TPD

What makes us to be a great teacher? Do we need a master degree or a special type of personality that would make our students enjoy on the way we handle the class?... What say you?

‘We can be us just for one day.’ -David Bowie, Heroes

The common notion that you have to forgo your personality to effectively manage our classroom couldn’t be further from the truth.

In fact, sharing our uniqueness, our charisma, and our joie de vivre with our students makes classroom management easier, not harder.

It’s our personality that draws students in, makes us worth listening to, and gives them a compelling reason to want to behave.

If we’re stiff, boring, and spiritless, then no matter how committed we are to following our classroom management plan, we’re still going to struggle with behavior.

You see, there is no magic in the plan itself or even a master degree.

It’s all the other stuff—our likability, our rapport, our consistency, our trustworthiness, and more—that gives us the leverage we need to transform our class.

But many teachers find it difficult to tap into that part of themselves that only their closest confidants and family members see.

So what follows are a few suggestions to help us step beyond our comfort zone and into a stronger, more influential relationship with our students.

1. Be ourself.

A classroom is the perfect place to be more WE than just about anywhere else. Because of the stark difference in generations, we’re free to throw off the social constraints of our age, peers, and professional acquaintances. We can be the real WE without the threat of judgment.

2. Loosen up.

Our students will appreciate any attempt to lay down our guard and have some fun for their sake. So loosen up. Telling some stories, having a laugh together nnd never being afraid to show our passion for teaching. For these are the qualities that make building rapport effortless.

3. Stand tall.

Stooped shoulders, hands on hips, deep sighs. Defeatist behavior constrains our personality and makes us less like the leader they want to follow. How we present ourself to our students matters. So stand tall, be confident, and resolve to not let anything get under our skin.

4. Be present.

We don’t have to be a martyr who stays late and toils on the weekends for the students. We don’t have to be grim-faced and driven, straining for every incremental improvement in behavior. But we do have to be ‘on’ while with our students. We do have to awake, alive, and fully present.

5. Maintain your focus.

Continually remind ourself to enjoy the rewards that come with working with students. Cherish every minute with them—teaching, interacting, inspiring, creating a safe haven. This is our focus. The meetings, trainings, collaborations, and such? They’re just not very important.

6. Join in.

Joining students in a game or activity they enjoy is a simple way to show off our personality and build easy rapport. So jump in at recess one day for foursquare or soccer, and then notice how differently they look at us and feel about us afterward.

7. Close the distance.

We talk a lot on this website about not taking misbehavior personally, about how it undermines classroom management. But it also creates distance between us and our students. Our personality, on the other hand, is what draws them closer and endears us to them.

8. Let It Shine

Showing our personality is an easy, natural way to build influence and leverage with our students.

So does this mean we have to be silly all the time?

Not at all. To a certain degree we still have to pick our moments. But I think most teachers would be amazed at the amount of fun that takes place in well-run, high-achieving classrooms.

few days before, I walked into a 3rd standard classroom during a math lesson.

The teacher was relaxed and cheerful and looked like there was no place in the world she’d rather be. The students were sitting up straight, smiling, and quick to laugh.

I knew walking in that this teacher was one of the best. Her students love her, their behavior is superb, and every year they make extraordinary academic progress.

And so despite being in the middle of a lesson, we joked and laughed. I told a story. The students were attentive and lovely. It was a pleasure being in their company and experiencing this remarkable teacher’s dream class.

So what’s her secret?

It’s simple, really.

She is uncompromising with her classroom management plan.

Her belief in her students, both behaviorally and academically, is off the charts.

And her personality shines into every corner of the room.