But What About Behaviour PDF

BUT WHAT ABOUT BEHAVIOUR?
1. WHO AM I AND WHY DID I START THIS SERIES?
2. START AS YOU MEAN TO GO ON!
3. WHOLE CLASS BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
4.REFOCUSING ATTENTION
5. TIDY UP TIMES AND FUSS FREE TRANSITIONS
6. INCORPORATING MINDFULNESS
7. ‘TOUGH’ KIDS
Hey! You will either know me as @goodmorningmsfoster or Jen. Both of which, unsurprisingly,
are correct! I am just about to start my seventh year of teaching and it may be shocking to
hear that I am not dreading it. I know! I have taught from Year 1 to Year 6 and am currently
loving life getting my sing on in Year 1. I had to get a handle on behaviour management
pretty quickly as I started supply teaching after university when I was 20. Word to the wise,
inner London children do in fact smell fear. I then decided to work in a school that was failing
in Hackney. Long story short, I became Whole School Behaviour Lead. I implemented the first
nurture provision in my school for children at risk of exclusion. I then went on to creating a
whole school ethos that focused on teaching, celebrating and promoting social, emotional
and personal development. I am now in my second year of international teaching in Malay-
sia and loving it. That’s just a little bit about me! As I am currently based in year 1, some of my
the tips and tricks in this handbook might lean towards that age group. I do feel that all strat-
egies can be adapted to the older kids. However, there are some strategies that are just for
the bigs. They will have this symbol next to them.
© Jennifer Foster, 2018

Look out for these teacher in-

sights from my Instagram
throughout this handbook!
Behaviour includes the actions and responses we make based on how we are feeling. Right? Why am I saying ‘we’
and not ‘children’ or ‘students’? I do this because my ethos is to reflect on myself in order to be the best teacher I can
be. Behaviour is not a concept that is discrete to a certain age group, we all behave in certain ways at certain times
and understanding our own behaviour is key to successful behaviour management. For example, how do you act
when you are hungry or tired? Mmhmm need I say anymore?
Disruptive student behaviour has ranked among teachers’ top concerns for more than 15 years and can be one of
the prime reasons teachers leave teaching. Whaaaat? I know right. Because let’s face it, teaching is not black and
white and behavior management can really get in the way of our fantastically designed lesson plan. How rude. Be-
haviour management can leave us drained, buying a tub of Ben and Jerry’s and watching ‘Dangerous minds’ in des-
peration. (Or Freedom writers, but you catch my drift!) 90% of my followers admitted to experiencing highs and lows
with behavior management. Yet, it still sits on the sidelines of educational fame. Giving up its seat to the world of data
and numbers. THE WORST.
I asked my followers what they struggled with in behaviour management and promised to deliver a weekly video se-
ries full of practical tips to get you entering your classroom with some Sasha Fierce confidence. This written document
works alongside the video series so you don’t have to sit, watch and write everything down. We are too busy for that
nonsense. For access to any of the original videos simply go to the hashtag #butwhataboutbehaviour where you can
find a selection of strategies and tips to apply to behaviour management.

My Ethos is FOSTER behaviour and this is the backdrop to every behaviour management decision I make.
FOR THE CHILDREN—If you are not doing it for the children, why on earth would you waste your precious time? If they
are not going to benefit in any way, scrap it.
ORGANISED—Honey, be prepared to be prepared. Break down your lessons and think about what might be an obsta-
cle in terms of behaviour and then come up with a plan. Break down your day and think about the possible triggers
for our children. We cannot remember everything. But when you have had a bad day with behaviour take the time
to reflect, analayse and then implement a new strategy so it never happens again. Don’t give up guys,
SAFE—The fundamental principle of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. If a child does not feel safe, it is impossible to learn.
Reflect on yourself, what do you need to feel safe? You need to know the routines, what is expected of you, when
you will be fed, when you can go to the toilet etc. Safety is the beginning of everything.
TIMELY—Behaviour management should be time efficient. Successful strategies are ones that can be implemented
without interference to your lesson but with immediate impact. In all of my strategies and tips this is very important to
establishing routines and their implementation.
ENTHUSIASTIC—Whatever you do ladies and gents, do it with heart and soul. Because if you don’t believe it, they
won’t believe it.
ROUTINES—Succesfully implementing structure, consistency and routines is more than using a few strategies. It is a
mindset to adopt. This is a re-occurring theme throughout this handbook and I apologise in advance for CONSISTENT-
LY bringing it up!
By the end of this handbook you should have a new surge of energy for behaviour management and hopefully will
be Usain Bolt’in into the classroom with some practical tools ready at hand. I am also hoping this handbook will shed a
new light on behaviour management and provide you with some helpful insight to tackle any obstacles that come
your way for the rest of your teaching days! When reading this handbook or watching my series do keep in mind that
behaviour management does not start and end with you. Behaviour management is a balance of different variables,
some you can control and others you cannot. Trust me I know. Keep in mind, this handbook is a selection of strategy,
tips and a mindset to apply to behaviour management. If you are really struggling it is important to talk to your leader-
ship and management team.

@rosie_charlotte14 @charlotte_clint @kindergarten-
@teach- @littlestarteach- @theteacheron-
@miss_b_insta @engage_and_educate @teachers4teachers

START AS YOU MEAN TO GO ON
“Sit down, partner voices, kind hands, hands up, no shouting, no running,
share” need I go on? Once, I was so tired of repeating myself that I recorded
myself saying the instructions before children started the task. I then contin-
ued to play it and refused to answer questions! Not my proudest teaching
moment but 99% of you tell me you too are a real life broken record in the
classroom. So how do we put a stop to that? Well, it starts at the very begin-
ning: high expectations, a consistent approach, clear routines and structure.
Here are my top tips do relinquishing the rewind.
Organise, plan ahead and think really carefully about what you want your expectations to be, be-
cause if you change your mind you can expect chaos. I know it is tempting to be like ‘Oh hey, here’s
some great golden rules I found on piniterest, I’ll just use these’ but it might not fit exactly for your class-
room, your students and your ethos. So by all means, look on TPT, Twinkl, pininterest etc but use all of
this research to mould expectations that are completely designed for your class.
I always have to give my teaching team a bit of a heads up, like ‘Guys, I am going to be really weird
about this but it’s all a game of theatrics ok? Please know I am not really keen about lining up because
there is more to me than that!’ I know it is monotonous, super wriggleys extra and just not what we
came into teaching for. Having said that, it is ESSENTIAL to continue practicing until it is perfect. High
expectations start and end with YOU. Sometimes our need to build positive relationships can make us
think ‘Oh no they are going to hate me if I ask them to do it again so maybe we just get the parachute
out?’ But believe me teachers this is a mistake. They will not hate you. They want to please you. If you
expect anything below par then they will continue to give you below par because you have not en-
couraged them to do better. Then when you decide this isn't good enough, you will have confused
them and THAT is when you can damage you relationship with your children.

