Love and Logic's February Training Conference
Last week we held our 9 Essential Skills for the Love and Logic Classroom® training conference in Denver. This was the first in-person Love and Logic training conference since the pandemic and we were very pleased with the event. Over 110 participants braved the cold weather and enjoyed 2 ½ days of sessions covering the educator curriculum and related topics. Comments from many of the participants suggest the conference was successful and very beneficial.
Teacher Turnover and Classroom Management
Classroom management was a major topic of discussion, including the related issue of teacher turnover. Teacher turnover continues to be a major problem in our schools, especially among new teachers entering the classroom setting. Recent reports indicate that the number of teachers leaving the profession appears to be increasing and, even more concerning, a higher percentage of those leaving are talented younger teachers who are burned out early in their careers.
How Disruptive Students Contribute to Teacher Burnout
One factor contributing to teacher burnout is the increase in more disruptive and unmotivated students. Surveys suggest that many classroom educators are spending from 40% to as much as 80% of each class period dealing with behavioral issues rather than teaching. This contributes significantly to teacher burnout and high rates of turnover.
How Love and Logic Helps Educators
Love and Logic’s principles and techniques have helped teachers for almost five decades and has proven to be effective in even the most difficult settings. Since the pandemic, many schools have turned to Love and Logic for guidance and have succeeded in helping their teachers overcome the increase in difficulties that they face, including unmotivated and severely disruptive students.
Classroom Strategy: Short-Term Recovery
Here is one of the techniques that were discussed at length in the conference last week—it is intended to help teachers preserve a calm learning environment when nothing appears to be working with disruptive students.
Sometimes some students need to be someplace else, temporarily, so the teacher can teach and the students who are ready to learn can learn.
Although the Love and Logic approach emphasizes the importance of building positive relationships and preventing disruptions, classroom educators also need a strategy for maintaining a calm learning environment when preventative strategies don’t work. We call this strategy Short-Term Recovery, which is described in detail in Teaching with Love and Logic: Taking Control of the Classroom. Here are some highlights of this strategy:
- Disruptive students have an opportunity to calm down where they won’t create problems for anyone else.
- Teachers are not burdened with providing consequences or counseling to the student.
- The student is allowed to return to class as soon as they can do so without creating any problems.
- The students who are ready to learn can do so.
- All of this is done with great empathy and with the goal of preserving everyone’s dignity.
Supporting Teachers and Preventing Burnout
Great teachers never give up on disruptive students. Nevertheless, they understand that they cannot allow such students to interfere with the rights of the group.
Updated Love and Logic Curriculum
The third edition of the 9 Essential Skills for the Love and Logic Classroom® curriculum, by Charles Fay and Jim Fay, is now available. It has been revised with all-new videos and updated content. For teachers who are struggling with classroom management, this curriculum has much to offer and might even convince a teacher to stay in the profession!
Thanks for reading!
