The #1 Classroom Management Routine Every Teacher Needs
Great classroom management isn't magic. In my conversation with Bened Petty, we break down the routines and specific skills behind well-managed classrooms—from gaining 100% attention and entrance routines to scanning, voice control, deliberate pauses, and positive narration. These are skills teachers can practice, refine, and improve.
9/5/2026
Some teachers seem to have “it.”
They walk into a classroom, say a few words, and students respond. They can quiet a room, redirect behavior, and move smoothly from one activity to another.
For years, I've wondered what exactly those teachers are doing.
My conversation with classroom-management specialist Ben Pettie helped me put a framework around it.
Ben has worked with hundreds of teachers and helped develop classroom-management resources in Australia. During our conversation, he made an important point:
Classroom management isn't just about routines. It's about the skills underneath those routines.
Think about something as simple as getting students' attention.
Ben believes this may be the number-one routine in teaching.
At first, it sounds simple. You give your signal. Students stop talking. You continue teaching.
But there's much more happening.
A skilled teacher is scanning the room. Their voice changes. They pause. They acknowledge students who are meeting expectations. They may use a look or gesture to redirect someone who isn't.
All of that can happen within seconds.
Ben identified several classroom-management skills teachers can intentionally refine:
👀 Scanning — intentionally watching the entire classroom.
🗣️ Voice control — changing tone, pace, pitch, and volume based on the situation.
⏸️ Deliberate pause — knowing when to stop talking and wait.
👍 Acknowledgement and praise — intentionally recognizing students meeting expectations.
🚶 Circulation — moving through the classroom with purpose.
There are also non-verbal corrections and clear communication.
As Ben explained these, I started mentally replaying what I do in my own classroom.
When I need everyone's attention, I move to the front.
My voice changes.
“Everybody up here, please.”
Then I wait.
I scan.
If one student isn't paying attention, I may say, “Just waiting for John.”
I've been teaching for over 20 years, and I do many of these things automatically.
But now I have language for why they work.
That's important because classroom management shouldn't be treated as some mysterious ability you either have or don't have.
It can be practiced.
It can be refined.
And that should be encouraging for new teachers.
You don't need to fix everything tomorrow. Start small.
Create a predictable entrance routine. Teach students exactly what they're supposed to do. Develop a consistent way to gain everyone's attention.
Then begin refining the skills underneath those routines.
Because the goal isn't perfection.
It's getting a little better every day.
And when classroom management gets better, everything else becomes easier.
👉 Watch the full podcast conversation here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp2QzGeLeJ4&list=UULFQOIbqNhb_gseSVU6bE3uUA