Ok stay with me guys, I know this sounds a bit wild. Let’s say you want your children to line up perfectly,
let’s convert that into a learning objective. We are learning to line up beautifully. Now let’s break that
down for our students, what could the success criteria be? Standing up straight? Directly behind the
person in front of you? Not speaking? Hand by your side? If you don’t make this specific for children,
how would they know how to achieve it? We would never have a learning objective of writing a letter
and not break down how to achieve it. Behaviour expectations are the same. Similarly, we wouldn’t
lecture children about writing a letter and then expect them to do it. What would we do? We would
show examples, videos, have discussions, planned questions, their ideas, collaboration etc. We need to
do the same with behavior expectations. Teach them. We need to get out of the habit of saying ‘Do it,
why isn't it done? How disappointing etc’ It is our job to teach them properly to behave in the certain
way. So lets do it.
Expectations can be boring, sorry! It’s good to have some games up your sleeve for when you spy
some nodding heads and dribbling mouths (Ewww).
Freeze
Children walk around, you say an expectation, they freeze whilst showing it. Mix it up by asking them
to show what they SHOULDN’T be doing too and have a little giggle with that.
Taboo
Write the expectation on a card, write a list of things they can’t say. That way they have to talk
more about why it is important. Up the ante by making it competitive and doing it in groups.
Photo reveal
Take a photo of them completing an expectation /rule and slowly reveal it by showing jigsaw sec-
tions of the photo on your interactive WBD. Do it in teams and see which team can guess first!

Pictionary
Draw an expectation/rule for your team, Can they guess it in a time limit? Which team will guess the
most!
Freeze and play
One for the older students. Write out some scenario slips, it could be children showing the class expec-
tations or children not. They have to create a freeze frame to show the scenario. When you decide,
you can ‘Play’ the scene. They can then start acting out what happens after the freeze. You can
freeze it again and discuss with your class: What are they showing? What have you noticed so far?
What do you think will happen next? Etc.
Kahoot
Why not revisit your expectations with a quiz? Man I love a quiz. Kahoot is great, it is an online quiz you
can create that works for you. Super quick and easy. Children answer it on IPADS (Did someone say
IPADS!!??) so they are loving life. Wait a second, are we still revisiting expectations?
Plickers
Another cheeky tech twist on reinforcing expectations. All children get a plicker (It is kind of like a QR
code). It has 4 different representations (a,b,c and d) you can show these by moving it 90 degrees.
You upload questions with the a-d multiple choice. They show their answer using the plicker. You can
scan the answers using your IPAD. Then the statistics come up on the screen. You can check miscom-
munications from there. It sounds complicated but once you’ve got it, it’s a great tool for assessing,
especially for those areas that need a little spicing up!
You cannot ensure consistency without structure. I know this is hard in a primary school—we get a
new idea, there’s a themed week, we want to finish off the morning work...but try and find some reg-
ular activities that punctuate the day. I have found this drastically improves behavior. Here are some
examples ; a song after break, handwriting after lunch, a story before the end of the day, etc. Don’t
let it ruin your timetable! Make it work for you!

Visual timetables are life. I cannot stress this enough. Imagine going to an inset day with no agenda
or timetable, how unsettled would you be? I would be like ‘I am not partaking in any ice breakers
until I know when there are breaks!’ This is even more important for children. I spot mine looking
through the door to catch a glimpse of the visual timetable before they go in. It makes them feel set-
tled and safe, key to ensuring positive behavior management and a setting ready for learning.
Take away tips:
 It must be visual. I know that sounds like a waste of words there but bear with me. There are lots
of templates out there but if it doesn't quite suit your lessons than it is completely redundant.
Think carefully about your icons. Last year I introduced a new writing workshop session. I could
have put a picture of a pen but instead I took a picture of our class writing passport. That way
they knew exactly what to expect. The point is to make it explicit, not a Peter Andre Mysterious
girl.
 Go through your timetable. It is not enough just to have it there. Think back to that inset day
again, the more info you get, the better you feel about the day. I always go through each icon
after the register, explain a little bit about the lesson, what they can expect, what I am looking
for with Flamingo of the day, how they can achieve it and at what point.
 In Primary School’s there is always something different. Birthday party what? Eco day you say?
Edu tech week? We love to make it complicated. I have blank icons ready for times like this!
That way you can write and draw something on when needed. You could also use post it’s to
adapt and change. Whatever you do, don’t ignore it! Children need to learn to adapt and
change, and pretending it is not there can lead to anxiety which may seem like ‘misbehavior.’
There is no point you pouring your heart, soul and unicorn blood into routines and expectations if
your team are not backing you. If they stray even a pinky nail measurement away from your well
thought out plans then BOOM you’ve got a group of confused children on your hands. What can
they get away with? What will happen if they say this? What if they act in a certain way? You must
stand as a united front to gain consistency and maintain high expectations. This means being a
good manager as well as a teacher! But that’s another handbook!
Take away tips:
 Make an easy to read outline of your routines and structures for your TA
 Treat your TA as an equal teacher and make this obvious to the children. This equality from you
will make your TA more keen to mirror the correct policies.
 If your TA has not followed something correctly it is probably because it wasn't clear. Go
through it again as a class rather than ignoring it or being annoyed by it!

@miss_b_insta has created resources to complement this handbook. You can

purchase the positive behaviour choices at her teacherspayteachers account.

purchase the visual timetable display at her teacherspayteachers account.
@engage_and_educate has a great visual timetable resource that you can pur-
chase from her teacherspayteachers store.
WHOLE CLASS BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
100% of my followers admitted that whole class behaviour management sys-

tems can be tricky. 100% agree with you gang! Of course they can be! There
are SO many different ones to choose from. Sometimes your school can be
quite restricting about what you can do, sometimes you have no idea what
you can do. Well look no further, I am going to outline some of my favourite
behaviour management systems. The first thing you need to know about start-
ing a new system is you have to be committed and determined to make it
work. You have to put the time and effort into practicing, revisiting and con-
tinually positively reinforcing this system. You can’t just decide one day ‘Ok
babes we are now going to start doing this,’ and expect them to be like ‘Yep
for sure.’ Because kids do not co operate in that way! Unless you have found
a magical school in which case DM ME! Energized and ready to start? Read
on!
All hail Class Dojo! This is a digital behaviour management tool where you
can give children points electronically. You can decide what the points are
for, which is great for streamlining to your school’s behaviour ethos. Class
Dojo is so much more than just a points system. It connects with parents so
they can see how their children are doing. You can access it on you IPHONE or IPAD. It can act as a
class instagram where you can upload pictures of what the class are doing that parents can see. You
can also upload individual ‘stories,’ celebrating or evidencing individual students. I would highly recom-
mend this as a behaviour management strategy. I also feel like there is so much scope with Dojo! I start-
ed by simply announcing top Dojo points of the week but then I advanced to having weekly celebra-
tion assemblies, having dojo badges, certificates and play passes. There is so much to do and once the
children are used to this system you can continue to develop it. So what are you waiting for?
When I was working in Year 6, I was working with alow ability group (there were 4 sets and 2 classes) and
they had very low self esteem. I tried everything to make them feel special and one thing was really ef-
fective: motivational tokens. I made up some laminated circle tokens with motivational messages on
them. ‘I am so proud of you.’ ‘You are a superstar today!’ ‘I can see you’re trying really hard.’ I had
LOADS. I carried them in my hand whilst I was teaching and continued to give them out throughout. At
the end I would ask them how they think they did that lesson and they would read them back with
pride. Cue tears. Now, this was before emoji got big and definitely before bitmoji was life so you can
really make these your own and get crazy with them. It is also a non verbal way to continually keep
track of behavior, but more importantly, make our children feel special which is the real aim, right?
This is great for a) getting what you want out of your children and FAST and b)
keeping positive momentum in your class. Everyday I announce what chil-
dren will explicitly have to do to be Flamingo of the day for tomorrow. I will do
this at registration and throughout the day. I pick whatever I am needing that
day: good listening, focus in writing, collaboration...and of course I give lots of
opportunities to be able to achieve it! Flamingo of the day gets a certificate,
a rainbow cushion to sit on all day, our class flamingo to look after and a
shout out on Class Dojo #celeblife. I also do Flamingo of the week for some-
thing outstanding. I do not tell children what I am looking for here. They have
to impress and stand out to me in the week. For Flamingo of the week they
are awarded a certificate, the flamingo to look after over the week (OMG)
and our class scrap book to add in photos and perhaps some writing (you
know you want to) about what they did with Flamingo over the weekend. It
doesn't have to be a flamingo! You guys can brand it how you want!
An alternative way to choose your Flamingo/star/VIP

