When students misbehave, it can feel like you've failed as a teacher. But the only thing in your control is your response to their behavior. Listen in as Linda shares how to let go of what you can't control and embrace what you can in the classroom, so you can be confident when handling student misbehavior.
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read the transcript:
A lot of teachers can tie their identity into being a good teacher. For those teachers, bad student behavior can be very hard not to take personally. "If I'm a good teacher, my students would behave. If they don't, I must be a bad teacher and now that's my identity." This can set us up for a lot of frustration, stress, and worry. We need to find our identity in God instead of our jobs!
Believe it or not: Bad student behavior does NOT necessarily mean you're doing something wrong.
However, we still need to recognize that we have influence over our classroom. It's important to find a balance in our responsibility over student behavior.
Here are two viewpoints we want to avoid:
VIEWPOINT 1: "No responsibility" teacher
This is the opinion that I as a teacher have zero responsibility for my students' behavior. They are just wild and there's nothing I can do about it.
This is a problem because we cannot abdicate our God-given responsibility and authority. We can't just give up and let students do whatever they want. There are actually some things that we can do to help the situation.
VIEWPOINT 2: "taking on too much" teacher
We can't take on responsibility or guilt for things that we cannot control. The truth is that we aren't in charge of our students' decisions.
If something happens in the classroom and it makes you feel like you're a failure or a bad teacher because it happened, remember you are NOT responsible for the students' behavior, but you are responsible for your reaction.
the balanced teacher
There is a balance between these two ways of thinking. It means not taking on guilt for what a student chooses to do, but ignoring it. It means your energy is more focused on what YOU can do to help the situation rather than try to change your student.
what we can do
1. Focus on what YOU can do. Dallas Jenkins, creator of the Chosen, said that God reminded him, "It's not your job to feed the 5000. You only need to provide the loaves and fish."
The results are not our responsibility, our part is to do our job. When we think about classroom management, that means:
- Create clear expectations of what is and isn't acceptable
- Have good procedures that minimize disruptions and help things run smoothly
- Respond to discipline issues
- Be strategic in preventing problems
- Create an environment that encourages right choices
- Encourage them when they make good choices
- Hold them accountable when they make wrong choices
When there is difficult student behavior, don't blame yourself. Instead, ask yourself, "How can I address this? Is there a character trait I need to teach my students?" Only God can change their hearts, but we can teach them.
Bottom line: We can't control what our students do, but we can control how we respond.
2. Trust God with the things that we can't control.
3. Don't tie your worth to anything except Jesus Christ. Your worth is not found in how good of a teacher you are. We have a future that is secure in Heaven. God has called you to this task and He will equip you.
For example...
Imagine this scenario: You really worked with your students yesterday on walking, not running, into the classroom. They practiced it multiple times. Then, they run in the classroom again today.
The "No Responsibility" Teacher thinks, "They're never going to get this. What's the point? I give up."
The "Too Much Responsibility" Teacher thinks, "I must not have made them practice enough. I'm such a bad teacher."
The Balanced Teacher thinks, "What can I control in this situation? Okay, we are going to practice it again today. I'm not going to give up or get discouraged."
What next?
If you're not sure how to take responsibility for the things you CAN control in your classroom, check out our FREE Classroom Management training!
How to Reduce Disruptions so You Can Actually Teach
Teaching doesn't have to be derailed by a million interruptions! Check out this 28-minute training that walks you through the exact steps you need to reduce disruptions.
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heRZOG FOUNDATIoN
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The Herzog Foundation is hosting quite a few teacher events this fall. These training retreats are best-in-class transformational learning experiences designed to sustain growth in Christian education. Upcoming events include the Answers in Genesis teacher retreat, the Museum of the Bible teacher retreat, and the Athletics Arts, and Co-Curricular retreat.
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