Teaching teenagers is hard. Not only are you responsible for instructing more advanced concepts than in middle and elementary school, but teenagers crave independence and are often more troublesome than other age groups. To maintain order in the classroom, it might seem like the simple solution to simply dole out detentions, demerits, and visits to the dean’s office, but those are actually ineffective solutions! In this article, I explain what you shouldn’t be doing in your teenage classroom, along with effective alternatives.
Do NOT give detentions
Consequences that take away from a student’s leisure time (such as lunchtime, after-school, or weekend detentions) are not only ineffective ways to stop misbehavior in teenagers, but they can actually increase teen rebellion! In fact, a study conducted in England by researchers at Leeds University revealed that things like detention and class-wide reproaches actually turned students against their teachers even more. These approaches make students even more likely to act out, and it turns out these punishments have very little grounding in educational research. They’re simply tradition.
Instead, try more personal methods of dealing with inappropriate teen behavior in the classroom. One-on-one conversations, talking with parents, and verbal warnings are more likely to help deal with the root of the problem. Plus, these will take away from any added teen stress your students might be feeling! Getting in trouble is very stressful for teenagers, and dealing with issues in a more personal way will make them feel more respected and relaxed as a student.
Do NOT Only Address the Behavior
It’s very likely that your troublesome students are acting out for a particular reason. Things like detention only address whatever is going on at the most basic level and does almost nothing to understand the main reason your student is engaging in inappropriate or disruptive behavior. They may be making jokes to get positive attention they don’t get at home; they may be skipping class because they’re scared of bullies; or they might not be doing their homework because life at home is stressful. Being a teacher means you aren’t only responsible for teaching your students, but for helping them through these difficult situation. You’re a mentor, not just an instructor.
To gauge if you think your students are going through any particularly difficult life situations that are impacting their schoolwork, pay special attention to any changes in their demeanors and unexpected changes in behavior. Your students spend more time at school than they do at home, and you probably know their personalities just as well as their friends and family members. If a student is especially quiet when they’re normally loud, or fails to turn in an assignment when they’re normally prompt, it’s a sign there’s probably an added stressor outside of school.
If you think this is the case, it’s vital for you to step in and do what you can to help. You already want to have a good relationship with your students, and this is where it really comes in handy. Instead of punishing a student for slacking off or disrupting class, call them into your office hours or have them stay after class a moment. Try to be up front with them and ask if anything is going on. They might open up. Even if they don’t they’ll appreciate your understanding and investment in their wellbeing. This will not only help end the negative behavior, but truly help your students’ self-esteem!
Do NOT Be Inconsistent
When the time comes to discipline your students (because let’s be honest, sometimes a detention is in order), make sure you have specific class rules and policies to back up your decisions. Teenagers want to be treated fairly, and if they think you’re doling out discipline unfairly, they’re sure to act out even more.
To ensure consistency, I’d recommend having a classroom contract outlining your behavioral expectations in the class syllabus, along with the consequences for violations. This could address foul language, late work, speaking out of turn, inappropriate remarks, and personal space. If you have all these things laid out (and discuss them with your class at the beginning of the semester) then your students know exactly what to expect from you as a disciplinarian. It also makes things easier for you! Instead of having to spend time thinking about the appropriate consequence, you just turn to the rulebook. This ensures objective treatment of all your students and helps you seem like a fair teacher.
Conclusion
Nobody said being a teacher would be easy. In fact, while it’s an incredibly rewarding position, it’s also one of the most complicated. But what’s important is that you serve as more than a teacher to your students, but a role model as well. This means you have to take extra time to help your students deal with problems outside of school that might be disrupting your classroom. Hopefully these tips help you not only run a tight classroom, but connect with your students, too! Happy teaching.
Author Bio:
Andy Earle is a researcher who studies parent-teen communication and adolescent risk behaviors. He is the co-founder of talkingtoteens.com, ghostwriter at WriteItGreat.com, and host of the Talking to Teens podcast, a free weekly talk show for parents of teenagers.