of the day. This idea was inspired by Miss 5th. I put chil-
dren’s photographs in each of the balloons. Each day
you pop one to reveal (with a bang) who is the lucky
chosen student for that day. I then stick their photo on
a piece of paper and ask the class to share compli-
ments about that individual. That poster goes on the
door so everyone can see who the Flamingo of the
day is and at the end of the day they take both the
poster and the certificate home.
As seen on my Instagram @goodmorningmsfoster

So this one is for when you are mid teaching and you can spot a couple of children off task (how dare
they, am I right?) Sometimes it is hard to apply a whole school management system when you are mid
teaching. I am not going to stop mid sentence because I can see someone talking, login to Dojo and
give a point to someone who is not talking, no! That takes too long. It is good to have a flexible system
that can be applied easily at any time. I have a weather display system at the front of my classroom. This
is simply an image of a sunshine, a cloud and a rainbow. I have all children’s names underneath it.
Throughout the day, children aim to get on the sunshine, I have pictures and headings on the sunshine
showing what children can do to get on there! Children move their own name on to
the sunshine (one less job for me yay). I also have a rainbow if children are still im-
pressing once on the sunshine. The cloud is if a child has been warned and has not
improved their behaviour. In all honesty though, I barely used it because the mere
mention of the cloud had behaviour sorted out! I also linked dojo points to this so it is
still in line with my main system (2 for sun, 4 for rainbow), names are left on there and
calculated in registration the following day. I have found this system super helpful for
when you need an immediate change in vibes and you don’t have time to waste!
This is something you can personalise exactly on what you are looking for. I have used individual pass-
ports in my class and I love that it is something they can really take ownership of and feel proud of. YOU
can specifically design it so children know what they have to do to get a stamp. You can split it into
weeks, terms or have a passport for the year. It is something you can completely construct in terms of
branding and goals. You can link it to your school’s themes, have sections for photos– you can make it
something really special to share with parents. It is completely up to you! So if you’re a creative gal this
one is for you! Plus have you seen all of the amazing stamp companies on the gram?

This is a class system that supports collaboration and class goals. There have been lots of ideas about
this on the gram linked to the story ‘Have you filled your bucket today?’ I too have one! If you haven’t
read this story, it is a great one to kick this system off. However, this story’s key message is kindness and
(although we want our children to be kind) you may want to have different goals to focus on at differ-
ent points of the year. First you get a bucket, jar or some kind of container. Next, get yourself some mar-
bles, pom poms, gems or some kind of filler! The idea is to fill up your container by meeting the class
goal. In order for this be successful I would suggest 4 things.:
1. Make it explicit what you are looking for. Is it lining up? Resilience? More contributions? Whatever
it is make it specific rather than a generic ‘Good behaviour’. Also, make it visual, get a display,
get some photographs and tips up there, and basically give your children every opportunity to
meet these goals!
2. Have a class bucket ‘set time’. You don’t want little Jimmy coming up to you saying he needs to
add a marble during your whole class teach. That will not work at all. I did one after break, lunch
and at the end of the day—just a quick share and top up the bucket time where you can rein-
force the goal and show some positive vibes.
3. Have a deadline. You don’t want to be talking about lining up for the rest of the year. Set a dead-
line, keep it pacey and be ready for the next goal and display.
4. Have a class reward ready for when they do meet it. Cinema time? Picnic outside? Disco party?
Make sure they know it too!
I love this strategy! It is something that is easy to apply, creates excitement and moti-
vates individuals whilst still maintaining a consistent and fair approach. Say what? So
this is how it works, you decide what you are focusing on (can you see this is a con-
sistent theme?) DON’T just give these out for anything because that is a spiral down
inconsistent alley and only bad things happen there. So let’s say you are focusing on
manners, every time a child shows great manners they get a raffle ticket. One to
them and one in your box or container of choice (word to the wise, make sure you write their name on
the one in the container because they most probably will lose theirs.) At the end of the week you pick
the winning raffle tickets. Now you can choose how many you pick and what the prize is. In my experi-
ence varying this each week does not impact the success of the system. However, I would start off with a
clear outline. Tell your children how many you will pick at the end of the week and what the prize will be.
Remember to make it clear what you are looking for: tell them at registration, discuss what it really
means, what it looks like etc. If you think they have met it, don't drag on with manners all week - change
it or keep it depending on success.
Everyone loves a postit right? Great, read on! Write your desired
behaviour on the post it for example silent transition, sharing, man-
ners, etc. Once the desired behaviour is met by the whole class,
take the post it off and, VOILA, underneath is an exciting reward to
be enjoyed as a class. I love this because everyone is working to-
gether and it is also super easy to apply and adapt as well as being
very explicit to your children.
Examples shown are from the teaching account @teachingonthegc

A similar vibe from the fantastic @teachingonthegc, this one in-

volves scrabble letter tiles. You spell out the reward for the children
so they can explicitly see what they are working towards. You dis-
cuss with them what they need to do in order to gain a letter. You
might want to change the focus each lesson/day/week depending
on the needs of your class. I know I am repeating myself but I can-
not say enough how important it is so share these goals with the
children to show them how they can achieve it, what it looks like,
sounds like and why it is important for them as an individual and a
class. That context is imperative to the success of the behaviour so
make sure you take as much time talking about the goals as you
do carrying out the system!
Maybe you need a big behaviour system to make an big impact in your class? This would be it. Cre-
ate a class shop in your classroom, the more engaging the better! You decide what is in that shop.
Maybe they are tokens for rewards or maybe they are actual material rewards like stationary, books
etc. Your choice! Once you have your inventory start your pricing! Why not create your own curren-
cy? My class is called flamingos so I might choose the flamingo coin (so imaginative I know) but the
point is, you choose! Then you are going to need to create your currency (lots of it.) You also need to
create some sort of wallet/purse/piggy bank/container for each of your kids. Why not set it as home
learning or a project? The most essential point is coming up again, (warning…) decide what you are
giving the coins for. Is it the same each day? Do you have a set criteria? Is there a display? Is there a
weekly focus? This part needs to be well thought out and well communicated as well as super explic-
it in your classroom. You can also decide when there is going to be shop time. Once a week? Once
every half term? I would suggest pricing items differently so they can learn to save their money for
the things they really want (I wish I was taught this!) This is a really dynamic system that can be per-
sonalised, simplified and adapted to age groups. Spend wisely!



