The Unteachables Podcast

#75: My top 4 classroom management tips for a strong start to the school year (and beyond!)

• Claire English • Season 5 • Episode 75

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The start of a new school year is always a mix of excitement and nerves (the Sunday scaries multiplied times over!!). As teachers, we’re not just thinking about lesson plans and curriculum—we’re setting the stage for a whole year of learning, growth, and relationships. What will our students be like? How will they get along? What will the dynamics be? Will they respond to me? How we kick off this journey can make a huge difference in shaping the classroom environment that we want for the year to come.

Gone are the days of cringing through icebreakers and stiff introductions. This year, let’s focus on creating a welcoming space where students feel seen, heard, and ready to engage. From establishing a positive classroom culture to setting clear, collaborative expectations, and even getting ahead with parents, every action we take helps build a foundation for a successful year.

So, how can we make the first days of school truly count?

This episode covers my top 4 strategies that will leave your students—and you—feeling excited and optimistic about the year ahead.

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Speaker 1:

And I want that for you. I want your students to leave your classroom and I know that you want that as well and just be really excited and enthusiastic, but also know the expectations, know the boundaries, know that in your classroom you will be respectful, you will be kind, you will need to work together as a team, you will need to collaborate, and all of those things are what will set the stage for a brilliant year ahead. Oh, hi, teachers, welcome to Unteachables podcast Congratulations. You have just stumbled across the best free professional development and support you could ask for. I'm Claire English, a passionate secondary teacher, author, teacher mentor and generally just a big behavior nerd, and I created the Unteachables podcast to demystify and simplify classroom management. I want this podcast to be the tangible support, community validation, mentorship, all those pretty important things that we need as teachers to be able to walk into our classrooms feeling empowered and, dare I say it, happy and thrive, especially in the face of these really tough behaviors. So ready for some no nonsense, judgment-free and realistic classroom management support. I've got your teacher friend, let's do this. Hi, lovely teachers, it's Tuesday and it's August, which means two things Another episode of the Unteachables podcast, of course, and the second thing is that you are either one of two things You're either at the end of your school year and starting a new one shortly or currently, or you are in the thick of the school year and it's winter and it's dull and it's dreary, and that is a massive contrast with people that are listening to this episode.

Speaker 1:

But either way, no matter what camp you fall into, this is going to be really relevant for you because, yes, it is about the start of a new school year. It's about starting the year strong. Yes, it is about the start of a new school year. It's about starting the year strong. It's about creating a really wonderful classroom management approach that is going to balance having high expectations and having strong boundaries with, you know, having a beautiful community that values kindness and compassion and respect and all the rest of it. But also, if you need to press that reset button, if you are currently in the middle of the school year and things are getting on top of you and things are bloody tough, it also means that you'll be able to implement these kinds of things to reset, like, just press that reset button, because you don't need to wait until the start of the school year. You can do that anytime. There's no time like the present. You're steering your ship, you are the captain of your ship. You can go in there tomorrow, press that button and be a completely new teacher. I have done it many times because you lose your way, you, you know. Things get relaxed, you know you get stressed, you get tired, things slip. It's so easy to do, but at any point you can go back in there and press that reset button and start afresh. So that's what this episode is all about.

Speaker 1:

When you think about that first day of school, you often think about icebreakers and kind of warming the community in a way. And if you didn't listen to last week's episode, if you want to hear more about icebreakers, please go back and listen to last week's episode about icebreakers. First, because the one thing about icebreakers is that it has to be more than that one day. It's more than that. It's more than just okay, let's get to know each other. Bish bash bosh, we are done, that's it. We've gotten to know each other and now let's crack into the learning. It has to be more than that to be authentic and it has to be a consistent warming of the community, and the analogy that I use is the fact that we're not just breaking the ice off. We need to break the ice on that first day and then really warm up that ice to become water, to become a nice cup of tea. Whether you think that's a lame analogy or not, I really like it because it does take time and it does take more than just that first lesson. So, instead of approaching icebreakers as a one and done, to really foster genuine connections, to do it in a way that doesn't require a lot of really unfair social risk on our students, to have fun, to have students walking out of your classroom on the first day going oh my gosh, I am so freaking excited to be a Miss English's English class. Yes, I know I cop a lot for that. I'm so excited for that. You want them to be going home and saying that, instead of going oh, that was horrible. They just put a list of things up on the board not to do. It was just about rules and what to do if we break them and all the rest of it. You want them to go home excited or you don't want them to go home going. That was so. That was really painful. Those icebreakers were painful. You want it to be something that's really positive and exciting and welcoming. So go back and listen to that episode if you want a little bit more about that.

