It's lesson time soldier. Put down the cuppa and put on your teaching cap. It's time to man the gates!
Your class is coming in from break. They might be all hyped up and energetic from playing or gossiping with friends. They may have come from another lesson, where a teacher had absolutely no control, or there was a video on.
I don’t know what your students have been up to. But neither do you.
If your students are able to explode into your classroom, there could be chaos and dysregulation on a scale not seen since that *insert sport here* match/game where *insert injustice or travesty here* happened. You want the start of your lesson to be calm and welcoming for all. Shouting, playfighting, or running around the classroom will end that vibe immediately.
It is therefore vitally important to be on the threshold of your classroom for the start of every lesson. Stand in the doorway itself, or just outside it. Somewhere you can see both inside your classroom, and outside. Be there early if you reasonably can, before the lesson officially starts.
Why is this so important though?
Well, here are the reasons why the manning your metaphorical or physical gates is important since you so kindly asked:
- Uniform and expectations check.
As the students enter, when you are at the door, you can ensure uniform is correct before they enter. If their jumper or blazer isn’t on, or a tie has turned into a bandana, you can stop them entering the classroom, step them to the side and give them the chance to correct any uniform errors. This is a great time to make yourself look good to the wider school leadership if they see you doing this, and helps reinforce wider school rules. However, it is also a good reminder for the students that your classroom is an environment of work and learning, and sets a positive reminder of the expectations of the school and your classroom.
- Show them who is boss
I don’t mean this in a power-trip sort of way. But I almost do I suppose. I have taught in some very troubled schools with significant behavioural or respect challenges. By standing at the door, verbally narrating instructions or corrections, and firmly but gently denying entry to those not ready to begin the lesson (for example, a student might need a moment to calm themselves outside, lest they speed into the room calling out and ruining the calm atmosphere for all), you are sending a message to everybody else in the class that you are firmly in charge. If a student is not ready to come in, you deny them entry (again, kindly!). If somebody walks in but doesn’t follow your instructions, you instruct them to step back outside and try again, narrating what they need to do once more. It helps to reinforce the importance of your instructions, and highlights that you are in charge of the classroom, not them.
- A non-disruptive personal touch
Sometimes a class is too large to meaningfully bring a personal touch to every student every single lesson. If I have fifty minutes in a lesson and thirty-five students, there is no chance of being able to personally attend to each student and still teach something. By being at the door at the start of each lesson, you can give each student a personal greeting, even if it is a simple “Good morning Alison, I see you remembered your blazer today, good job!”. Our students are still children after all, and may not always get the same attention or respect elsewhere. This is a great time then to build those positive social interactions in, without disturbing the learning environment. You can also take this time to discreetly help out a student in need. More than once, I have slipped a student a coloured overlay or a pen at the door as I know they didn’t like to draw attention to the issue in class.
- Become the bulwark against the chaos outside.
You can’t always manage the state of the whole school. Fights happen; bullying happens. We can only do our best to be vigilant and challenge or report what we come across. Particularly in a school in a challenging context, some students absolutely will not feel safe in the wider school environment. By being at the door, narrating what you expect to see in your classroom, ensuring everybody coming in meets your expectations before entering (or remaining), you are signalling to everybody that your classroom is a safe space, where the problems outside cannot get to them. It was once described to me as being the door to the submarine. Outside that submarine door is the wider ocean, that can swallow everyone up. But you are the safety door. That chaos does not get in, and everyone can relax and feel safe inside.
So let me narrate how I do this. And I really do this, every single lesson, every single time. I even stand in the threshold and help manage the corridors for those glorious PPA lessons that I can relax for.
I physically stand in my doorway, usually I am in fact leaning against the frame of the door. A foot or a hand is lazily spread out, blocking the entry for students.
As the students gather to enter, I welcome as many of them by name as I can. Students enter one at a time, never in groups. I do not drag out any conversations, so this still goes very quickly, less than a minute when done right.
If a student is not ready, either their uniform is incorrect (currently my school insists on blazers on in the corridors for an example), or the student is not calm and able to follow my instructions, I ask them to step aside and explain why. It is not a conversation – “Stephen, step to the left and get that blazer on before you can enter”. I then move my hand or foot once more for the next student to enter.
Every 10 seconds or so I verbally reiterate my instructions, aiming both at the students inside and outside. This is my opportunity to also see who is doing well inside the classroom so I can positively narrate their action. An example is:
“In silence, find your seat. Then write the date, title and complete the do-now task.” *Look around inside the room. “Excellent, I can see Mary has got her book open already, and is copying down the date in silence”.
When every student is in the classroom, I remain at the threshold for a minute or two longer. This ensures if somebody begins to talk in the classroom, I am still readily able to direct them to leave and come back in to get it right. From the entrance I can also keep positively narrating and highlighting our instructions, before I finally move to my desk to complete the register and move on with the lesson.
One final note. On occasions where a class is particularly challenging, this becomes an effective classroom management tool too. Gather a bunch of spare pens, maybe some paper handy for the unequipped students. Supply them at the door to minimise disruption. Then, using the same approach above, let students in. Instead of in a constant flow however, take the time to only let in 3 or 4 at a time.
Wait until they are sat down and silently complying. Give targeted, vocal praise, then let the next few in. This approach takes longer, but it really can help ensure the right tone for a challenging class, and gives them genuine positive praise right at the start of the lesson, which can be invaluable to keep engagement going all lesson.
So hopefully this explains why it is so important to man your metaphorical gates, but also an example of how to do it. I don't necessarily mean my method is the best pedagogical strategy, but it works for me. The important thing though is to be at the door, manning your gatehouse!
Good luck!