purchase the full weather display at her teacherspayteachers account.

purchase the full and editable motivational tokens at her teacherspayteachers
account.

purchase the full jar/bucket display at her teacherspayteachers account.

purchase the full reward options display at her teacherspayteachers account.

purchase the full class cash bundle at her teacherspayteachers account.
REFOCUSING ATTENTION
Ahhhhh, Shhhhh! Why oh why do they have so much ener-

gy? Oh yeah, they go to bed at 7pm and have no respon-
sibilities. Ah to be young. 95% of my followers agreed that
sometimes after we’ve marked, planned and taught our
hearts out our energy levels do no match our kids. Shocker.
But this can be a problem if the noise levels rise, on task be-
comes off task and the lesson is falling into a paper shred-
der in front of our eyes. There is a way to avoid this! Stop the
escalation, refocus attention, with fun and a dash of au-
thority.
Yes. It’s a yes from me for this strategy. Let me paint you a picture. It’s Friday afternoon, you have more
dry shampoo in your hair then you would like to admit. You have set some great collaborative tasks, go
you. but then you forget about bringing everyone back together. This strategy is perfect for your low
battery self. Turn the interactive whiteboard on and start typing. Now you want to
catch their attention so make it nice and big and start with ‘Wow amazing work,
now it is time to tidy up.’ Start name dropping those who have noticed ‘I can see
Kimberly is ready, well done Kimberly.’ Start name dropping those who aren’t. ‘I’m
waiting for a few people on green table.’ Word will get around. You can write out a
list of next steps, jobs, instuctions, whatever you want! I literally have done this for
about 45 minutes before! The kids absolutely love it because they get to deliver the
instructions and you will love it because you can sit in your chair and sneakily eat that twix in your draw-
er. Shhh.
Clapping really is a super power. The trick is to mix it up! If you do two claps to get attention everytime,
guess what, you are going to meet a few yawns. Make a rhthm, make it a competition, link it to a chant,
whatever you do. Make. It. Fun. I used to just start clapping to ‘We will rock you.’ By the end of the year I
had a song linked to it and the whole of KS1 knew it! If you can keep it fun, clapping will be your absolute
savior I promise. From Y1-Y6.

Lot’s of variations of this on the teaching gram! Sound switches are

very simple: you decide the different volumes that may occur in the
classroom and create a sound switch for each one. Before you start
an activity, you discuss with the class what sound switch you think
you should turn on and why. I always get a child to turn it on be-
cause they love life. This is just another way of making every expec-
tation explicit. If you feel the voice level rises you can then switch a
quieter sound on as a warning. This visual and engaging element will
grab the attention of your students!
As seen on my Instagram @goodmorningmsfoster
If you’ve made it this far in the handbook, or you’ve ever seen my In-
stagram, you’ll know I love a good chant. It is one of my favourite
things to do to refocus attention. The key is practise! Rehearse it with
your kids when you have their attention. That way when you need it, it
will be pitch perfect sound check ready. Make it snappy and person-
alised to your class, they have to love doing it or you know, they
won’t! In the spirit of call and response, I often use ‘Ms Foster
says’ (We don’t need you Simon) to grasp the attention. This is a win-
ner because it’s a game. A game? Ok I’m in!!
Spotted on @mrshowardsteachingadventures, instagram

Sometimes the most restless time for my children was coming back from break or lunch. I found the best
strategy was putting on a song they knew. It would bring everyone together without me having to say a
word! After the song everyone was on the same page and attention was refocused to me. This works the
same as with a dance! So get your musical on!
This is a great one if you don’t want to add to the volume of the class. Establish a silent signal with your
children, this could be hands on your head, one palm up, the ok sign, a little shimmy shake or anything
your heart cries out for! Outline the rules of the silent signal, practise it, praise it and love it! Take away
tip: I wouldn't use this as your one and only refocus strategy purely because it can be a bit boring!
If you really want to get the attention of your children, the sure fire way is praise. Who doesn't love
praise? This strategy is so simple and I am sure it is in every teacher’s toolbox but it is always good to
remind ourselves of the legacy strategies! The voice level is too loud or there are too many children off
task? Take a look around, is anyone on task? (close your eyes really tight and cross your fingers!) Put
them in the spotlight. “Wow, Jimmy is sitting so beautifully and waiting for me, I wonder who else
is?” (cue Meer cat backs) “Sophie is also sitting beautifully, oh I just spotted Sam, oh my goodness
what a straight back you have Chanel…” Take away tip: If you look around and see no one on task
(gasp of horror) you have two choices. 1. Choose the lesser of evils (so to speak) and praise them. 2.
The teacher ‘think out loud’ “Hmm, I am looking for a child who is looking at me, I wonder who will be
the first?”

It works for tidy up and it works for refocusing attention. Once again, the key here is to be completely
explicit. We are not trying to test our children. We are trying to set routines. Tell them at the start of the
activity that when you put the timer on (be even more specific if you can, firework timer, rocket timer,
etc.) You expect everyone to be looking at you with their hands on their heads and sitting on the car-
pet by time it gets to 0. Have a little practice, why not? Take away tips: explicit + rehearsal = working
formula.
Revolutionising those timers—found at www.classtools.net
I never thought I would be an instrumental gal. But if it works, IT WORKS. Grab yourself a tambourine,
shaker, drum kit (ok too far) but anything that you can hold and make a sound with! It doesn't take a lot
of time to give it a shake and you’ll be amazed at the musical conditioning! Take away tip: set your ex-
pectations straight away. Do you want children to be statues when they hear it? If so, it is important to
keep this expectation. Praise those who do it and make sure you are reminding and warning those who
don’t. If kids see any Robin Thicke blurred lines then they will start seeing it as pointless, and suddenly
you’re making music for one!

