The Classroom Management Secret, and 45 Other Keys to a Well-Behaved Classroom

by Michael Linsin

In The Classroom Management Secret, you will learn how pursuing just two simple principles will allow you to grab ahold of the rewarding and meaningful teaching career you've always dreamed of. Based on the popular blog, Smart Classroom Management, the book progresses step-by-step through 46 keys, showing you how to manage your classroom in a way that inspires your students to want to behave. By the end, you will have the knowledge to take over any K-8 classroom and create the kind of peaceful buy joyous learning experience your students will always remember.

Genres: Teaching, Education, Nonfiction

191 pages, Paperback

First published May 14, 2013

Reviews

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of blog entries with tips for teachers. I ended up teaching music classes to kids, and since I have no formal teacher training, this was pretty helpful. If you have a teaching degree, this might be nothing new for you.

It's a short and easy read. There are a few misspelled words and a few run-on sentences.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book, full of wonderful advice & I definitely recommend it.
I can't bring myself to give him 5 stars however.. because the author doesn't want to admit that there are outside influences that are beyond the teacher's control. He is right that you shouldn't let these things overwhelm you & become excuses. However, I don't think that just thinking positively & refusing to admit that some things are beyond your control is exactly great either.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

6/16/17
I read this in May...I am reading it again, more slowly this time, and marking it up. I still love it. I might read it again in August before school starts. Thank you, Mr. Linsin, for helping a seasoned teacher finally figure some things out.

5/14/17
I loved everything about this book...The layout, the short chapters, the ideas and real life solutions... The tips are doable, the ideas are easy to implement...and it works. After twenty years of teaching, I am finally figuring out all the mistakes I have made over the years. It took exactly three days to completely change the dynamic in my class. Too bad I didn't find this book until the last month of school! I think I will read this one every single summer.

[GD · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the better classroom management books I've read, which doesn't say a lot because the bar is pretty low. There's only about 3 things you can say in these books, don't be too close to the students, don't yell, be prepared, and everything else is just adding to that.

Despite this being one of the better books on the subject, this dude is one of those corny as shit "inspire the hearts" guys. It wasn't just me, ALL kids except the dumb ones are really cynical and do not fall for this Dead Poets Society stuff: "For praise to mean something, for it to help change behavior, inspire excellence, and fuel a dream of becoming the next E.E. Cummings [sic] or Emily Dickenson, it must be worthy. It must be genuine and real and come from the stirrings in your heart. It must be a moment in time, a shared recognition, a soulful celebration of a step beyond where your students have ever been before." BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! What is this shit?

[Isaac · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is clear and to-the-point. What he suggests is by no means easy yet I feel relief reading this from knowing what needs to be done and where and how. It fits what I believe (recognizing excellence without meaningless rote praise and extrinsic rewards like ice cream parties given for doing what is expected, for example) and since I learn best by explaining to myself what I do and don't know, this book helped me and is helping me do just that.

[Mark Schlatter · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most helpful books on the subject that I've read. Linsin avoids strict behaviorism (for the most part) and emphasizes calm consistency while providing specifics. To me, this is a good middle ground between Fred Jones Tools for Teaching: Discipline, Instruction, Motivation. Primary Prevention of Classroom Discipline Problems and Discipline with Dignity: New Challenges, New Solutions --- it has the directness of the first work with some of the philosophical approach of the second.

[Lisa Greene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has had more impact on what I do in my classroom than any other. I discovered it when I ran across Linsin’s weekly blog, “Smart Classroom Management”. It debunks many approaches I’ve always been uncomfortable with, such as behavior charts, extrinsic rewards, and - don’t be shocked - PBIS. I have made minor adjustments to his approach to make it my own, but it remains a huge influence every single day I teach.

[Lisa Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic follow-up to Dream Class. It's direct and specific. It has a "tough love" tone toward teachers, but it is also encouraging and sympathetic. I starred several chapters to review when I need a "shot in the arm.

[Heather Ricco · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be required reading for any teacher, new or seasoned. Michael Linsin's blog adds more insight and answers questions you may have after reading this book. Highly recommended!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must for every single teacher, beginner to veteran alike. Just read it. Trust me. You’ll be so glad you did.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before beginning my fifth year of teaching, I decided I should read this book during my summer vacation. I had bought it a while ago to help shore up some of my classroom management skills and then never found the time to read it because I was dealing with so much during the school year.