Speaker 1:

The second thing is setting expectations, of course, that students actually buy into. That students care about, that students establish alongside you and go. You know what? This is pretty fair. This is understandable. This is something that I will do as a student, which is the absolute holy grail, isn't it? So, setting expectations that students actually buy into the one thing about expectation setting you don't want to do this necessarily on the first day either. You can allude to it. You can say this lesson we're going to be doing this and the next lesson we're going to be talking about our class values and our class community and about what it looks like to be a student in this particular classroom. But you don't necessarily want to do it first up, on the first day, because then you might lose a little bit of that buy-in, because it should be more than expectations. It should be about establishing a class culture in your class community. Always remember without buy-in, we have absolutely nothing. So how do you gain buy-in whilst also still setting expectations? Well, a lesson on expectation setting must have elements of the following. You need to tick off these three things.

Speaker 1:

The first thing is connection. Students need to understand and connect to the concept of expectations. We make a lot of assumptions about students during the expectation process, mainly that they even know what expectations are, that they understand why they exist and where they exist. When we're thinking about connection and connecting students with the concept of expectations, we need to get them to understand and to see where expectations occur in the real world for them, so they don't see expectations as something that you are enforcing upon them. They don't see it as some kind of authoritarian way of you know, running a room. They need to see expectations as being a really fundamental part of our society, because without expectations, things crumble. Because without expectations, we won't be able to play sports. In the same way, we won't be able to have jobs. We need to connect them with the idea that they are really crucial for what we do as human beings in our world.

Speaker 1:

The second thing that a really great, effective setting expectations lesson needs is an element of collaboration Not just an element, but a really heavy focus on collaboration. Students really do need to be a part of the expectation setting process. They need to see that they have a voice in this. They need to see that it's not just an us and them like, it's not a dictatorship. They're not being told what they need to be doing. They need to be a part of the process. So what is fair with expectations? What is fair for us to expect of them? What should they expect of each other as peers? What should they expect of us as their teacher and bringing it in? So they know that it's not just about them as children having these expectations. That might be unfair, that might be, you know, a bog down to them. It's something that is about all of us together in this, and that is how we establish a value system, rather than something that is just a one and done set of rules on the board that we need to follow.

Speaker 1:

The third thing is modeling. Again, this is all about us being in it together rather than it being about an imbalance in power. As the teacher, the students still have expectations of us. So when we go through the expectation setting process, I always start with us as the teacher. What is it that they expect of us? Because that whole process then models to them what we need to do when we're setting expectations for students and then they're more open and willing to, and more vulnerable and really wanting to contribute to that conversation, because then they go. Oh, that's fair. You know, we just spoke about it with Miss or Sir. It's really powerful to highlight and discuss, and not only is it powerful because it gets more buy-in, but it's powerful because, just like any task modeling if we are going through the process of teacher setting expectations first, then we can go through the whole process. Let's have the same discussions, let's have the same process of collaboration, let's put them up on the board, let's vote on them. So we're actually going pedagogically through the same process of setting expectations than we will when we're doing the student expectations. So it's teaching them how to be a really active part of that discussion.

Speaker 1:

And the final thing to remember about a lesson on expectations is that it has to be more than the lesson itself. The most effective way that we set expectations is through our everyday actions and language, how we follow up on behavior, how we address challenges, how we model the values that we want to see from our class, such as respect and consideration, and that has far more of an impact than a list of rules or expectations ever could. So really think about this expectation setting lesson as a way to establish a foundational set of values for your class. And it really does matter the way that we do that and it really does matter that we get there by it. It really does matter that we collaborate. It really does matter that we connect them with that concept of expectation setting. If you do those three things, if you tick those things off, then you're going to get much further down the line with your students than you would if you're just setting them up with a bunch of rules or expectations that you have dictated to them.

