For Educators

Keeping Control in the Classroom: Is Ron Clark's Method for You?

First there was Ron Clark's Essential 55.  Now there is Ron Clark's Essential 11.

Who is Ron Clark?  Ron Clark is simply a teacher.  A teacher who has produced extraordinary success stories from classrooms of kids doomed to failure or worse.

After a five-year teaching career in rural North Carolina
where his low-income class was invited to the White House for its unprecedented academic achievements, Clark moved to a school in Harlem, N.Y., and was named Disney's American Teacher of the Year. "The Essential 55," Clark's book about the principals of education, was a New York Times Best Seller. Clark was portrayed by Matthew Perry in a television movie.

Saying his students earned "unprecedented academic achievements", is an understatement.  He used some simple, common sense philosophies and combined them with a relentless passion to ignite and feed the basic and intellectual needs of his students and the  results were nothing short of miraculous. The television movie was moving and motivational, but his personal lectures are fire-starters for teachers.

What does this have to do with keeping control in the classroom?  See the movie or read more about Ron Clark and you will see how his philosophies helped him turn a classroom full of the  worst behavior problems in the school into a classroom of academic super-achievers.  It might not work for everyone in every case, but every teacher can find inspiration, hope and even some tactics in Ron's methods.

Ron says, "If you walk into your classroom and don't see a future teacher or astronaut, it will never happen,"  "As teachers, we have to dream bigger than
these kids. We have to lift them up."

The 11 fundamental qualities Ron says  tachers and parents can use to motivate, inspire and educate children are the underlying principles of teaching: enthusiasm, adventure, creativity, reflection, balance, compassion, confidence, humor, common sense, appreciation and resilience.

But his #1 fundamental is RESPECT.  "My discipline is old fashioned -- I don't play," Clark said to a group of educators in Texas. "My kids aren't even allowed to speak during the first week of school. They have to earn that."

On the other hand, he said students deserve the same respect from their teachers.

"Kids are looking at us to learn what they are," Clark said. "When you throw words like 'stupid' and
'ignorant' around, that's what they believe."

Clark told the audience that the classroom family should also extend to custodians, cafeteria workers
and parents.

"If you really want to make an impact, visit their home," Clark said. "I guarantee you it will change
everything.

Read more about Ron Clark or learn more about
Ron's school, the Ron Clark Academy.