This next year, I resolve to use the tips and techniques Michael Linsin presents in this book. While it is written primarily for K-8 classrooms (and is all double-spaced, which I found a bit odd at first), I still found many gems of insight that I believe I can use to make my classroom run more smoothly. Mostly, I feel that Linsin's tips are so simple, and yet from experience I know that it will be harder than it seems to implement them faithfully at all times. It is hard to wait for complete silence. It is tough to walk away when a student disrespects you and return to the incident when you're both calmer. It sometimes seems impossible to not take misbehavior personally.

But Linsin presents all the reasons to do just these things in specific situations. He gives you the principles and then advice on how to adapt them to your purposes. He imparts a great sense of confidence and tries to transfer his can-do spirit to the reader. Classroom management can seem like a mysterious science that you either have the knack for or not, but Linsin definitely helps remove this perception through simple, sound practices.

So far, I've given this book four stars for simply being useful reading. I'll add the final star if these principles work for me. I feel much more confident about this, though, so stay tuned!

[Brian H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book presents 45 simple tips you can use to help your class management. As a teacher who teaches in a difficult environment in which many teachers call the kids “uncontrollable”, using his tips actually managed to make me able to manage these supposed uncontrollable kids, with a bit of empathy and rules on my side.

Review 9/10
It just.. works! Of course, it won’t work perfectly every time and some of the rules need a bit of personal adjustment to your own style, it definitely is a great start for aspiring teachers!

[Missy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was familiar with his website before coming across this book. It seems to be taken from posts on his website about classroom management. It's a good book that details how to handle situations explicitly. I will never remember everything from this book so it might be a good reference book to have on hand for when the need arises.

It did take me awhile to read it since I read it in snippets. To sit and read the entire thing at once would be too overwhelming.

[Jenny Bohannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read to keep you on top of your teacher game. I stopped with incentives and moved to intrinsic motivation and it worked so well. I am excited to use the additional tips learned to continue this process. The book is a quick read and set up to give you to the point advice that is easy to go back and reference. A few points are repeated, however, necessary to get the point across. Highly recommend!

[Kasie Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of practical strategies and no nonsense advice, I cannot recommend this book enough! I’ve taken so many notes and have been inspired to not only tweak my approach to classroom management, but to approach it as something that allows me to teach the way I dreamed I would when I was a starry eyed graduate; not look at it with the pessimistic outlook I developed last year!

[Jeremy Bonnette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like to read an education book here and there, usually in the summer, to get new ideas and prepare for the upcoming school year. This had some interesting ideas that I'll try. It was a quick read and I think it has some easy to implement ideas.

4.2 out of 5 stars

[Courtney Cunningham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably my FAVORITE teaching book of all time. I have been a reader of Michael's SCM articles for years and I finally got around to reading this book. Worth every penny of my money and second of my time.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some truly great ideas, very clearly spelled out.

[Anna Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! Unlike other teaching manuals that always follow the trail of political correctness and student choice above all else, this one gives methods that are bound to actually work.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I should reserve judgement on this book until I've had the chance to put theory to practice.

[Audra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Linsin has universal and positive applications for creating and maintaining a positive and effectively managed classroom.

[Damilola · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was a quick read, and each piece of advice was backed up with examples and sound logic, but the tips were occasionally vague.

[Andrea George · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an elementary school teacher, I'm always looking for new ideas on how to better management my classroom. This book was recommended by my professor, and offered quite a few helpful suggestions.

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the Happy teacher more. This was a good read though.

[Talia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great common sense, fair, reasonable approach. It is not just a bunch of education jargon citing the newest studies. It comes from a place of experience.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

learned a lot 👍🏻

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book's idea was great, the reader was a little "meh". Will be rereading!

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains many useful tips for classroom management.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

[Beth Lind · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basically, this is a short book of blog postings from the author -- but each chapter is rich with advice and suggestions. Like the author, I think a common-sense approach to behavior really is the "secret" trick.