TIDY UP TIMES AND FUSS FREE TRANSITIONS
93% of my followers said that they sometimes have a lack of energy when it
comes to behaviour management. Gentlemen, ladies, I FEEL YOU. You have
planned a fantastic lesson. Let’s say there’s some glitter, perhaps paints are
involved, maybe there’s some glue sticks hanging about. But either way, you
have given some A* theatrics and the children are loving it. Your job is done.
But it’s not. What? We have to tidy up now? They’re 6 and I’M TIRED. Yep, we
have all been there. But never fear-here are some of my top tips for tidy up
time and you can ask my husband, I am not tidy. So let me re-phrase, here are
some of my top tips for getting THEM to tidy. Yaaaaaassss.
What is the first thing you, I, and all of mankind do when we have to tidy? Put a
song on! Why? Because it’s fun. Weirdly enough, children are also humans so
this rule works for them too. My personal favourite is ‘Tidy up Rhumba’ because
it’s my JAM. If you don’t know it, please check out this link and you are wel-
come.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dhw6JDF4A0Q
My wonderful collaborators @charlotteclint and @theteacheronthego also use the magic of music.
They say they use their favourite song ‘Walking on sunshine’ (great choice). They train the children to
understand that all tidying up must be finished by the time the song does. This is a simple expectation
that can be understood from our littles to our bigs.
Speaking of our bigs, I was asked in my comments about how this strategy translates to our older chil-
dren. What I do with my older children is to pick a song I know they are loving, at one point it was
Gangnam style (bad times) at another it was Drake (great times) either way it is an incentive. But it
would be a deal that if I play the song the tidying up has to be immaculate and you obviously need
to outline what you mean by this. I would rate their tidying out of 10. If it was more than 6 YAY they
can maintain DJ, if not it becomes silent and sad until I see an improvement!
Another one to keep them on their toes. Yep, it is mystery spots and magic rubbish. For this strategy you
have a little cheeky look around the room and pick something you can see. Maybe it is your special
pen that someone borrowed, maybe it is the glue stick on the floor, perhaps the resources you spent so
long making are currently draped over a chair? Whatever it is, pick up to 5. Maybe write the numbers 1-
5 on the board. Once they have been tidied or organized, tick it off as you go. Children need to try and
get all of your mystery spots/ magic rubbish tidied by the end of tidy up. The room is tidy, you still have
your pen. Happiness for all.

Responsibility gives children purpose as well as an opportunity to be praised -which is

always a WIN. It is so important to get them feeling bossy if you are giving them a job.
One thing I do is a ‘Tidy up Chart’ I take pictures of the different areas of the class-
room. Then, I have pictures of children’s faces and I move them next to a picture of
the room so they know what they are in charge of. I might do this daily, weekly or
whenever I feel like I need to. Encourage a habit of checking the rota at tidy up time.
I have also done a weekly ‘Sparkler’. When it is tidy up time, I have a little look around
and put the best tidiers names in the sparkler box. At the end of the week, I pick 4 children’s names out. I
do this because I have 4 areas of the room (you can change depending on your areas.) The 4 children I
pick out become a ’Boss’ for the next week. They are each in charge of an area. They get to wear a
sparkler badge all week and love life to the fullest. The box keeps the momentum for the week; you can
just give it a shake with a matching facial expression when you need to reinforce expectations!
It might seem like an obvious choice. But obvious is obvious for

a reason! Timers, when used correctly, can be a fantastic way
to save your voice for more important things like singing! The
key is expectations. Choose a timer and explain to your chil-
dren what you expect to see when it is finished. Do you want to
see children on the carpet with their fingers on their lips? Do you
want to see children freezing like statues? Hands on their head?
Sitting at their tables? YOU get to decide! Isn’t that great? You
decide, explain and practice with your children. They won’t get
it the first time and, if they do, they won’t get it the second, so https://www.online-stopwatch.com/classroom
make it a routine and it will save your life. Not literally, but you -timers/
know.
Need to spice up your life with the timers? Try having a class record for tidying up. Create a display,
brand it however you desire! Every time children tidy up they have to either beat or match their best rec-
ord. This creates a little motivation for the timer when you need it! Don’t be afraid to mix it up once the
routines are embedded. I like to chuck in a silent tidy every now and again!

So simple, yet so effective. Get yourself to your nearest pound shop/ target/ whatever your country’s
equivalent is to a cheap store that teachers adore. It rhymed. It was great. Get a little trophy and there
you have it. Tidiest table is born. The table that is tidiest at the end of tidy up time gets the incredible op-
portunity of having this one of a kind trophy on their table. Now, because there are multiple tidy up
times in a week/ day this trophy moves around. This means it is always a positive rather
than negative incentive because children know they will have another chance soon. I also
add extra theatrics to this (obviously) by including an inspection at the end of tidy up time.
I would go around to tables and point out items that are not at a 90 degree and have a
laugh with it. The kids loved it and the trophy lives on as one of my best and easiest strate-
gies from children in Year 1 to Year 6.
Secret student is one of those great strategies you can transfer to almost any behaviour management
need. For tidying up it works like this: At the beginning of tidying up, you say you are going to pick a secret
student to spy and see if they are being a great tidier. (Queue recap on what a great tidier is.) Look
around the room, ummm and ahhh and then YES I’ve picked one. At the end of tidying up, you bring
everyone back together. Explain whether the secret student was successful., if they were explain what
they were doing. Then announce them, they stand up, the crowds cheer, great vibes all
around. If they were not, explain why they were not. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT announce
who it was but explain again that we need to work as a team and that everyone needs
to do great tidying. In need of spicing up? Start keeping a tally record of how many suc-
cessful students you can get in a row! Not successful? The tally starts again.

I could never have anticipated, before becoming a teacher, how much transitions would affect
my day! Insert crying laughing face emoji here because that sums up transitions! Who would have
thought getting from A to B would be so SO hard? But never fear educators because I was NOT
going to allow this insignificant part of our jobs get me down and neither should you. These tips and
tricks have got me through from years 1—6 and I know they will work for you too!
Rehearsal is not a joke guys! Children need to explicitly know what you expect out of them from transi-
tions. I know this seems crazy to demonstrate to a child how to stand but trust me it is crazier 3 months
down the line when you are saying it! Make it so explicit there is no possibility for failure. Practise it, time
it, do it silently, try and beat your record, do inspections, basically do whatever you can to keep it a little
bit interesting for them. Do it ridiculously intensely once and you will be thanking yourself all year. Now
once they have got it right, take pictures. Evidence that! When you see a dip or you need to reinforce
expectations simply refer back to the photos (that ideally are displayed on the wall). Line up orders are
particularly handy when having to deal with the whole:
“He pushed in.”
“I want to be at the front.”
“Where’s my girls at?”
Standard line drama. Establish a line up order, no negotiations and that drama is eliminated. Yay.

Ok, if you haven’t used this before it is very efficient and clear for our children and saves our sanity when
we ourselves have gone non verbal. This is a silent transition that is qued by the numbers 1,2 and 3.
You show 1 finger—Everyone stands up
You show 2 fingers—Everyone tucks in their chair
You show 3 fingers—Everyone lines up
Practise, practise , practise and practise some more. When all of that
practicing is done, voila happy transitions.
Need a fun way to keep those mouths closed in transition?
Try the bubble mouth. Before you leave the classroom all children are to put an im-
aginary bubble in their mouth. They have to keep this bubble safe in their mouth
until they reach the destination where they can take it out! If they speak their bub-
ble is popped! Noooooo. Basically a modern update for the oldie but a goodie ‘zip
your lip’ which I have to admit I still love and use. It’s all about mixing it up; button
your lips, velcro your lips, pritstick your lips, I mean keep in mind health and safety a
‘Don’t try this at home’ might be a good thing to add!
Do you spend your whole life walking backwards? Two eyes on your kids but also potentially risking your
life? Yep, I am with you. Ever thought about walking behind your children, but walking FORWARD? Mad-
ness! This way you can see all of your children and get to, you know, stay alive? Great!

