I do not yell at my students. It is just not part of my M.O. I make certain that my students understand my expectations through a variety of forms. I also work very hard to communicate with them in a way that is respectful yet also reflective of my high expectations. I have a decent teacher “look”, I give a lot of visual/proximity clues, and I am not afraid to call out students directly if necessary.
Yesterday was the first time in two years that I have had to “read the riot act”. I did not yell, I got to child’s eye view, and I did not allow for sass. I made it very clear that the students were not meeting my expectations and, in fact, that their current behavior was abhorrent. It did not require me to yell, belittle, or disrespectful. It required me to be courageous enough to be honest and confront three ten-year olds.
Today, they were focused. They worked hard and they were respectful of themselves and of the group.
And I never had to yell.
RunSingTeach 