| After a while your students will start to get | | | | classroom, preferably close to the whiteboard. This |
| comfortable with the other people around them. They | | | | makes a great place to put all of your teaching |
| will get braver with their newfound support group, and | | | | supplies so you don't have to make frequent trips to |
| be more willing to start acting out in class. One simple | | | | your teacher's desk. Also, it lets you interact more with |
| way to nip this in the bud is to change your students | | | | your class and turn your back to them less because all |
| seating arrangement. This one action will reassert you | | | | of your materials will be within arm's reach. It also |
| as the authority in the classroom. It will also give you | | | | makes a great spot to put troublemakers when they |
| the opportunity to move students away from each | | | | are acting up in class. Just move your things off the |
| other that are forming an alliance with the intention of | | | | desk and you've got a nice new spot for them - front |
| challenging you and your authority. If you've picked up | | | | and center. |
| the signals that a revolution or mutiny is on the horizon | | | | If someone does make a serious breech of classroom |
| in your classroom, you'll want to take swift action to | | | | etiquette, and they need to be moved in the middle of |
| prevent any sort of revolt. | | | | a lesson, tell that student to pick up all of their things |
| What you don't want to do is rearrange the entire | | | | and come on down to the front row. This provides the |
| classroom during a lesson. The best method for | | | | right amount of embarrassment for the student, and |
| moving the seats around is to present each student | | | | usually gets them back in line. It also puts them right in |
| with a new seating chart as they are walking into the | | | | your line of sight so that any further infractions will be |
| classroom, just like you probably did on the first day of | | | | highly visible. You may be surprised that the student |
| school. This way they are not already sitting in their | | | | ends up thanking you for moving them. Once they are |
| current spots, and they may even forget exactly how | | | | taken away from a group of distracting friends, they |
| the old set-up was. It does happen on occasion that | | | | may find their grades improve, they find that paying |
| you will need to move a student or students in the | | | | attention to the teacher isn't as hard as it seemed, and |
| moment, and by all means do so. | | | | they have an easier time academically. |
| One tip is to leave a seat open in the front of the | | | | |