While we are talking about being non verbal, here’s another one for pampering your voice box. This is
for any year group that can read! Try making some non verbal visual cues for your children during
transition. You can brand them how you want! Make a joke about how once transition starts, your
voice is all in your cards! It is their job to read them. On my cards I would have messages like ‘Wow!
Good walking!’ ‘You are a super star!’ ‘Remember no talking!’ ‘Finger on your lips.’ etc. You could do
this with emoji’s or bitmoji’s. It doesn’t have to be your everyday routine, but it’s a nice break for when
you need one!
Sometimes we do in fact have energy! Yay! If you have been following me for a while, you’ll know I love
a good chant! This is a good way to get everyone in the line in a fun way. I literally make it up every time
depending on what mood I am in! You might get some Cher vibes, a Disney call and response or just
some old school repeating. This is one I have used a lot. They repeat after with actions.
What about Don’t for y Tickle Stand like this!
your shoulders? our knees! your toes!

How about
Fingers on
Hands on your head
your tummy?
your lips!
Told you it’s versatile! This works the same way as it did in tidying up. Before you start a transition, pick a
secret student. Make it dramatic people... You may want to have a quick re-cap about what a secret
student will need to do in order to be successful but you know sometimes we just need to go to the Art
room and we are late so it is your call depending on time! Once you get to your destination take a cou-
ple minutes to either celebrate your student or sadly say they were not successful. Remember you can
keep a tally of success if you need to keep that momentum up!


purchase the full tidy up display chart at her teacherspayteachers account.

purchase the full line up order display at her teacherspayteachers account.
INCORPORATING MINDFULNESS
Stress, depression, regret, anxiety… You are probably thinking what is this hideous list
right? Things that adults struggle with in our society today; things that children strug-
gle with in our society today; things that we were not properly taught about when we
were at school and things that are causing huge implications to the wellbeing of our-
selves and our children. This is important. Apologies for the intense short sentence but
this is something we as educators need to put at the forefront of our teaching. We
need to support our children to develop as individuals who understand their emotions,
their body and how to manage these things that are affecting people across the world.
Mindfulness is a concept that can support us! Yay! 98% of my followers want MORE
information on mindfulness, double yay! This section is all about strategies that sup-
port well being and mental health. Two aspects that, if we do not support, can mani-
fest into behaviour issues where children are wrongly labelled as ‘naughty’ (not cool).

Mindfulness is about being aware of how you are feeling in the present moment. Mind and body. This
is so important for schools because it impacts our students’ emotions. Once we can acknowledge
how we are feeling, we can start discussing how to react appropriately. For me, I feel like emotional
understanding is still sidestepped in schools. We know it is important. It drives attention, relationships
focus and memory. The problem is, we don’t fully understand our own and others’ emotional systems,
so we rarely incorporate it comfortably into the curriculum. This section is a condensed handful of ide-
as to develop mindfulness within your classroom.
If you have been following my Instagram, you will know I am a big believer in picture books for all
contexts. You can find more of my reccomendations under my hashtag #chooseabooktuesday.
have found the best way to help children to understand complex concepts is through story. The story
always provides a meaningful stimulus for discussion, art, drama and writing. These are my top books
for teaching mindfulness.
© Jennifer Foster, 2018 As seen on my instagram @goodmorningmsfoster

I remember when I first starting talking to children about emotional range. I wanted them to know that
all emotions are valid and they were not buying it. I had lots of skeptical looks (this was year 6 by the
way.) They were like “But, you are always happy.” Me being on ‘teacher mode’ displayed an unrealis-
tic model. When they felt sad, anxious or anything other than happy, they felt like they had to hide it.
This is the society we have grown up in. One where positive emotions are praised and positive people
are seen as better people. We need to break this stigma and it starts with us, in our classroom. So if you
are feeling annoyed because the tech has failed you for the 18th time or you have the headache of all
headaches, let your children know. Now, I am not saying to come in ranting, but if we don’t talk about
our spectrum of emotions than we automatically make them a taboo and that is detrimental to our
children’s emotional wellbeing. So let them know it’s ok to not be ok and what you can do about it. For
example, “Ms Foster is a bit upset today because my laptop is not working which means I cannot play
music with you. It is annoying when we have a plan and it doesn't work isn't it? But now I have an op-
portunity to think of something without it and it will still be great! Parachute anyone?”
Ok here is the sciency bit! Mindfulness has been pop-

ping up on your Instagram feed and staff meetings for a
reason! Research has shown that the prefrontal cortex is
where our best learning happens. However, it is a high
maintenance little region. If you are not in a state of
calm, it shuts down. Ever been working way later than
you planned and for some reason the most trivial tasks
are taking a lifetime? In times like this, a ‘mindful mo-
ment’ can make all the difference: a walk outside
(even just to Starbucks), a change of music or a quick
doodle. Mindfulness reactivates our prefrontal cortex
and that is when we can make magic (or a lesson, but
same same.) If you have read down to here you are probably wondering why I haven’t mentioned
‘student’ or ‘child’. Again, I feel like the best way to understand our children is to understand ourselves.
It is the same for mindfulness-although I should probably mention the strategies are not the same!

An approved strategy for your students to kick start mindfulness! This woman is a genius! Jaime takes
well known children’s stories and films and orally retells them whilst incorporating yoga poses. They
range from 2 minutes to around 30 minutes-which makes it wonderfully flexible
for our crazy teacher lives! I am a bit of a fan girl for the ‘Trolls’ episode be-
cause DAMN I love that film! But you are sure to find something for everyone. I
have used this with all of Year 1 and 2 but there are absolutely epsiodes that
are appropriate for all age groups. I was so surprised to see how even my most
wonderfully wild children were tactifully tamed by the story, exercise and the
magic of green screen. During and afterwards you can expect to see an in-
creasincly calmer and ‘ready to learn’ class. Take away tip: Try incorporating it
into your class routine!
All hail Go Noodle. They have an entire channel dedicated to mindfulness

called ‘Flow’. Short 5 minute activities that are so calming you will be logging
on after the school day! Take away tip: Don’t forget to be a model. If you are
sitting there watching how are your children supposed to truly understand the
importance? So slip off those heels (I know you want to) and get your mindful
on!
Mindfulness colouring is nothing new. Do you have a book yet? There are so many options now
you can link it to your theme and do 10 minutes before your afternoon lesson! You can also find
some templates online! Take away tip: Need to do some mindfulness colouring in a rush? Take
a photo and put it in black and white for children to colour in. Any closed art activities are
great for mindfulness like complex dot to dots, tracing, cutting, sticking and colour keys.

We know our lovelies need practical vibes. Mindfulness is very specific, but there are more and more
resources out there for us! My favourite book is called ‘I am here now’. I originally bought it for myself a
few years ago! You won’t find it in the children’s books area, but it has so many practical and accessi-
ble activities that I have done with children from reception to Year 6. It focuses on specific mindfulness
practises like breathing, but each page is an engaging and interactive activity to explore. Take away
tip: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if it works for you, it will work for them. (Oh snap did that
rhyme?)
Pages taken from ‘I am here now.’ By THE MINDFULNESS PROJECT
Looking for a new way to incorporate mindfulness? Tech! Involve technology and
you know you will have every child on board! I started looking around for different
doodling and colouring in apps. My favourite at the moment is ‘Colour swag.’ You
can access several templates and colour it digitally. Put some calming music on and
you will not hear a PEEP out of your students.