Speaker 1:

I feel like I didn't take a breath there for a second. I feel like I just blurted that all out. It does seem like a lot, but I've tried to make it as easy as possible for you. I have created a lesson on setting expectations that kind of hits all those marks you know, all resourced, all ready to go. If you're a behavior clubber, head over to your membership area and you can download that straight away and you can use it first day of school. You can also use it to reset the expectations. It's an editable PowerPoint. So you can also use it to reset the expectations. It's an editable PowerPoint so you can go in and edit little features. You can edit the language, so you can, you know, frame it as a first um, you know, first day of term or in the middle of term, or however you want to use it.

Speaker 1:

If you're not a part of the behavior club, that's fine. You can come over and join us or you can just download the um, the lesson by itself, from TPT, so I'll put both of those links in the show notes for you. Or it's just the dash on teachablescom forward, slash TBC. But if you are a part of the behavior club it's just such better value. So the lesson on expectations is pretty much half of the cost of the monthly membership and with the monthly membership you get such a wealth of resources and lessons and training. So it is worth it. If a membership is your thing, of course I want the right people in there. I don't just want people coming in willy nilly. If it is something that you desire, if you want to be a part of that community, if you want to have a space to ask questions, to have them answered, to have live, you know, q and A sessions, to have monthly trainings everything you need to make consistent steps in your classroom management practice and teaching practice in general, then definitely come over and check out the Behaviour Club. It'll be so wonderful to have you there.

Speaker 1:

The third thing that I focus on to have a really strong start to the school year is setting a seating plan, and it sounds so simple, but it is absolutely bread and butter in my secondary classroom for a couple of reasons. The first reason is getting to know students' names is crucial for both behavior and rapport. When you have 180 to get to know in a secondary setting, you need all the help you can get. If you've got a brain like mine and the second, a name comes in, it goes back out again. So I've got to really intentionally focus on really learning these names. It doesn't come easily to me, so establishing that seating plan from the get-go gives you a bit of a cheat sheet. So every time you want to address a student, you have a look, you know who you're talking to and they know that they matter as an individual in your classroom. You're really trying to get to know them and that does a massive amount for a poor building if you're really trying to get to know each of their names.

Speaker 1:

One other huge benefit of a seating plan is that having a set spot for students from the very get-go, or if you're wanting to press that reset button, it significantly reduces the anxiety that comes from the uncertainty of walking into a room and not knowing where you're sitting. You don't know if your students are having issues with other students, if there's a little bit of a difficulty in their friendship group and there's, you know, a little bit of anxiety around like, oh, do I go and sit with them or do I sit over here, like you. Just you want to mitigate some of that. So if you are able to do a seating plan, that will reduce the anxiety, that prevents the dysregulated behaviors that can come from that uncertainty. So it really is an all around classroom management win. If you do set a seating plan Again, it's not for everybody Some of you might have flexible seating and it might work really brilliantly for you. You might not need a seating plan.

Speaker 1:

For me personally, in the settings that I've worked in, I find it absolutely crucial, especially at the start of the year. You know what, in two weeks time I might move them around, or, lesson to lesson I might get them in their seating plan and then throughout the lesson I might get them to move into different groups, but then I'll move them back into their seating plan. You can do it in a way that works for you, but at the start of the year, getting to know their names, reducing that anxiety and uncertainty, just goes such a long way for establishing that classroom management approach that you want. But also it positions us as a teacher. I'm not saying as like an authoritarian kind of you know person that wants to control everything, but what it does is it sends messages to the rest of the class that you know what? I am the leader, I am in control here, not in control of everybody, because that's not what the point is in control of ourselves and in control of our space and like just you know, all over things really. So it just sends those messages of credibility and control to your students that I've got this, you know, I've got you, this is okay, I'm leading this room. So be really clear when I'm saying control, it doesn't mean controlling my students. It means controlling the space, controlling ourselves, controlling our practice and being the credible leader that our students need us to be.

