How to be an Effective Teacher

In order to be an effective teacher, you must be able to effectively and efficiently use classroom
management. Great classroom management skills don’t come overnight, they are something that
must be learned and practiced over a period of time. Teachers are much more than just an authority
figure to their students: They must have the ability to manage time, build a relationship with their
students, and structure their learning environment so that it’s equal for all. They need to be able to
prioritize so their classroom will run smoothly. Here are a few classroom management suggestions
and tips to help you become an effective teacher.

Classroom Management: Use Your Time Wisely

An effective teacher needs to be prepared for anything and have the ability to seamlessly transition
from activity to activity in a timely manner. Think about all of the time that is used to take attendance,
transition in between classes, eat lunch, use the restroom, and the countless things like classroom
parties and presentations that go on all day long. This is time that’s wasted, and children aren’t
learning. Effective teachers must know how to spend their time on teaching so their students are
always learning.

An effective educational professional should be able to create quick routines for entering and exiting
the classroom, as well as passing out papers, and answering student questions. By protecting and
utilizing the time that you have in the classroom, you will find you will have more time to teach, and
your students will have more time learn.

Create Engaging Lesson Plans

While this component may seem like a no-brainer to you, it’s still an essential priority of your
classroom management plan. Focusing on your students’ learning objectives and building activities
that help students achieve these objectives in an effective, motivating manner is your ultimate goal.
Effective educators say that the best classroom management plan is an engaging lesson plan. Once
you have that, then you will not have to worry about any discipline problems in your classroom. So
make sure that your students are always engaged in everything that you plan.

Establish Clear Expectations

Effective teachers make the effort to establish clear expectations as well as the consequences that
correlate with them. These teachers understand that by establishing appropriate and clear behavior
standards in their classroom, their students will abide by them. They also understand that each
standard needs to interact with all of the other priorities in their classroom management plan. This
means that standards need to be limited, as well as appropriate. The teacher’s expectations should
hit the main points, such as being respectful and always coming to class prepared. Once you have
established these main points with your students, then it will be much easier for you to run your
classroom.

Foster a Classroom That’s Equal

All students have the right to a fair education that promotes the success of all students. There are
two components to fostering a classroom of equity. The first is that the teacher must promote it. The
second is that the teacher must go beyond the basic principles of teaching to provide fair standards
to all students in the classroom. Once a teacher does this, they will have succeeded in creating a
learning atmosphere that is equal to all children in their classroom.

Build a Genuine Relationship with Students

One of the most important components in your classroom management plan is to know how to build
a real, genuine relationship with each one of your students. This starts on the very first day of school
when you meet your students for the first time and should continue throughout the year. You should
always greet each student every day with a warm smile and friendly hello and handshake. That can
be followed by a personal greeting using their name, or any other special gesture that you want to
create with the child. By doing this, it will help solidify and strengthen the relationships you have with
each of your students. Once you have a good, solid relationship with your students, it will be easier
for you to push them to success.

Being an effective teacher isn’t just establishing and prioritizing your classroom management plan.
You must continue to work on it throughout the entire school year. You’ll have hits and misses and a
few hiccups here and there. But ultimately, you’ll get there. There even may come a time when you
will need to tweak your plan. This is where it’s important to be flexible and know how to adjust to all
situations. In the end, if you want your classroom to run like a smooth, well-oiled machine, it will take
a bit of work on your part, but will all be worth it in the end.