Doodling is so underrated. It is such a creative, comfortable, YET unique form of expression. It im-
mediately impacts focus and requires little preparation and resourcing. Are you convinced? There
are so many low key or extravagant ways to incorporate this so it’s all up to you how you want to
roll with it! I always use a YouTube clip for stimulus but then you can decide the format in which
children doodle. Are you just going to give them some plain paper? Boxes for separate doodles?
You can make your own doodle template by dividing a picture into doodle sections!
Extracts from ‘The Osbourne book of drawings, doodling and colouring.’
Doodling pattern ideas can be found on YouTube as a stimulus

I know, you hear meditation and it’s like WOAH we are in a classroom lady not a yoga retreat. I hear
ya. Meditation has a bit of a hippy stigma, but meditation is simply the process of focusing your mind
to achieve a calm state. Trust me, I googled it. I like to think of meditation as a scale, some medita-
tion requires more focus than others.
Breathing exercises
Colouring
Doodling
Yoga
Body scan
Meditation story
sensory
Not the picture book kind. A meditative story is when you orally tell a story to children as they are in a re-
laxed state. I normally do this after PE. I ask children to lay on their backs with their eyes closed and I tell
them an imaginative story. The kind of story you would want to get you to sleep and yes I make it up as I
go. In essence, you are in a dark room, just like before you wake up in the morning, in your hands in a
piece of string, it starts slipping so you hold it tight, squeeze your hands into fists, the string is longer than you
thought, you pull it towards you and look up, its connected to a huge balloon... You see where I am going
with this! Take away tip: keep it specific and try and get them to move their body at parts, this will maintain
focus!

This one requires more focus and might be your stereotypical idea
of meditation. Word to the wise, do not start with this! Children
need to have a secure understanding of mindfulness before they
can do this without laughing, picking their nose or throwing a pa-
per airplane across the room! So a body scan is basically when you
sit still and focus on the voice; It will tell you what to think about so
you can rest your mind! It is tricky but there are child friendly ones with short clips they can follow. If
you type into YouTube, there are loads to choose from so find one that works for your class!
Music completely changes the mood right? It is such an important tool for the
classroom! So take some time and make your own school playlist of songs for
school. Pick songs that make you feel relaxed and calm; mindfulness should
be for you and your students! Here is a peek of mine!
Remember, meditation is all about breathing, so have a go at some fun breathing exercises with
your children. I found some amazing downloadable at childhood101. Check them out!
Whenever something heightens your senses, it refocuses your brain

and calms you. I, for one, am a huge fan of playdough! Remem-
ber stress balls too? Whatever happened to those? I was recently
introduced to ‘Dough disco’ which is a fun way to develop fine
motor skills, refocus the brain and calm that body and mind!

Check out @officialflipit for

this revolutionary tool for
stress, headaches and
ADHD.
Sometimes it’s not as easy as incorporating mindfulness into your school day. I get it. But mindfulness
shouldn’t be seen as a luxury. Imagine being in meetings all day when you just aren't feeling it, or
you’ve got something going on at home; you’re tired or have run out of steam. We cannot be ex-
pected to continue. That is how you get burnt out. We need to give the same understanding to our
children. So I introduced having mindfulness toolboxes in one of the school’s I worked at. There were
lots of mindfulness tools in there, such as colouring sheets, fidg-
et toys, play dough and breathing cards. At first it was an
adult led strategy which we could use at our discretion. For
some classes it became a child led strategy where children
could get a pass, go to the mindfulness table and take some-
thing from the toolbox. We have to make more opportunities
like this for our children to acknowledge their emotions and
support them when needed.

@kindergartencafe has a wealth of mindfulness resources; check out her teach-

erspayteachers store to purchase these.
@kindergartencafe has a wealth of mindfulness resources; check out her teach-

erspayteachers store to purchase these.
Childhood101.com has a wealth of free printable resources linked

to mindfulness. You can see some examples here.
Childhood101.com has a wealth of free printable resources linked

to mindfulness. You can see some examples here.

purchase the full inside out bundle at her teacherspayteachers account.

purchase the full inside out bundle at her teacherspayteachers account.
Teachers4teachers have a fantastic publication called ‘My Wellbeing Journal.’

This is a fantastic resource to support development of mindfulness in your class.
Check out their Instagram for more information.
‘TOUGH’ KIDS
Tough Kids’; quotations intended! When I am talking about ‘Tough Kids’ I

am referring to any child that does not respond positively to your whole
class behaviour management system or your school behaviour manage-
ment policy. Have you suddenly got a child in your head? Ok, keep them in
your head, there is ALWAYS a reason for why this child is standing out. AL-
WAYS. Caps lock vibes. However, that reason is not always identified and
alas they have to carry out their school days with a ‘Tough Kid’ label, begin
to mistrust the system and the story continues in a non fairy tale like way.
One teacher can make all the difference. One teacher that champions this
child, that is there to listen, there without judgement, there to really see that
child for who they are. How do I know this? Because I was a ‘tough kid’ (que
hand in face emoji) and there were teachers (not many) who would not
give up on me. I also know this because I have worked in Hackney for 5
years where there are more ‘Tough Kid’ labels than bricks in the building
and I have been lucky enough to champion children that were disregarded
by the system. It is not an easy job, but it is the job we chose. So let’s do this.
Here are my top tips for the alleged ‘Tough Kids.’
The most important thing you can do with ALL of your kids, but most importantly your ‘Tough Kids’, is that
they need to know you are in their corner. It is the most important thing. Period. One way you can do this
is show an interest in who they are. I remember when I was on placement, I asked my mentor if I could
take the children out for 5 minutes at time. I would do a little learning quiz with them, ask them about
their family, their favourite subject, what they liked to do at home and just develop a conversation and
positive vibe with them so they trusted me.
Take away tips: Other ways to build a relationship
 Play with your children (be there for the games and the fun stuff!)
 Spot their strengths (and never stop going on about it!)
 Give them a chance (when they are not showing desired behaviour, TALK to them and find out
why!)
 Good morning. My Instagram name is GoodmorningMsFoster because I believe in the power of

your morning greetings. No matter what happened the day before. Be there. Every morning with a
smile, a fun handshake, a hug and a champion.
 Remember things! “You said you were going to the waterpark this weekend, how was it?” “You
said you had a sister, how old is she?” I know we have a lot to remember, but WATCH their faces
when you remember. It means EVERYTHING. So write it down, get sneaky with it!
 Direct your planning around them. I did a Trolls week because my children said they loved it! Ok
fine, I love it too. But you get my gist.

