Congratulations, you are a new teacher who just landed your first job! A moment of true joy. And then the realization hits you like a ton of bricks: you’ve completed the coursework, pored over papers, crammed for exams, and labored over lesson plans. You’ve checked every box, but now what? Classroom management is arguably the single most important factor for success in your first year as a new teacher, but they never taught you this in college.
Why So Many New Teachers Struggle With Classroom Management
You may have had one or two excellent professors who gave you some strategies. Maybe you even had a fantastic student teaching mentor who helped you gain confidence in classroom management. But for the vast majority of new teachers, classroom management is something you learn as you go. You are thrown into the deep end and expected to tread water while also keeping 30 tiny ones afloat alongside you. This is the reality so many teachers face in their first year. And we wonder why the retention rate for new teachers is so low? One study found that more than 44% of new teachers leave the profession within their first five years (Ingersoll et al., 2018). Many new teachers begin their careers with all the knowledge books can provide, but lack the practical ability to manage a day in the classroom with a group of young students. But don’t worry, that won’t be you.
In this post, I will do my best to share a few strategies worth keeping in your back pocket. But I also think it is important to say this out loud: even veteran teachers struggle through the first few weeks of school. After years in the classroom, we still never quite know what is coming our way on day one. What we can do is prepare. We can build a toolbelt full of strategies and be ready for whatever walks through the door. So let’s get to work. For the purposes of this post, we will be focusing on the primary grades: preschool, kindergarten, and first grade.
Building Your Classroom Management Toolbelt
Primary elementary at the beginning of the year feels a bit like a vaudeville show. You must appeal to a wide variety of audience members, and you must be quick enough to keep those short attention spans engaged. One way I like to do this is by singing directions or delivering them in rhythm. We have some excellent resources for this on Heidisongs.tv, but remember that you don’t always have to show the video! Take the song and sing it a cappella to get everyone’s attention, then reinforce it with the video later on. Personal favorites include Criss Cross Applesauce, Interrupting, When the Bell Rings Freeze, and the Line Up Song.
Another reliable strategy is a gasp or a whisper. Really, anything that changes the tone of your voice will be somewhat effective. When you shift your tone unexpectedly, you interrupt the thought loop and can gain your students’ attention in ways you otherwise would not. You can also use humor to your advantage. Exaggeration, pretending to have your feelings hurt, or even pretending to do the wrong thing yourself, is always a fun way to add giggles and levity.
Add Hand Motions to Make It Stick
In my pre-k class, we use a social studies curriculum that involves building a community with large, heavy, solid wood blocks. Even as I write this, it sounds a little ambitious to hand these objects to small children, as they could genuinely be a hazard if used improperly. However, I believe children can be coached to use materials responsibly when taught with skill and intentionality. In this case, we have three main rules: use two hands, hold the block below your shoulders, and only carry one at a time. Two hands: we chant “two hands” together and hold both hands out in front of us. Below the shoulders: we chant “below the shoulders,” touch our shoulders, then point downward. One at a time: we chant “one at a time” and hold up one finger. Simple, yes. Effective, also yes.
The best way to tie up this practice is to have a student demonstrate. Choose a student to model what you just chanted and discussed as a class. My favorite approach is to select a student who you predict may have trouble following the rules and let them be your example. Do the same with two or three more students, and you will likely see greater buy-in from the whole group. Vary your vocal tone when giving direct instructions, repeat a simplified version as a chant with the group, add hand motions, and then use students to demonstrate the desired behavior. This simple sequence really seals the deal when trying to get a point across.
Positive Reinforcement: A Classroom Management Essential
Another reliable path to a well-managed classroom is positive reinforcement. You probably learned this in college, and that is because it works. Start right away by naming students who are behaving the way you want, and others will begin to perk up as well, seeking that same verbal praise. You may also add a physical reinforcement item, like a token or a ticket. My school has a ticket system that I use regularly, but I also like to mix in my own token system. For young students, the token, the sticker, or the ticket itself is enough. The act of physically receiving something provides ample reinforcement to encourage positive behavior. I typically do not attach a prize to work toward at this age, but as students get older, that would be worth considering.
Consistency Is the Key to Classroom Management That Lasts
No matter which strategies you implement, give them plenty of time to show results and apply them as consistently as you can. This is not an environment where you can say, “That worked really well, I think we are good now!” On the contrary, you must keep your strategies going every day for the long term. You may also need to mix things up regularly to keep them fresh. Welcome to early childhood education, where we have to be masters of behavior management. We have a few other blogs with similar information and resources for you to explore, so be sure to check those out when you can.
A Final Word for New Teachers
I hope you feel more confident stepping into your very first classroom. This guidance is not meant to be comprehensive. It would be impossible to list every effective strategy or anticipate every scenario you might face. But I hope it gives you a solid starting point. After all, you can read every blog, watch every video, and try every strategy out there, and it will still be difficult to feel truly ready until you have experienced it for yourself. Find what feels right for you, and along the way you will learn to adapt to the unique group of students who walk through your doors each year.
Images in this post were created with the assistance of AI.
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