How to Improve Your Middle School Classroom Culture
It’s that time of year, where we as teachers get to take what we learned in the first semester and start a new. I know that I was one of many teachers who found herself not only needing the break but also needing to come back to adjust course and make things better for my students and myself. While an entire classroom overhaul wasn’t needed each year, small improvements were always needed. This post works for those who are needing to make a few tweaks and for those who are needing a classroom overhaul. And, it works for ANYTIME you are feeling like you need a classroom reset!
Follow these five steps to support in resetting your classroom.
1. Reflect on what is going right/ well
2. Evaluate your classroom expectations
3. Write a reframe script along with supplemental lessons
4. Utilize the support of your administration
5. Restore relationships with your students
1. Reflect on what is going right/ well
First things first, get out a sheet of paper and a writing utensil. If you know me, then you know, we must always reflect first. This first reflection has you making a list of everything that is going well. It might be hard if you are stuck in the negatives but there are bound to be things that are going right. Set a timer for five minutes and don’t let that pencil stop! If you start to run out of things to write, that is okay, you can repeat but the biggest thing is, you have to acknowledge there are things that are going well. I have started my own list below to help you get started:
- I work with amazing colleagues
- X amount of students have grown 5 points on MAP
- I received that cute thank you letter from a student
- X student drew me that picture
- I have grown on our teaching rubric by a half a point
- I have managed to make my lunch for the last two weeks
- I made it to the gym 2 times in the last two weeks (better than nothing)
- I have gone to bed by 9:00 pm 5 out of 7 nights this week
- X student told me I was their favorite teacher
- My lessons keep getting better (and I am managing to spend less time on them)
As you can see, you can go any where with these reflections but the bottom line is that you have to know that some good has come out of the semester! You’ve got this, now get reflecting and celebrating.
2. Evaluate your classroom expectations
It is likely you will not need to create a new set of expectations but it is imperative to evaluate which are working, those you feel are not as important, or perhaps the expectations you are having a hard time upholding. It is critical to think about what you expect of your students and also reflect on why your expectations may or may not be working. In this evaluation process, it can be easy to place the blame on the students, for now it is important for you to reflect on your expectations of your students and why or why not your students are not upholding the expectations.
Questions you can ask yourself:
- What is my expectation really look like and sound like?
- Do my students know exactly what this expectation means? Could they describe what it looks and sounds like?
- What have I already done to support my students in learning the expectation?
- What do I do or not do to uphold the expectation?
- What needs to change in order for this expectation to be better upheld?
Click here for a copy transcript of a coaching conversation I had with a teacher when working on a classroom reset and evaluating their expectations. You can use this conversation as a guide to support your own reflection process.
3. Write a reframe script along with supplemental lessons
Now that you have been able to evaluate which expectations are working, which one’s aren’t and why, now is the time to begin the process of reframing the expectations and to do this in a way that will be authentic, and connected to the gaps you found in step two. It will be very important to purposefully align the way in which you are introducing these expectations and the lessons to your expectation evaluation.
As you write out what you will say when reframing your classroom culture, you will want to be vulnerable yet firm. Allow students to know, the first part of the year didn’t go as you would like and how you are committing to changes because your class deserves it. From there, without being too “lectury”, let your students know things will feel and be going differently from here on out.
After scripting the reframe, begin to write a few lessons that will support how students can better internalize the expectations. I ALWAYS first reintroduce the expectations and have students reflect just as I did. Have your students consider where they thought they excelled on the classroom expectations and why, where they missed the mark and why. From there, have students decide what they first want to work on in terms of helping to uphold the expectations.
In this step, it is critical that you are well thought out and planned. Everything you do and say must be intentional, aligned, help to uphold the expectations and ensure students know how the rest of the year is going to feel different.
(Click here to receive example scripts along with a resource guide to support the lessons.)
4. Utilize the support of your administration
If at all possible, during this initial reset, have admin in there to support you. By having them there, they can help reinforce what is expected and how these expectations will be upheld by both you and through the support of your admin. (In the case of the coaching conversation above, I was there for the actual reset).
From that point on, further ask your admin to try to even pop-in for a few minutes at least one time a week and have them observe to see how YOU are upholding the expecations.
And if possible, take these observations one step further by having these observations be true coaching cycles. Tell the observer to focus on a 1×1 format. “What is one thing you see me doing well only one thing you believe is contributing to the crux of any issues you are seeing?” Then make sure you have at least 20 minutes on the calendar for a meaningful debrief.
5. Restore relationships with your students
Have you had true restorative conversations with students? Do you know really know your students and have you considered why things with your students aren’t going well? What about with their families? Resetting your classroom as a whole is one thing but a critical component is supporting your one on one relationships with your students. And again, perhaps you are thinking, “This all seems to take a lot of time and effort.” Well the truth is, it does and the likelihood of you ever having to reset again will be minimal because you will have done a lot of this from the start. (You can have access to my First 15 Days: Classroom Culture Guide, where I guide you through a vision and classroom expectation setting exercise along with concrete lesson ideas and examples).
(Click here to receive example scripts along with a resource guide to support the lessons.)
Once this conversation happens, ensure each day you have some type of individual check-in with the students you had these restorative conversations with. If you are going for formal, eat lunch with them, have them come in early and help sharpen pencils or stay late and set up bulletin boards, etc. Informal, it can be as simple as asking how their night was, what they ate for dinner, what time they went to bed. Whatever you do, show them and remind them constantly you will be upholding your commitment. If you want to read about how I did this in my seventh year of teaching, check out a chapter from my book, “I can’t do this! Are you happy now?”
Meanwhile, be sure to be on the same page with these particular students’ families. (Again, you can get my free parent/family and student script here.) Ensure you are reaching out to these families regularly, letting them know the progress their student is making, sending a quick note home, letting them know how much you appreciate their child.
With these five steps, I guarantee your classroom will begin to feel like a different place. Happy resetting!
For all of the mentioned resources including the family script and lessons be sure to visit here. Once you are signed up, all materials will be on their way.
Additionally, I am currently providing a free coaching cycle for three teachers. The cycle is four weeks and includes:
- one pre-conference
- two virtual observations
- two observation debriefs
If you are interested, email me at admin@teacherrenewed.com!
