Why the first six weeks decide your whole school year

Starter post. Replace with Karen’s own writing before launch, or delete it.

Most classroom management problems that surface in November were created in September. Not by a dramatic incident, but by a routine that was never explicitly taught and has been quietly negotiated every day since.

Teach routines the way you teach content

A routine that has been announced is not a routine that has been taught. Model it, practise it, and correct it while the stakes are low. The time this takes in week one is recovered many times over by week six.

Pick a small number and hold them

Entry, transitions, getting the class’s attention, and how to ask for help. Those four carry most of the load. A long list of rules dilutes attention and guarantees inconsistent enforcement, which teaches students that rules are negotiable.

Consistency matters more than severity

Students calibrate to what actually happens, not to what was announced. A mild consequence applied every single time shapes behaviour better than a serious one applied occasionally.

Revisit after every break

Routines decay over holidays. Re-teaching them for a few days after a break is normal practice, not a sign that something has gone wrong.

If routines are in place and behaviour is still consuming the lesson, the issue is usually somewhere other than the routines, and that is worth looking at properly.