Help! Can't manage class!

[MikeAych]

After a short career break, I've returned to teaching via supply work but I keep not getting asked back! The most common feedback is that my classroom management isn't up to par, but I managed it before! I seem to have forgotten how to do it!

I expect 100% compliance, I'm very positive, make the rules clear, give incentives for the end of the day, apply behaviour policy (although rarely a school uses it as it describes on their website,) but still pupils choose to ignore me!

I don't know what I'm doing wrong, or what I should be doing and am not.

Any advice would be appreciated!

I am not a teacher but hopefully some will be able to give you advice. Have you tried asking your colleagues for tips?

Hard as a supply worker because most behaviour is a product of relationship, not rules. If its short term could there be a behavioural goal that they work towards for their teacher to find when they come back? E.g. they managed to fill in the 10s square with behaviour point so they can have X from their teacher when they return?

What techniques are you currently using? What age are the children?

My child's school has a "secret student" scheme whereby you choose a name at random from a hat in the morning and then if that person behaves well and makes good choices all day the whole class gets a treat. Teacher reveals the name of the secret student at the end of the day (if they have been good) or puts it back in the bag for the next day if they haven't behaved. The whole class gets a treat if the secret student behaved (eg. 5 minute disco at the end of the day). The kid who was the secret student gets privileges the next day eg. First in line for the lunch/playtime queue, gets hand out the books, gets to draw the name of the next student the following day etc. Because nobody knows if their name has been selected at the end, everyone behaves because it might be them.

This sounds really good. I'll try this tomorrow and see how it goes!

@MikeAych Good luck, hope it goes well.

Some classes also have a big jar that you fill with cotton wool balls/marbles/bouncy balls etc) and every time anyone in the class does something good, a ball goes in the jar. Once the jar is full, the class gets a reward (eg. playing a game outside, watching an episode of a tv show, having a disco party, getting an extra story -or the best prize my son had - a slice of watermelon each😂 etc.)

Another thing to suggest is to put the kids in groups of 2 or 3 and say the best pair/trio at a task will get a prize (eg. pick the music/pick the story/win a marble each for the jar). Behaviour will hopefully improve from teamwork/peer pressure to achieve a common goal.

Another thing to suggest, if you have kids that can't sit still, use these children to give out/collect things up. The movement break and the extra responsibility may help them to regulate their own behaviour.

There are also some facebook groups that might be helpful. You could ask for help from "Teachers Sharing Ideas and Resources" or "For Teachers By Teachers".
Good luck with it and please let us know how you get on.

I don’t know, but it sounds to me as though perhaps you need to mould your approach slightly more to suit the school/ class. For example my son’s class teacher is really good, strong personality, natural authority but fun/ caring with it. Then one day they had a supply teacher who was like something from the 1950s and it was an utter disaster because that’s not what the class was used to!

But it’s difficult to say without knowing what sorts of things have been happening? Have you had students messing about? Have you had to ask other teachers to intervene? Have any of the schools given any more feedback?

What age are you teaching?