![]() For example, I remember one day early in my teaching career when a student said, “What?! You’re only 27? My brother is older than you.” To which I replied, “Yeah? Is he still living in your parent’s basement too?” The student nodded and said, “Yeah, that’s legit. You have to know your students, understand how they will react, and grasp which boundaries you can and can’t push. But, being sensitive is key to making this style work. I’m pretty quick-witted, and I always enjoyed sharing funny stories that I could tie into the day’s lesson, or poking some fun at myself or my students. When a lesson starts with humor, there is more alerting, and the subsequent information is attached to the positive emotional event as an event or flashbulb memory. According to Research-Based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning: Insights from a Neurologist and Classroom Teacherby Judy Willis: “The human brain and body respond positively to laughter with the release of endorphin, epinephrine (adrenaline), and dopamine, and with the increased breathing volume (more oxygen). ![]() I have often been told that I should be a stand-up comedian, and sometimes, that is what teaching felt like to me! The good news is that multiple studies have shown that students who are having fun learn more effectively. I’m a self-proclaimed goofball, and for some reason, my students always really warmed up to that. So, what about high school students? How do you handle a classroom full of students who are dealing with real challenges of growing up-along with plenty of legitimate and difficult adult problems-when hormones are raging, everything is over-dramatized, and classroom curriculum is becoming demanding? Here are eight strategies that I had success with in my classroom. When the topic of classroom management comes up with my teacher friends, we often laugh because it’s usually thought of as something that only applies to younger students. ![]() And, while there’s nothing wrong with of these strategies, none of them prepared me to sternly ask Riley to get his sandwich out of his pants. These tips included learning all the students’ names immediately, setting clear expectations for classroom behavior on day one, and laying out clear consequences for misbehavior. The professor (who probably had not been in a K–12 setting in the past 20 years), even gave us some pointers on how to effectively handle our classes. When I was in college, I faintly remember going through a brief unit about classroom management and how important it was. ![]() This is the reality of teaching-students do some strange things, and every day in the classroom is full of surprises. While his reply was surprisingly logical (he didn’t want to carry it to the cafeteria and didn’t have a bag for it), I still sat back in my chair after the class dismissed for lunch pondering how and why those words ever had to come out of my mouth. For example, “Riley, get your sandwich out of your pants!” Yes, I had to tell a 14-year-old boy to get his sandwich out of his pants. After teaching high school English for 10 years, I’ve uttered some phrases I never could have imagined would be necessary.
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