The most common distraction in a classroom is a disruptive student. When you have such students, you will go through days where you feel like you have no control over your class at all. The day trudges along and at last the final bell rings, and in your first quiet moment of the day, thoughts of leaving teaching as a profession suddenly seem right. This is understandable because classroom management is a complex skill that is built and refined throughout a teacher’s career. The study conducted by Hussam Al Zieni, a candidate for the Master of Arts Degree at the American University of Sharjah, indicated there is a serious problem regarding classroom management in high schools in the UAE. However, the trick is to accept your circumstances, reflect on what is needed and prepare to return better equipped tomorrow. If classroom management feels like an unscalable mountain to you, follow these four tips to bounce back in classroom after a bad day-

1. Regain Perspective

Tomorrow is a new day. Rehashing yesterday’s woes and blaming yourself is counterproductive. It merely drags the bad energy with you into the morning. Instead, focus on the future by previewing the cool or exciting things you have planned for your students. Give them a compelling reason to want to listen, learn and follow rules. Reignite their love for school first and you’ll have all the leverage you need to secure a great day.

2. Address Behavioural Issues

Be sure to address the issue between you and a student or between two students that led to the disruption of the classroom environment. Bad feelings—on your part or the students’—can so quickly grow from molehills into mountains. Don’t accuse the child of anything and give her/him an opportunity to voice out their opinions. The student will usually become disarmed because they might be expecting you to be angry and confrontational. Swoop in at the right moment and share your two cents of wisdom to resolve the problem peacefully.

3. Create a Student Behavior Plan

A student behavior plan is a written agreement between the student, their parents, and teachers. The plan outlines expected behaviors, provides incentives for behaving appropriately and consequences for poor behavior. A behavior plan provides a direct plan of action for a teacher if the student continues to be disruptive. This contract should be specifically written to address the issues the teacher sees in class. The plan can also include outside resources for help such as counseling. The plan may be modified or revisited at any time.

4. Follow Up

Following up can prevent recurrences in the future. If the student has corrected their behavior, then periodically tell them that you are proud of them. Encourage them to keep working hard. Even a little improvement should be recognized. If parents and administrators become involved then let them know how things are going from time to time as well. As a teacher, you are the one in the trenches seeing first hand what is going on. Providing positive updates and feedback can help ensure a good working relationship in the future.

The biggest mistake teachers make after a bad day is to turn grim, to use a show of disappointment. Although this may help tamp down the misbehaviour in the immediate term, it does nothing to correct the problem. It does nothing to ensure that it won’t happen again. Furthermore, such power plays damage rapport, sap motivation and cause students to care a lot less about being in your classroom. The four tips shared above, however, will give you a chance to clear the boards and start afresh on a positive note.