New and experienced teachers will tell you that without classroom discipline, you cannot teach. Unfortunately, there are no books or programs to really help with this aspect of teaching. The best thing is the experience that one gets by actually teaching. However, there is one little teaching tip that can work wonders.

Telephone Home
Calling home puts the parent on notice that their child may be a discipline problem. Allowing parents a chance to help out can be quite effective. Also, when students in class know that you are actively talking to their parents, they may be inclined to be less of a discipline problem. An adjunct benefit is other students behaving better as well, just by knowing you may call their parents, too! Remember, the more things you use for classroom discipline, the better.

Telephoning Home the Correct Way.
You cannot call home for the first time to report a classroom discipline problem. You must have made an active effort to call each and every parent at least once, starting at the beginning of the year. Parents will be upset if a stranger is calling to admonish them about their child. It takes a little effort, but well worth the time to call parents on a regular basis, NOT just to complain. Parents will be much more receptive to helping you if they feel you are working to teach your child, not just punish. Classroom discipline is a constant struggle, but it is not only made up of punishment and complaining.

Do not call home for each and every little infraction. You must be able to deal with small issues yourself. Calling home about every little classroom discipline problem will make you sound like a failure.

Do not call home just to complain. Parents like to hear good things about their students. Classroom discipline consists of verbal rewards as well.

Calling home is a must for any classroom discipline plan. But it is not a one time thing. Calling various parents on a nightly basis can alleviate many classrooms of discipline problems. When students know that you have and will call home, your classroom discipline cannot help but be more effective.

You can read more on classroom discipline at: Classroom Discipline at www.TeachersIndex.com

Stephen Carr has over 20 years in the education field, from elementary to college level. Stephen runs the following website: http://teachersindex.com