If my class is noisy, disruptive, or bored, there are two things I have to do in order: Get their attention, then do something interesting with their attention. If I do only one of these things I will fail.
It’s easy enough to get the kids’ attention when I don’t have it. I can yell at them. That usually gets their attention for about ten seconds.
(Of course, that hurts my voice, and it sets a terrible tone for the class. It also encourages them to yell and to tune me out. There are lots of better ways to get the kids’ attention.)
Once I have it, I must immediately give them something interesting to do or to think about. If I don’t, then I can’t keep their attention. They will view my attention-getting tactic as a false alarm.
I used to try to do something interesting before getting their attention. That wasted my energy and my time as I attempted to go through a great lesson with kids talking or dreaming. It also gave me the impression that the kids were incapable or not very smart.
Rarely is this the case. Most kids I’ve taught are capable of nearly anything if I actually have their attention and I sequence my lesson correctly. They are always surprising me with what they remember and comprehend after I’ve gotten through to them.
Sometimes I would try to get their attention, and then I would immediately lecture them on why I shouldn’t have to work so hard to get it. That was also a waste of my time and energy. My opportunity to teach them vanished into the mist as they tuned me out.
It’s easy enough to feel entitled to kids’ attention. I am a teacher and worthy of respect, at least from the children. Why should I work so hard to get what I deserve?
The answer is that it doesn’t matter what I think I’m entitled to. I have to deal with the kids in front of me, and I will either succeed or fail. They think they’re entitled as well, to a good use of their time, and it’s in my best interest to demonstrate to them that they’ll get what they want by paying attention.
The more kids learn, the more they want to learn, and the more they’re capable of learning. Getting their attention is hardest at the beginning when we have no relationship. When I prove to them time and time again that being attentive to me is worth it, they are willing to give me the benefit of the doubt.
I just have to be ready with something interesting.