Kid Whisperer Nation Teacher Tips #92-96

Kid Whisperer Nation Teacher Tip  #92 

EFFECTIVE LUNCHROOM STRATEGIES PART III 

NEVER, EVER TELL STUDENTS TO BE QUIET 

This is the kiss of death, folks. NEVER tell kids to be quiet in any situation, especially the lunchroom. Once you tell kids to be quiet, all kids have to do is talk to show you and everyone else in the lunchroom that you cannot control the things that they say and do. 

Kid Whisperer Nation Teacher Tip #93 

EFFECTIVE LUNCHROOM STRATEGIES PART IV 

CLAP THEM QUIET 

One fun prompt for facilitating quiet is to clap to a certain beat and have kids mimic the beat. You don’t have to introduce this. Just do it. All you need is one student to mimic, which there will be. Give attention to that student by saying “You got it.” More students will follow suit as you do another beat. Make sure all other adults know to do this as well. You can add snapping, stomping, and chanting as the year goes on.  

Kid Whisperer Nation Teacher Tip #94 

EFFECTIVE LUNCHROOM STRATEGIES PART V 

CHANGE THE ENVIRONMENT 

The single most important and effective action you can take to improve your lunchroom is to make sure every student gets a handshake or other safe physical contact every time they walk into the cafeteria. Some pleasant conversation is helpful as well. If a student gets no such love and the first thing they hear is an angry lunch lady telling them to hurry up and take a lunch, the rest of the staff is being put into a very difficult situation.  

Kid Whisperer Nation Teacher Tip #95 

EFFECTIVE LUNCHROOM STRATEGIES PART VI 

SIT DOWN 

Most lunch staff members have a tendency to constantly walk around in an attempt to “oversee” students. This is a mistake. Feel free to do this on occasion, but spend a majority of your time sitting down at lunch tables with students. This allows you to build relationships with kids instead of setting you up as a guard or overseer. When you sit at a table, you usually completely neutralize negative behaviors at that table as well as at the tables adjacent to yours. Only spend a few minutes at each table. Hop from table to tables as if at a wedding reception. You can get enough of a bird’s eye view from the standing position while you are in transit from table to table. 

Kid Whisperer Nation Teacher Tip #96 

EFFECTIVE LUNCHROOM STRATEGIES PART VII 

IT’S LUNCH: EAT 

This is something that most of you are doing anyway since this is probably the only time that you have to eat. If you are not already doing this, start. Eating with students gives them the implicit message that you are just here to relax and talk with them. Students are much more likely to exhibit negative behaviors with someone that they feel is there to stop them from doing so.