Classroom Management: Don’t Ignore the ELEPHANT in the Room!

Every teacher knows classroom management is key to success — but let’s be honest, sometimes it feels like there’s an elephant stomping through the room knocking over your best-laid plans.

Well today, that elephant becomes your friend! 🐘✨
Here are practical, realistic teacher tips — one for each letter in ELEPHANT — to help you keep your classroom calm, learning-focused, and fun.

Mr. Slope Guy hanging out with a Giant Green Elephant in Springfield, Illinois — proof that in teaching, addressing the “elephant in the room” leads to jumbo-sized success

E — Establish Consistency

Students thrive when expectations don’t change with the weather (or your caffeine intake).
Be consistent with rules, procedures, and consequences — the more predictable you are, the more secure students feel.

Teacher Tip: Post your standards where everyone can see them and refer back to them often.

L — Level the Challenge

Work should be not too easy… not too hard. Students disengage if they’re bored or overwhelmed.
Aim for that Goldilocks Zone where their brains stretch but don’t snap.

Teacher Tip: Offer quick extensions to early finishers and scaffolds for students who need support — everyone stays learning!

E — Engage Every Student

Idle minds lead to loud classrooms.
Keep students busy with meaningful tasks that require participation — think stations, partner work, math games, and mini whiteboards.

P — Pace Your Transitions

Chaos hides in the cracks between activities.
Smooth, quick transitions keep momentum going and prevent side conversations from turning into side quests.

Teacher Tip: Use timers, countdowns, and clear directions — transition routines are as important as lesson plans.

H — Handle Reactions Wisely

You set the emotional thermostat of the room.
If you stay calm, students are more likely to follow your lead.

Teacher Tip: Silent pauses and waiting for silence before you speak sometimes speak louder than a 5-minute lecture.

A — Anticipate Problems

Scan the room and stay alert like a superhero math ninja.
You know what triggers disruptions — get in front of it before it escalates.

Teacher Tip: “Proximity control” = your secret superpower. Move around and connect with students early and often.

N — Notice Positive Behavior

Catch them doing things RIGHT!
Praise sets a tone, builds trust, and motivates even your most squirrelly student to keep trying.

Teacher Tip: Make positive calls home — parents love hearing good news!

T — Teach the Routine, Every Time

Don’t assume students just know how to behave.
Explicitly teach — and reteach — how to enter, work, move, talk, and pack up.

🐘 The ELEPHANT Always Remembers

Using ELEPHANT helps you build a structured, supportive environment where every student can succeed — and where you don’t feel like you’re herding… well… elephants. 😄

Keep it light. Keep it clear. Keep going. You’ve got this!