Don’t talk while the teacher is talking.

From preschool to high school, any given student must have heard this phrase a thousand times. Although deceptively simple in theory, this overused set of directions proves surprisingly difficult for many students, regardless of age, to successfully follow. If a student failed to comply with this “golden rule of respect” in elementary school, the consequence was a time out. In middle school, severe cases could result in detention. In high school, during commonplace situations of students talking simultaneously with a teacher, teachers have a surprisingly wide arsenal of responses to catch student attention.

5. “Every once in a while I sing (a Grammar Rock song or a song from an era or about a theme we’re discussing).” -Julie Blank

4. “I like to stop talking and just look at them and see how long it takes to notice that A) I’m not talking and B) I’m looking at them.  Everyone in class turns to wait and see the response. I don’t have to say anything.” -Bob Westerholt

3. “Get involved in their personal conversation they think no one can hear and make a sharp comeback.” -Jessica Menkhus

2. “I’ve told this story many times.  After asking a certain student NOT to read her book in class several times, I threw it across the room, out the window, narrowly missing two students’ heads.  Dead silence and total focus after that.  It was one of my finer moments.” -Mike Hill

1. “Tell whacky stories about a historical adventure on a shrimp boat.” -Eric Hahn