Kid Whisperer Nation Teacher Tips #176-180

Kid Whisperer Nation Teacher Tip #176

NEVER PLAY “MEET YOU HALFWAY” WITH STUDENTS

Some educators will ask for a higher level of behavior from students than they actually need just so they can get a lower level that they actually do want. For example, educators will sometimes ask for silence in the hallway so students will talk softly. NEVER do this. When we meet kids halfway, we teach them that when authority figures make rules, those rules are not really rules at all. Instead set the limits and enforce those exact limits!

Kid Whisperer Nation Teacher Tip #177

ALLOW UNRULY STUDENTS TO SCAFFOLD FOR THEMSELVES

When students refuse to comply with a logical consequence, they are saying to the teacher, with their actions, “I actually need to learn another lesson first. I need to learn that refusing a reasonable request from an authority figure will not get me what I want.”

This will be the most important lesson you ever teach this kid.

At this point, we calmly let the student know that this non-instructional time will be the time during which he will either solve the problem that he caused, practice the behavior that he is having trouble with, or de-stress the educator that he stressed out with his behavior. Otherwise, he can choose to continue to learn the primary lesson: that being belligerent won’t get him what he wants (to get out of his responsibilities as a human being on this Earth). Chances are he has yet to learn this lesson. What a gift it is to this child for his teacher to teach him this real-world lesson.

Kid Whisperer Nation Teacher Tip #178

GET BIG AND MOVE STRONG

All juvenile mammals have a need to either have an alpha take the lead, or become that alpha. As a teacher, you need to be that alpha for the juvenile mammals in your classroom, since you are the leader of the classroom. There are many ways to be the alpha, but the first is to assert yourself by moving like an alpha.

Stand with your shoulders back. When convenient, put your hands on your hips. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart with your knees slightly bent. Sit as much as you can at students' empty desks. Lean back. Put your hands behind your head while interlocking your fingers.

Move through space with strength and purpose. Initiate proximity. Move and stand in the flow of students. Initiate moving near students, calmly establishing yourself as the alpha by being strong with your stance and movement.

Kid Whisperer Nation Teacher Tip #179

MOVE YOURSELF INTO HIGH-VOLUME TRANSITION AREAS

The amount of negative behaviors that occur during transitions is significantly higher than during other times of the day. This is true of preschoolers. This is true of high school seniors. In order to make these behaviors less likely, move into the highest traffic area with a smile and build relationships while simultaneously preventing negative behaviors.

Kid Whisperer Nation Teacher Tip # 180

POINT

Telling a student to sit down or to move a certain way around your classroom or school can be embarrassing for a student, especially if he is the only one out of step with the expectation. Silently getting eye contact from the student who is sitting next to his chair or on his knees in his chair and pointing down can allow the student to save face. Similarly, a student walking down the middle of the hall when he should be walking on the right side can be gently guided to where he should be by an adult pointing to the right. Hint: a smile from the adult says, “This isn’t a big deal, I like you, and you know what to do.”