How to Handle an Out of Control Middle-School Classroom

Thank you. I’ve finally figured out what I’ve been getting wrong. You’re a diamond.

My rude students would never do this.

well, in some classes the students just dont want to learn anything. They just want to kill the time in the class. They wiuld be happy if we do this class class class, yes yes yes during the whole class😅😅😅

How do you avoid frustration?

Procedures are great at the beginning of the year, but they always, always become less effective during the year. After the second month, my class will still be practicing the beginning of year procedures. We'll walk down the hallway and back five or six times every day. We'll enter the classroom three times every day. We practice the callback signals every day, over and over and over. The more the year goes on, the more we have to keep practicing those procedures, and the more kids simply ignore them. By the last quarter of the year, it's like the first day of school all over again, every day, where we spend most of the time practicing procedures, and I spend an hour contacting parents of nine or ten students who still disrupt the procedures.

Hi, I just came into this video and I am so hopeful for my own class. What about students who get frustrated and call out that one who doesn't participate? Such as screaming at said person. Because I don't want them to fight each other

This is AMAZING. I use healthy peer pressure as well, so effective with middle school!

Middle School is the most challenging school age group. It is teena with elementary behaviors

Man i can't believe we have to go through all this mental gymnastics just because some kids have not been taught how to listen to adults.
😂
Great advice I'm going ro have to do it. Because my classes were WILD yesterday .

I'm picturing doing this with my 7th grade class and the image has me doing it for the entire hour I'm with them.

My 7th graders and I spent 20 minutes repeating it over and over, they kept saying "no no no" before I just gave up.

can your videos and tips be used for high school teachers?

You cant get frustrated, stay calm. don't call the student out and create a 'power struggle' I love the scripted phrase "Once we have 100% participation we WILL move on."

I’m considering becoming a full-time teacher as a second career. I started substitute teaching recently, and I’ve been surprised to find how much I love middle school students, but since I haven’t really had any training yet, it can be overwhelming trying to figure out what to do when a class won’t listen. I’ll definitely try out these tips. Thank you!!

As a teacher for 23 years in the middle school classroom, I have seen many 1st year teachers leave or change careers after their first rookie year because they can’t handle their classroom responsibilities and management. I tell them to stay the course and learn from their mistakes and it will improve with time. It seems to be a never ending cycle.

Can I have a copy of the hall refocus form please. I’m a 2nd yr middle school teacher

Thanks! Solid help

Sometimes students want to have a negative engagement with the teachers in front of their peers because that gives them a sense of validation. I pull them out into the hallway, away from the students and say what I need to say to them. That does a few different things: 1) It takes them out of that environment which they seek validation and attention. 2) It takes them out of their comfort zone and now they are being held accountable for their actions as an adult would. 3) It gives me a chance to establish rapport with them and they understand that I’m not going to humiliate them in front of their peers.

This is a technique that I developed over the past few years of being a teacher.

Thank you Sir. vis itpro duc tsi te dotb logs potd otc om

We invest so much time on ignorant kids from ignorant parents. Liberals talk about social programs in white European countries, but notice they never want to follow their education model. If we did, a lot of Black kids would be steered to a vocational skill. All the past studies are being debunked, like the "marshmallow test" despite it being the same kids and same demographics misbehaving and performing below standard. Graduation rates are manipulated. American kids and adults are fatter, dumber, and more mental.

Why do US kids only write with pencil? It doesn't make sense. Handwriting is less clear by using a pencil and you get all the annoyance and noise of people erasing and sharpening pencils. Just use pens like the rest of us.

I'm a 19 year veteren teacher who has always taught at HS level. This year I'm teaching 7th and 8th grade science. They're a different breed. I'm in my third week. Gonna try some things tomorrow. Thanks!

Teacher for 16 years, 7th math...in the inner city and have little if any chaos in my class...best advice "do not bend"...if you dont want kids talking when youre talking do NOT ignore it...call them on it, if they argue, do NOT engage in the power struggle...issue a consistent FAIR and IMPERSONAL consequence or reaction that youre ok with, and always always always debrief with them when its safe and let them say their piece privately with you and truly listen to their perspective, youll build a strong relationship with said kid and theyll think twice about upsetting you again...the SECOND you let something go, theyll push it a step further...you can set the line wherever you want, some teachers are fine with more unstructured environments and some want it pin drop silent..ive seen FANTASTIC teachers with both styles...the biggest thing is that the ebvironment is always dictated by the Teacher...the wildest thing tho is that youll find that the teachers with the clearest, most consistent, and unwavering expectations are actually the teachers the kids love the most...its like prison, youll be tested to see what youre made of, stand up for yourself or youll be trampled on...come june, the kids will love you even if they dont in august..like he said, nothing is "good enough", its perfect or we try again and you never move on till its right

Thank you for this

What about if the school behaviour policy asks not to send any students to the corridor as they hang around and create chaos with other students also sent out from other classrooms. ?

