Back from the future. If I had a time machine what advice and support would I give my younger self?

Image by Dave Tavres from Pixabay

I love the film 'Back to the Future' where Marty McFly is given an urgent mission to go back in time and save the past from destroying his future. It got me thinking, now that I'm a retired teacher; what if I could write essential advice on behaviour in the classroom, as if to my younger self. Imagine if I travelled back from the future in a time machine (especially if it was the chance to drive a cool DeLorean at 88 miles miles an hour!) what advice would I give my younger self to get me up to speed a lot quicker into the effective style I eventually developed as a seasoned teacher?

I am a veteran principal teacher known for maintaining an atmosphere of calm behaviour in the classroom. I started my teaching career in 1990 and before that took part in a variety of youth work from1980 onwards.

There were many instances earlier on in my career where I had gone home with my head absolutely nipping, wishing things had worked out better with 'the little darlings' in my class.

I am acutely aware there are many new (and not so new) teachers out there who could do with a bit of practical advice and TLC when it comes to what they face every day at the 'chalk (smart board) face', Especially now when the pandemic has 'upped the ante' on behaviour in schools.

Getting positive behaviour in class did not come easy for me. Right from the start at teacher training I had to put my thinking cap on and decide I was on a journey to improve my skills - not just in my subject area but learning how to develop a positive atmosphere in the classroom. It took years of research, training and practice. I hope to save others some of the heartache and pit falls.

#1 : Keep calm.

Resolve within yourself that the atmosphere in your classroom starts with you and that you are ultimately in control of yourself. No matter what happens in the classroom you are going to respond in a calm manner setting the tone for your class. You are a lesson for the young people, an adult role model for the young people in front of you. I know this can be hard when all your buttons are being pushed all at the same time but to give in to anger outbursts or bouts of overt irritation are like a red flag being shown to the class. What does the red flag signal?, it says the teacher is afraid. Do you really want to communicate this to the pupils?

Also anger is a trance state. Once you give into it and let rip you end up saying things that afterwards you wished you hadn't. It breaks relationships. Have you ever said something in anger, when insults and slurs have tripped off your tongue and flowed out your mouth. Later on you wish you could reel those words back in if possible but it is too late. In an angry state, negative comments will ultimately gush out your mouth and the young people in your class are not mature adults, they can take things to heart and then hold a grudge that could last for weeks, months, if not years. Growing up in a volatile emotional family I saw plenty of adults falling out over the years within the family and out with including friends and relatives. Something that was said in the heat of the moment caused offence that lasted for years; some of the fall outs were never resolved and taken to the grave.

I am not saying you roll over and surrender. When you are responding calmly there is more chance your rational mind is still working. Like the metaphor of the duck gliding effortlessly across the surface of a pond, while in fact its legs are working furiously below the surface. You can look calm while at the same time you are thinking through your options and taking steps to bring order to a situation.

There are other suggestions I would give to younger teachers - including my previous blogs on minding the gap, the right way to ask, and maximising positive communication. Keeping calm in the classroom takes a lot of practice, but is worth the effort.