Speaker 1:

So the fourth thing, the fourth thing that we need so we've gone through seating plans, we've gone through expectation setting, we've gone through icebreakers. So the fourth and final thing that I wanted to talk about. Of course, there are so many things that I could speak about in terms of starting a really strong classroom management approach. The reason I won't go into all of them is because Then I start to blur the lines into all the things that just like everyday things. So I need to, I need to, you know, cut it off somewhere. So this is the fourth thing that's very specific to the start of the year that I make sure that I do.

Speaker 1:

To have a really strong start and it's get ahead of the game with parents and carers, I have to set a priority list of parents and carers that I know are going to be crucial in developing that trust and rapport with. How do I choose? Well, I have to choose because I've got hundreds of students, but I choose by thinking about the students who have had challenges in past years. I think about parents who maybe haven't been on board in the past with other teachers. I might ask my faculty who are the parents? If you had to start all over again, who would you try to start fresh with and who would you really try to get on board and get that buy-in?

Speaker 1:

I write a list of students who I know have struggled with their behavior and I go through that list and give their parents and carers a call with a purpose of introducing myself, acknowledging the issues, requesting any information that might help me support their child. Just express excitement for the year ahead and optimism for the year ahead with their child and make a follow-up plan for contact if necessary. This simple act. Again, you don't do it with every single parent and carer, because then you'd be on the phone for the next six months, but what you do need to do is focus on the ones. You need to break the barriers down with, the ones who might've struggled to get on board with the school the year prior. It just sends a big message that, here with me, your child's teacher, this year, there is a fresh start.

Speaker 1:

I really want to work with your child. I'm acknowledging the issues here. I'm saying they have struggled in the past. I'm not going in with rose-tinted glasses. I know this might be challenging. However, I want your support. I want to work with you. Is there anything that you can tell me about your child that might help. Is there anything that you wish was different last year? Is there anything that I should know? Is there anything that I can do right now to support your child, because I really want to make my classroom a safe, exciting, wonderful place that they can come in, engage and learn, learn. You can say to them would you like a call every fortnight or an email every fortnight just to give you a little bit of an update on the positives and the things that they've struggled with, so really opening the door for collaboration and connection, and it just goes such a long way because we don't, we can't do it by ourselves. We're, you know, we're not in control of everything, like so much happens outside of the classroom.

Speaker 1:

If we can get parents and carers on board, especially the students who really struggle with their behaviors, it goes such a long way. It's not always going to work. Sometimes they will be just really disengaged with the school and that is for a variety of reasons. If you're in the behavior cloud, make sure you go and watch the lesson specifically on the challenges that we can have with parents and carers and how we can overcome those barriers, because that goes through three reasons why, or four reasons why, we can really struggle with the relationships and building rapport with parents and carers and the ways that we can overcome those barriers. That's definitely a must listen, but just for the purpose of this podcast.

Speaker 1:

One reason might be that we represent something far more to these parents and carers than just being their child's teacher. We could represent the whole education system to them, one that has let them down, maybe one that's treated them poorly, one that they have felt nothing but failure in. So we really need to be conscious of that, and we can often feel really bogged down in the fact that we can't work really positively with these parents and carers. All we can do is try, just like with our students. All we can do is present that offer to them of you know what? I'm here, I'm willing to work with you, I want to collaborate, I want you on board with me. It's up to them whether they accept that or not, because we don't control them, just like we don't control our students. Okay, so those four things again that we just went through, to start the year strong or to press that reset button.

Speaker 1:

By the way, if you're in the middle of the year and you haven't gotten ahead with the parents and carers. That's also fine. Make it a point of just giving a couple of positive phone calls a week. Just try to catch the positive with a couple of students and make those phone calls home. Just try to break those cycles with some of those parents and carers. You can do that at any point in the year and it does make an impact with the young people as well. If you've got a student that you're really struggling with, if you just pick one thing that they are doing, that you're like, oh my gosh, like you know, james, that was amazing. Today I saw what you did Give the parent or carer a call. It's likely they don't get a lot of calls home Say can you please let James know that? You know, I gave you a call, I told you what happened today, because that is just so brilliant for the relationship and the trust with that student as well.

