No Smile Zone

During the new employee orientation sessions, when I first got into teaching, a veteran teacher spoke to my group of educators about classroom management. The vet shared a philosophy with those of us new to the profession that was believed to be beneficial. The advice- "Don't let the students see you smile until Thanksgiving." The rationale was simple: if the students think that the teacher is a softy, they will take advantage of the niceness. According to this philosophy, teachers are better off being tough disciplinarians and loosening the reigns as the school year goes on then to show any perceived weakness that the students will take advantage of early and then try to toughen up.

Hearing this advice, my first thought was that there is a logical fallacy at the core of this line of thinking. The fallacy is in the concept that best practices in classroom management fluctuated between being tough in one moment and loosening up in other moments. The best educators, in my experience, were consistent- always themselves in terms of personality and consistent in classroom behavioral expectations. Consistency is key; everyday, students know what to expect and adjust accordingly- classic Harry Wong First Days of School philosophy.

Smiling is not a sign of weakness; neither is niceness, or compassion, or empathy. These are natural human emotions. Caring shows strength- the strength to move out of your comfort zone and to place the needs of someone else before your own. The best teachers know that it is possible to both care and set consistent classroom expectations. Those same teachers also know that at the core of engaging students in the content is establishing a relationship that fosters student "care", whether the student cares about the content being taught or the student cares about the person delivering the content and engages because of this relationship.

"Before the students care about what you know, they have to know that you care."

John Stephens, one of my mentors in education, used to say to new middle school faculty at Fort Worth Country Day, "before the students care about what you know, they have to know that you care." This philosophy speaks to relationship building as a vehicle for best-practice teaching and classroom management. 

Most academic content is abundantly Google-albe. Content expertise is still a valued asset of a teacher, but content isn't king. The best teachers engage students relationally as a vehicle to teach content and skills. If a student believes that a teacher is rooting for their success and cares about their well-being, then that student can be stretched, academically, and will fulfill classroom expectations, behaviorally. The student does not want to disappoint the teacher in this relationship. The teacher is able to best support the student toward achieving successes.

It is hard to get to know students. Like any persons, students may be guarded. Teachers should be their authentic selves. It is easy to maintain consistency this way, because the teacher simply has to be genuine rather than maintaining a false sense of authoritarianism. 

Showcasing some of your personality in class makes it easier for students to open up and share a bit of their own. I am a sports nut- so I share this with my students and the students share their athletic passions with me. I am also a comic book junky. I share this with my students and the students reciprocate by sharing their passion for comics, or superheroes, or students connect my passion to their passion for drawing, or reading, or movies. 

As the adult in the room, teachers set the tone for acceptable behavior. If a teacher is openly willing to share personality traits and passions, the classroom becomes a safe space for everyone to share, and makes the likelihood of finding that relational connection to students all the more probable. 

Consistency is key. Be you! Smile everyday, if it is genuine. Bring your most authentic self to the classroom and show students that "care" has a place in the classroom.

Please leave comments if you have questions or need further clarification.

Check out my YouTube channel: Chaka Cummings (The Dedicated Educator). Also, find me on LinkedIn and check out some of my published articles on education.