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Being a teacher is tough sometimes, especially when you come across kids who have behavior problems. You're not alone!! Teachers around the globe have the same feeling; they face the same kind of challenges. Even the most experienced teacher has her or his share of managing difficult kids. It may be talkative kids or a stubborn one or may be power disputes.
Some kids have the tendency of non-stop talking. This really distracts their peers from concentrating on what they are supposed to be doing. The easy way to handle this is by giving them positive instruction like “Can you remain silent?” and then you must quickly follow up by saying, “Thank you for following directions. I really appreciate it.”
If the talking happens when you're in the middle of teaching your class you can just stop and look at them. By doing that you will bring to life a reminder that you're in charge and they should be listening to you rather than talking to each other.
In addition to these strategies there are some ed-tech apps that can help us indicate the noise in the classroom like “Too Noisy.” This app has a free version and it indicates the noise in the class. Students should stay in the green zone to be safe and healthy.
Once the class is quiet you can give them an incentive (i.e., a minute to stand up and stretch or an extra five minutes of fun time during recess or they can read their favorite book to their peer). Just be creative; you know your kids.
For the ones who are still out of control, take away their privileges because being noisy is very contagious. It spreads quickly. Look out for the source and fix the problem by moving their seats or appointing them to be the teacher’s helper or have a conversation with their parents.
These are just a few things to help you get your classroom noise level down for the sake of your sanity! Being on classroom noise patrol can be an exhausting job. Hopefully at least one of these tips will help you to bring your classroom volume down a notch or two. Have you tried another tactic to help your classroom get a little quieter? If so, tell us about it!
by Alwina Kindo
Alwina teaches at New Orleans Adventist Academy.
