Kid Whisperer Nation Teacher Tips #41-45

Kid Whisperer Nation Teacher Tip #41

BE STRICT SO YOU CAN BE NICE

How high should your classroom standards be? At least high enough so that your students exhibit behaviors that allow you to enjoy them.

Kid Whisperer Nation Teacher Tip #42

SHUT UP

If you are talking a lot about discipline, you are doing something horribly wrong. Behavioral Leadership teachers set the limit one time and then take calm action.

Kid Whisperer Nation Teacher Tip #43

REPLACE YOUR RESPONSE

I don’t know about you, but my natural first responses to negative behavior are not responses that I would be proud of. So instead of rolling my eyes or yelling, I speak the same two words delivered with empathy on the exhale: “Oh, man.” You can create your own response. Just so it’s only a few words or a sound and it’s delivered with empathy, it will be effective in stopping yourself from being mean and will allow the student to be able to think about and change his behavior.

Kid Whisperer Nation Teacher Tip #44

REMEMBER THE STAKES

Each moment with a kid has the potential to be one of the most important moments of that kid’s life. Something that you say to a kid, be it positive or negative, could have a profound effect. Something that you say and forget about five seconds later may be remembered for the rest of that kid’s life.

Kid Whisperer Nation Teacher Tip #45

SHOW EMOTION WHEN THINGS ARE GOING WELL

Create a classroom where kids get to see a crazy, and/or explosively emotional teacher when things are going well. Yell about fractions. Jump up and down when talking about the Civil War. Kids have a biological drive to see emotion. If you give it to them when negative behaviors are present, you are reinforcing those behaviors. When you give them emotion when positive behaviors are present (such as being quiet and looking at you), you are reinforcing those behaviors. Which will it be?