#19 Failing to be                           Consistent...

Consistent behavior, on your part, is crucial if students are to "fight fear" and feel in control in your classroom.

Students must know what to expect from you... daily!

If you suffer from the inconsistency bug, you need to analyze your behavior and change it! Now that was simple... wasn't it? Of course it isn't simple, but it is possible and you'll benefit from the transformation!

Being inconsistent negatively impacts your students capacity to learn, because they invest so much time, energy and effort trying to determine your mood for the day.

You've been there. You've had a teacher who was inconsistent! You know how it feels. But, maybe... just maybe you've forgotten how it felt to have someone who directly impacts your life be unpredictable!

Exhibiting mood swings is confusing and makes it extremely difficult for students to deal with you and maintain their need for balance and control. Inconsistent behavior has an adverse effect on student behavior and performance. They become fearful of you and what you might do!

Think about it!

For twenty plus years, I worked in the educational branch of the Texas prison system. During that time, one of the major lessons inmates taught me is their need to know, as inmates put it, “Where you’re coming from.”

In other words, “What will the guards' mood and behavior be today? How should I act today to survive?"

Your students have the same questions and the same feeling because you are a pivotal person in their lives. How you treat them... consistently... is extremely important.

Another lesson I learned while working with inmates is they prefer consistent behavior over pleasant behavior. What drove them crazy was to have a guard treat them like a human being one minute then like the scum of the earth the next.

What your students crave is consistency in the way you treat them. Even if it’s bad, they’ll know where you’re coming from, and they will "act" accordingly.

Consistency is the key!

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Do a little "navel gazing"... self-analysis by asking yourself...

Am I angry one minute and sweet the next?

Do my moods change suddenly and dramatically?

Am I a jerk one minute and Mr. Nice Guy the next?

Like any behavior you want to correct, you must first become AWARE of its existence.

Awareness is the first step toward change, and feedback is the first step toward awareness.

Ask for feedback from students and peers to sharpen your own awareness of your own behavior.

If you determine you need to develop consistency in your treatment of others, start by asking whether you want to be pleasant or unpleasant.

Being consistently unpleasant, is better than being consistently inconsistent!

Another clue to being consistent is when students keep asking: "What kind of mood is he in today?"

Remember, the key is consistency of your behavior whether it is pleasant or unpleasant. That's the third times I've said that... but that's the point!

You can be a jerk or joy a ... just be consistent!

That's the fourth time I've said that. Must be important! Smile!

Consistently,
Karl

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