I have a question. Will it still work even I have shown my frustration to them and raise my voice on the 1st lesson?

Hey new teacher this year. I am struggling with classroom management and I am trying to be more firm because I have two classes that go off the rails very easily. Is it too late to try standing firm on procedures at this point in the year?

What if the expectations are set at the beginning of the year. But students don’t push through….it’s so frustrating.

drop the skincare rouitne

Kamehameha..!!! The end

Thank you 😊😊😊🙏🙏

im doing after school. and this is my second week and they are out of control. so this video is very helpful

I tried call and response but students just shout back loudly and then 2 minutes later they continue talking

Teachers are the real frontline workers. I can’t possibly do this job because of my anger. If a kid acts up I would lose my mind

I'm a brand new teacher, this is my first year. I teach 7th and 8th grade in one class, luckily I only have 8 kids. I have one student who is a bully, disrespectful, unmotivated to learn and he's been causing problems. I want to find ways to manage my room that helps my students and makes it harder for him to do all the things he's been doing.

I have recently returned to substitute teaching after being out of the classroom for 33 years . First few days were a bit rough, so I searched for middle school classrooms mgt. I was amazed at how responsive and successful the tactics had been!! Thank you for putting up your videos.

Love ❤from India Punjab

Hi Thom,
How have you been? It’s been such a long time since we last shared thoughts. I hope everything is going well with your little one.

I’m reaching out with a small problem and would deeply appreciate your advice if you have any suggestions. As part of my research on the use of technology in schools, I’ve recently started conducting field visits. My focus is to compare online and face-to-face classrooms, exploring their similarities and differences, as well as understanding the reasons for integrating technology into teaching practices.

I’ve already interviewed a few teachers and learned a lot from their experiences about the current state of technology use in classrooms. However, since schools have transitioned back to face-to-face learning, many teachers have raised a common concern during our conversations. They’re struggling to manage primary school children during recess and 10-minute breaks - specifically with the issues of running, pushing, and shouting.

Is there any effective solution or strategy to address this challenge? Your insights would mean a lot.

I posted this message here because your last email wasn't working.

Best Regards

WHERE WERE YOU AT WHEN I HAD TO SUPERVISE A 70 STUDENT STUDY HALL THE WHOLE SCHOOL YEAR. Also, a study hall has a different dynamic than a regular classroom. But the most important thing that I needed to do every day was to get them to immediately sit down in their assigned seats and be quiet so that I could accurately take attendance. Sounds good right. No, the number one problem that I faced was a daily deluge of students who wanted 100 percent of my attention. At the start of class. "Can I go to the restroom.". Can I go see the guidance councilor.". Can I go see a teacher." etc. It took me about four weeks to finally get them to realize that I was not going fulfill any of their request until they were in their seats, quiet and waiting for me to take attendance.

So I’m currently two days from beginning my mentorship as a k-12 teacher and I am full of anxiety and hoping I can do the best I can along side an established teacher. Finding this video has been a god send and I hope to utilize your advice in the classroom. Thank you so much for your video!

I wish this worked because I need something to work. Unfortunately, for the out of control room they are happy it takes all day, and sometimes days. We don’t get to classwork because we’re waiting for everyone and they LIVE for it. They adore this method.

But what do you do if they don’t want to move on and they want to delay the class

does it work with older students? 14-16 years old?

But what if it’s in the middle or close to the end of the school year?

Too much. This could be 5 videos.

In my country this method doesn't works.

As a middle school math teacher in an urban school district, my best advice is to know your audience. Sometimes the stuff mentioned in the video can feel very elementary to them and make them feel like babies. They don’t want that. For other classes, it may work pretty well. The key is to know the audience. Sometimes you also just have to be goofy and vibe with them. Sometimes if a kid is on their phone or doing something they aren’t supposed to be doing, I’ll aim a laser pointer at whatever they are doing. Or sometimes you just need a good noodle star chart from SpongeBob in a classroom that is just too chatty during direct instruction. Maybe throw marshmallows at Danny’s head when he’s being a doofus. Find common ground with your students as well as common interests. Can’t find any common interests? Ask to learn more about theirs. Take interest in them. They are still just kids and school is long. Teachers tend to lecture too much and some content or your subject may just be boring for them. You can spare a few minutes every now and then to just chat with everyone and catch up. Know your audience, be high with your expectations and consistent with your own class rules from day 1. You’re gonna do great guys 🎉