‘TOUGH’ KIDS
If you are showing a certain type of behaviour. There is a reason for it. Period. Think about it for your-
self, if you are snappy, passive or anxious. Why? Are you running low on money this month? (I feel ya)
Are you hungry? (Word) Have you had an argument with your partner or your family? Are you tired?
(#always) There is a reason for our behaviour and it is the same for our children. It is our job to look
beyond the behaviour and identify the cause. Maybe they have low self esteem, issues at home,
SEN needs, issues with peers, hungry, tired etc the list goes on! Take the time to find the cause be-
cause that is when you can make a difference. Need help? Ask you SENCO, behaviour lead or
phase leader to help you. It is their job to support you and to support the children so don’t give up!
OMG. This is so hard. I have literally had a child say to my face I hate you and I hope you die in hell. I
was like ok I am just going to go to the toilet and cry now! Of course it is hard because we are
teachers and we wear our heart on our sleeves, we are passionate and we care about what we are
doing. So when a child is acting out in that way it is hard to not instinctively say something sassy back
or to drown our sorrows in wine (not in class obvs) but at these times I would urge you to remember:
1. You are a professional and this is your job and you can do this.
2. They DO NOT mean it, if you don’t care about someone you wouldn't waste your time saying
things you know would hurt them. As weird as it is, it is there way of seeing your durability. Are
you going to stick around? Do you really mean what you say? Or are you going to abandon
them at first chance of things being difficult? It is your chance to show them you are serious.
Take away tip: If a child says something personal, stop. Take a breath and say “That is a cruel thing to
say and I know you aren't cruel, you are a good boy/girl and I know you are, you are not being your-
self right now so I am going to give you some time, I really care about you and I will never give up on
you, we can talk about this once you have calmed down” Walk away, (que crying or wine at home)
and I promise you that child will think about what you have said. When you return to the situation you
can talk about what they said and why and of course get your apology.

‘TOUGH’ KIDS
CONSTANT, RELENTLESS AND BORDERLINE STALKERISH (is that a word?) We are now going to play CSI,
you must look VERY carefully for ANYTHING you can praise. Be over the top, be dramatic and make
them feel like they are so special and so valued. There is always something no matter how small!
“Wow, I love how you are sitting! You are ready to learn I wish everyone was sitting like you!”
“Oh my goodness you have tucked your chair in, thank you so much that means I wont have to do it
myself, great manners!”
Anything and everything that can be praised, praise it!
I just wanna praise ya, I just wanna praise ya! Everytime you give them that positive attention, you are
stopping them from reacting negatively. You are showing them you believe in them and in turn they
start to believe in themselves. They might not be showing that they are loving it. They might be like ok
calm down Miss you are so EXTRA. But you can guarantee there is a Carlton dance in full swing.
Your child spends 6 hours with you. The rest of their time is with their parents. If their parent does not rate
you or is not working with you, you can bet you will lose that child’s engagement. Now we do not live
in a perfect world and I know there are some parents that you cannot get through to no matter what
you do. But, never stop trying. I have had children in year 6 and all of the previous teachers have said
don’t bother with the parents they will never work with you. Don’t listen. You need to show the parent
that you are different. If you only have one chance to do that, don’t blow it. Make sure you show your
passion to them. Take away tip for that convo:
1. Eye contact, show them you are serious.
2. Talk about their child, show them you genuinely care
3. Talk about yourself, tell them you will not give up on their child.
4. Talk about them, explain to them you need their help and you want to work together.

‘TOUGH’ KIDS
If you do have a parent that will work with you, you are incredibly lucky and this is invaluable. It will
give you a greater chance at helping your students. Praise and communicate!
1. Get on class Dojo
2. Parent postcards
3. Emails
4. Call them
5. Bring them in
6. Catch them at pick up or drop off
Once you have the trust of that parent, you can start talking about some of the issues you have had
in class and you can talk about making a plan together to support that child.
If a ‘tough kid’ is receiving consequences over and over again; It becomes redundant. No fun for
you, no fun for them. There is no point continuing to reprimand. Try providing an opportunity of re-
flection. This will support you to develop your relationship with the child as well as identifying the
cause of their behaviour. Some schools are very strict but this provides a place where a ’tough kid’
can find support. Reflection shows the child you want to know more and you will help them to
avoiding consequences. I used reflection forms when I was a behaviour lead. You can find some in
the resources section.
It is so typical for teachers to feel like they are failing if you cannot make it work. Now listen, if you are
struggling and you do not ask for help, then you are damaging the prospect of supporting that child
as well as your wellbeing. It is not that child's fault, but it is not your fault either. The best thing for that
child is to ask for help. So ask your phase leader, behaviour lead, SENCO or whoever your line manag-
er is. You are not a failure, you are a fighter!

‘Tough Kids’

purchase the reflection forms at her teacherspayteachers account.
Each section of this handbook was based on my video series. You can find all episodes under the
hashtag
#butwhataboutbehaviour
Episode What is looks like
1. Tidy up times and Fuss free transitions
2. Whole class behaviour management systems
3 Refocusing attention
4. Achieving high expectations and consistency
5. Incorporating mindfulness
6. Tough Kids

But What About Behaviour PDF

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

But What About Behaviour PDF

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

BUT WHAT ABOUT BEHAVIOUR?

1. WHO AM I AND WHY DID I START THIS SERIES?

2. START AS YOU MEAN TO GO ON!

3. WHOLE CLASS BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

5. TIDY UP TIMES AND FUSS FREE TRANSITIONS

© Jennifer Foster, 2018

Look out for these teacher in-

© Jennifer Foster, 2018

© Jennifer Foster, 2018

@rosie_charlotte14 @charlotte_clint @kindergarten-

@teach- @littlestarteach- @theteacheron-

@miss_b_insta @engage_and_educate @teachers4teachers

© Jennifer Foster, 2018

© Jennifer Foster, 2018

Freeze and play

© Jennifer Foster, 2018

Take away tips:

Take away tips:

© Jennifer Foster, 2018

@miss_b_insta has created resources to complement this handbook. You can

@miss_b_insta has created resources to complement this handbook. You can

100% of my followers admitted that whole class behaviour management sys-

An alternative way to choose your Flamingo/star/VIP

As seen on my Instagram @goodmorningmsfoster

© Jennifer Foster, 2018

Examples shown are from the teaching account @teachingonthegc

© Jennifer Foster, 2018

A similar vibe from the fantastic @teachingonthegc, this one in-

© Jennifer Foster, 2018

© Jennifer Foster, 2018

@miss_b_insta has created resources to complement this handbook. You can

@miss_b_insta has created resources to complement this handbook. You can

@miss_b_insta has created resources to complement this handbook. You can

@miss_b_insta has created resources to complement this handbook. You can

@miss_b_insta has created resources to complement this handbook. You can

Ahhhhh, Shhhhh! Why oh why do they have so much ener-

© Jennifer Foster, 2018

Lot’s of variations of this on the teaching gram! Sound switches are

As seen on my Instagram @goodmorningmsfoster

Spotted on @mrshowardsteachingadventures, instagram

© Jennifer Foster, 2018

© Jennifer Foster, 2018

Revolutionising those timers—found at www.classtools.net

© Jennifer Foster, 2018

© Jennifer Foster, 2018

Responsibility gives children purpose as well as an opportunity to be praised -which is

It might seem like an obvious choice. But obvious is obvious for

© Jennifer Foster, 2018

© Jennifer Foster, 2018

“He pushed in.”

“I want to be at the front.”

“Where’s my girls at?”

© Jennifer Foster, 2018

You show 1 finger—Everyone stands up

You show 2 fingers—Everyone tucks in their chair

You show 3 fingers—Everyone lines up

Need a fun way to keep those mouths closed in transition?

© Jennifer Foster, 2018

What about Don’t for y Tickle Stand like this!

your shoulders? our knees! your toes!

© Jennifer Foster, 2018

@miss_b_insta has created resources to complement this handbook. You can

@miss_b_insta has created resources to complement this handbook. You can