Teaching

[iceman]

Greetings. I just graduated college with a teaching degree and I have been subbing at various schools while I find employment. Some classes are great to be in and all students behave, listen, and show respect. Other classes are borderline uncontrollable and I had to send a kid to the office for not listening and calling other kids retarded while in class.

Anyway, how can I instill discipline and respect in a classroom when the regular teacher does not? In other words, is it even possible to do so while only being their teacher for one day without acting like a tyrant?

Thanks.

[mynewunit]

The short answer is prepare. There is no magic bullet. You will have to read the room.  Often you are reaping what the regular teacher has sewn. Also, the same response can create different reactions.  Listen to Podcast 4 around 30 minutes in. It talks about different orders for the same reaction.

Here are a few things that help stabilize the room. Start every class with your expectations. Define what a successful class is.  Have an over rehearsed 30 second intro. Do it slowly and with force, as Jocko says ballistic.

Then do the all the intangibles. Dress really well.  Ironed shirt and slacks. Clean shave. Maybe a "Tight" haircut, somewhere between the Payton Manning and Jocko.  Some upper body muscle and lower body fat gets respect unconsciously. Have an ocean of confidence. If you don't , find something that will help you get that confidence. Sit until you start. Stand up then begin.

Now you have taken care of the first minute of the class. The rest will take an age to learn. Find the leader of the class. Think of them as the NCO. They will be the one that the class looks at for validation.  Use them. If the class is getting out of hand, correct the leader and they will follow. Save the jokes for the end of class.  Be business. 
There are lots of places to work on these skills.  Churches will let you help in school age classes. There are other places like the YMCA, community sports, etc. 
Remember that you are responsible for the class, not the individual.  Likewise reciting the material without student engagement is also a failure.