Think of classroom management as the biggest gear. It’s the most important one to get right. This includes things like routines, procedures, and discipline. If your classroom is out of control, it’s hard to teach or have those important talks with kids. You need to have structure in the classroom to be able to move on to the other gears.

• Next Up: Academics: Once your classroom management is running smoothly, focus on academics. This means lesson planning, setting standards, and using assessments. With good classroom management in place, you can really help your students move forward.

• Don't Forget Social Emotional Learning: After those two gears are turning, you can put energy into social emotional learning. This includes teaching kids how to handle conflict, encouraging positive relationships, and understanding the whole child. Once you have the first two gears working this one starts to go on its own.

• Classroom Culture is Key: All these gears need oil to run smoothly, and that oil is your classroom culture. When you have a good classroom culture the machine hums along nicely and students grow academically and socially.

These three gears don't work alone. When they all work together, they make your classroom amazing. If you are going to tackle one thing, focus on classroom management first!

To watch my latest video in which I talk about this in more detail click on the image above.