While conceptualizing this article, I reminisced about my first teaching job. It was as a fifth-grade social studies teacher in my hometown. To be honest, my first year wasn’t necessarily a stellar one. In some ways, I felt overwhelmed, even inadequate in the classroom, especially when it came to classroom management. But with the help of veteran teachers and an understanding principal, I completed that year and became a master teacher by my third year.

My experiences are not at all uncommon. Ask any teacher what their biggest challenge is on a daily basis, and most will say classroom management. Consider, the following classroom scenario. You are a fifth grade English teacher who has just started a lesson on action verbs, but your students have other plans. Matthias interrupts you with a question or an opinion about an unrelated topic, Rebecca is talking to her friend while you are attempting to redirect Matthias, and Susie, who is worried about her mother in the hospital, starts to cry incessantly. On top of that, while you are distracted, Alfred is posting hurtful comments about Rebecca on Facebook. This episode is just the tip of the iceberg, as sometimes these scenes get even more convoluted.

Are you struggling to manage your classroom? Don’t panic, as it happens to the best of us. So how do you get your class back under control? I am glad you asked. Below I am sharing a graphic that lists 27 ideas about how to manage your classroom.