8 Classroom Management Techniques Every New Teacher Should Know

Stepping in front of a classroom for the first time as a lead teacher can feel overwhelming. Even if you’ve completed your teacher preparation program, even if you’ve done your student teaching, there’s nothing quite like being the grownup in charge of 25 or 30 students. 

Suddenly, the classroom management strategies that seemed so natural when you were reading about them in a textbook or observing an experienced teacher seem a lot trickier. 

This is not easy work — teaching is one of the most difficult jobs there is, and classroom management is one of the most difficult aspects of teaching.  But if you put in the effort upfront on classroom management, it will more than pay off down the line for you, your students, and your teaching career. 

Below are 8 of my go-to classroom management strategies. These guidelines have served me well in my 18-year teaching career. They’ve reduced stress and helped my classrooms run more smoothly and efficiently, and I hope they can do the same for you. 

#1 Build Relationships

If I only had time to give you one tip, it would be to focus on building relationships. Relationships are the foundation of everything teachers do in the classroom, including building trust and mutual respect (which leads to managing the learning environment and student behaviors).  

How do we do this? Make time to talk to each student one-on-one in the first days of school. Learn their names, their interests, their hobbies. Let them do some team building activities and games and get involved! Play along with them and model for them how to treat one another. Help them see you are there to support them wherever they are and to ensure their success in your class. They will soon see your genuine interest and begin to trust you from the start. 

Relationship building is my “soapbox” in education, and that’s because I’ve witnessed its transformative power. Strong relationships take time and attention, but when students know you genuinely care about them as individuals, not just names on a roster, they’re more likely to meet expectations, participate actively, and even self-regulate their behavior.

#2 Invest Time Upfront

It is so tempting to jump right into your curriculum on Day 1. You have a whole year’s worth of lessons to get through, and every day you wait puts you another day behind. But please trust me: Your entire year will go much smoother if you pause at the start and take time to set your classroom norms and routines. The academics will be a challenge if you don’t first have a structure in place for how you want things to run. 

Talk to your students about how your classroom will function, what you expect from them, and what they can expect from you. If you’re teaching older students, this might be done in a single day or class period. If you’re teaching a younger grade, you might need to set aside a solid two weeks and then continue reinforcing those norms and procedures throughout the year.  

This is one of my foundational classroom management strategies, and it has saved me countless headaches and helped me build a more positive classroom culture throughout my career.

#3 Start on a Positive Note

Take this literally. Send a note to every parent or guardian within the first six weeks of school to say something positive about their student: Samuel brings a great attitude every day. Zoe is a phenomenal reader. Rhea is excellent about raising her hand and listening to others. Brady is so kind and encouraging with his classmates. 

Now, this doesn’t actually have to be a physical note. It can be an email or a phone call — the point is to make contact with each family at least once for a positive reason. Then, if you do have to reach out later with a concern, you already have a foundation of trust and families know you’re on their side.

#4 Give Students Ownership

You should come in with a classroom management plan (don’t wing it, see strategy #8), but let your students have a say as well. I like to give my students sticky notes and have them write down what norms or procedures they think we should have. Then, we put the notes on the board, group them by category, and finalize our list.  

In my class, these norms would form three main groups most of the time: Be respectful, be responsible, and always do your best. Find what works well for your classroom! Norms should be applicable to many situations that may arise in the classroom. 

Their norms will probably be similar to the ones you already had in mind, but when you give students ownership, it transforms from a top-down edict to a shared commitment you and they are upholding together.

#5 Try ‘Secret Student’

Use an app each day to randomly select one student from each class as your “secret student.” Only you know who the secret student is (plus your student teacher and/or any aides), and you’ll watch throughout the period to see if they follow your classroom expectations. 

You can give regular reminders (“I hope my secret student is following directions,” for example), and at the end of the class, if the secret student earned it, you reveal their name, and they get to pick something from the prize bucket. 

Students are so excited when they earn the reward, and they cheer and root for their classmates as well. This is one of my favorite classroom management strategies because it’s such a positive motivator for the entire class.  

Note: If the secret student doesn’t earn the prize, don’t announce the name. Classroom management is not about shame. It’s about uplifting each other and working together to be good classmates. This tactic also allows the entire class to self-reflect on their behavior for the day, as they know they get to come back tomorrow and try again for secret student.

#6 Focus on Positive Reinforcement

Spend your energy celebrating students who do well rather than punishing those who step out of line. This doesn’t mean you ignore problems or never give out consequences but rather that you emphasize the kind of behavior you want to see.  

When I need to address off-task behavior, I’m much more likely to highlight students who are doing the right thing instead of calling out those who aren’t. This builds intrinsic motivation and helps students understand exactly what success looks like. Most of the time, they will correct the behavior on their own in order to receive that positive attention; be sure to give it to them! 

Bonus: Give your students a voice in what rewards they want to see in the classroom. Younger students might choose stickers, candy, or lunch with the teacher. Older students might prefer a homework pass or 10 minutes of free time to listen to music. One of the most popular prizes, something that surprised me earlier in my career, is a positive note home to parents. Students are so proud when they do well, and they want to share that joy with their families.

#7 Be Firm, Fair, and Consistent

When you do have to hand out consequences, it’s crucial to treat every student the same. No favorites. Students quickly notice if certain classmates can get away with more, and it undercuts your authority and credibility. 

This doesn’t mean you’re inflexible or that you lack compassion. But it does mean students understand the rules, they understand the consequences, and they know they’ll be evenly applied. In the long run, students will respect you more for holding everyone accountable to the agreed-upon norms of the classroom.

#8 Don’t ‘Wing It’

Have a plan in mind going into day one. Yes, you need to stay flexible, and yes, your plan will change as you get to know your students and yourself as a teacher. But if you try to create your classroom management strategy on the fly, it’s bound to cause problems and stress for you and your students. 

If you’re need help getting started, here are a few ideas I’ve seen work well: 

• Ticket systems 
• Point systems
• Jars that are filled with an object (marbles or pom poms, for example) to earn a class prize 
• Class bingo boards 
• Secret student
• School-wide or class currency (i.e., Dragon Dollars or Comet Cash, depending on your school mascot or nickname)  

Whatever you decide to do, stick with it and give it time to work. Classroom management is difficult, but it affects every aspect of teaching, and a strong classroom management strategy is the foundation for a strong teaching career. 

After all, you’re not just making up rules or trying to control behavior. You’re creating a space where young minds can grow, explore, and reach their potential.

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Want more career guidance for new teachers? Watch this on-demand webinar on building confidence in the classroom and overcoming imposter syndrome.