Speaker 1:

So the four things number one is breaking the ice, but remembering it is more than just breaking the ice. It is warming the community, like that piece of ice that you break off and then you put in a pot and you warm up over the year and by the end it might be a nice cup of tea that you can have with your class. The second thing is setting expectations that actually stick, expectations that students buy into, expectations that are a beautiful value system with your class, not just something that sits up on the wall and just is, you know, collecting dust is superfluous to everything that you're doing in the room. The third thing is a seating plan not for everyone, maybe, but it's definitely for me, for a variety of reasons. The first reason is the fact that it helps me remember their names and names are powerful as a teacher, especially if you teach hundreds of students as a secondary teacher and it takes a lot longer to get to know their names. It also reduces the uncertainty as students walk into the room, which means that it reduces anxiety, which reduces dysregulated behavior. So it's an all-around classroom management win and it sends messages to our students that we are in control of our space, we're in control of ourselves and in control of our practice. We are the credible leader of the room and with us they are safe because we are leading that space.

Speaker 1:

And, finally, getting ahead of the game with parents and carers, picking those parents and carers that you think are going to be really crucial to build that rapport with because you might need to collaborate with them a little bit more throughout the year and with well over a hundred students in secondary, you can't get around to every single parent and carer. It's brilliant if you can, but if you can't really picking those parents, introducing yourself, acknowledging the issues and really expressing excitement and optimism for the year ahead and making that follow-up plan, if you want to take the guesswork out of that. By the way, again in the behavior club I've given you prompts like a script for actually going through and engaging in that discussion. So it has like explicit, explicit prompts on what to say in a four-step process. I've also included an email that you can copy paste, change however you want, because that will also be really supportive in just being kind of like a really easy way of reaching more parents and carers if you've got quite a lot that you need to focus on for the year. So all of those scripts and all of those discussions are inside of the Behaviour Club monthly focus, starting the year strong for those of you who are in the club and if you're not in the club, it's never too late to join you can always just pop over In the show notes. I've put the link or it's the-unteachablescom forward. Slash TBC.

Speaker 1:

Finally, just keep your eye on the prize. That goal for the first week back needs to be about creating a classroom culture where students are excited and enthusiastic to come back. That will set the tone for a successful and positive school year ahead. When they walk through the door after the first day, put their bags down and go yes, this is going to be a good one with Miss English in English, or whoever you are and whatever you teach and wherever you are in the world and I want that for you. I want your students to leave your classroom and I know that you want that as well and just be really excited and enthusiastic, but also know the expectations, know the boundaries, know that in your classroom, you will be respectful, you will be kind, you will need to work together as a team, you will need to collaborate, and all of those things are what will set the stage for a brilliant year ahead, or we'll press the reset button if you're having a little bit of a difficult one. You're going to do incredible things teachers. I can't wait to hear all about them. Always send me an email or send me a DM on Instagram and let me know how you're going.

Speaker 1:

I love to hear it and remember that everything that I've spoken about in this episode and last episode the expectations lesson, the templates, the prompts, the all the icebreakers, everything you can access inside of the behavior club If you're a behavior clubber, alongside a starting the year strong mini course. So it kind of goes over the ins and outs of all the things I've discussed. And if a membership is not your thing and you want a standalone product, you can head to the behavior hub, which is my TPT store. I just want it to be really easy for you. I just don't want there to be guesswork involved. If you want something in particular, if you're like, yes, that sounds exactly like what I need right now to reset my expectations, or that sounds like exactly what I want for my first lesson back then it's there for you if you wish to access it. But, teachers, I am wishing you all of the best for the back to school season and I can't wait to hear all of the wonderful things that you do. Take care, and I'll see you next Tuesday. At the same time,

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Claire English

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