Starting With the Man in the Mirror

Michael Jackson was an incredible singer/songwriter/performer, one of my favorites actually. In my opinion, his most inspirational song is Man in the Mirror. I find the words so moving, they really do make me want to be a better person. I especially love the chorus:

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change.

Are you sensing a classroom management tip coming? If you are, you won't be disappointed. If we substitute the word "world" for "classroom" in the chorus, there's a profound message. If you want to make the classroom a better place, take a look at yourself and make the change.

The number one lesson we need to learn from MJ's song is, if we want to be successful in managing student behavior, we need to first manage our own behavior. What can a substitute teacher do to control their own behavior?

Research has shown that one of the most powerful behavior management techniques a teacher needs to learn is (beware: it's so simple that you aren't going to believe me, but I promise it's extremely effective) the skill of recognizing students appropriate behavior more than their inappropriate behavior.

What is the ratio that we should maintain of positive to negative interactions? The ideal ratio is eight positive interactions to every one time you correct a student's behavior. By praising students for their appropriate behavior and ignoring most of their inappropriate behavior, a teacher will eliminate up to 94% of inappropriate student behavior in a classroom.

That's it! This one simple strategy can have profound effects!

Because we can't actually control student behavior, all we can do in the classroom is change ourselves. Like MJ said, "I'm starting with the man in the mirror, I'm asking him to change his ways. If I want the classroom to be a better place, I'm gonna look at myself and make the change."

Try it. Next time you are teaching, bite your tongue when you want to address an inconsequential student behavior. Instead, turn to a student who is on task and thank them for working quietly. See what happens. Most likely you'll be as amazed as I am when I see Michael Jackson do the moon walk.