When I say this, I mean two different things. First, understand that how you learn best is not always how your students will learn best. Many teachers tend to teach to their own learning style, whether or not it benefits the students. My advice is to take time to get to know your students and what makes them tick, what inspires them, what motivates them...and use it! Not only will doing this keep your kids engaged, but it will also help diminish behavior problems.
Secondly...please, please, please remember that you are not your students' best friend. This is a classic "rookie" mistake and I cannot stress enough the importance of setting boundaries for your students (and preparing for your students to test those boundaries). Get your "teacher look" going, practice it in a mirror...good teachers are able to stop unwanted behavior with a look! I'm kidding, of course, but not entirely. Establishing the boundaries in the beginning of the year will make the rest of your year more peaceful.
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