Tuesday, May 13, 2025
The BEST Classroom Management Tool for Teachers
It's Probably Not What You Think!
Teachers are no strangers to Classroom Management advice. Many of us took courses on how to structure classes when we were undergoing our teacher training programs.
We've also likely seen a wide range of "tips and tricks" that other use to help keep students behaving well in the classroom. These ideas are endless. A simple Pinterest search will offer you everything from PBIS to clip charts to app reward systems to students desk pets!
There is definitely a place for fun reward systems in our overall classroom management plan, however, most of us weren't taught THE MOST IMPORTANT classroom management tool at our disposal.
Read on to Learn:
- The one classroom management tool that actually works.
- How teachers can have the biggest impact on their students' behavior.
- One simple, yet powerful tool to begin enacting this tool in your class today!
If you’ve ever found yourself asking, “How do I get my students to behave?” — you’re not alone--especially if your year has started out rough! That’s the question every classroom management training seems to focus on. And while reward systems, routines, and procedures all have their place, they often miss the bigger picture.
The real classroom management tool that works? You. Or more specifically, your nervous system.
Emotional Regulation: The Classroom Management Tool No One Taught Us
Most teachers have been trained to manage student behavior — but not their own emotional responses. And yet, your emotional state sets the tone for your room. When you’re anxious, frustrated, or overwhelmed, your students feel it — even before you say a word. It’s called mirroring, and it’s rooted in neuroscience.
Your ability to stay emotionally regulated is a classroom management tool. In fact, it may be the most effective one in your toolbox.
Start Here: A Simple Strategy for Teacher Stress and Classroom Management
Before you try a new classroom strategy, try this:
1. Notice the emotion rising in your body.
2. Name it: “I’m feeling anxious,” “I’m frustrated,” “I’m overwhelmed.”
3. Take a physical pause: Deep breath, relax your shoulders, plant your feet.
This tiny 10-second reset can shift your nervous system — and shift the energy of your entire room.
Why It Works for Classroom Management
Students co-regulate with the adults in the room. When you remain steady, they’re more likely to do the same. That’s why calm isn’t just helpful — it’s contagious.
So before changing your behavior chart again, ask yourself: How can I stay regulated when my classroom isn’t?
Want to Go Deeper?
My course, Calm in the Classroom, teaches you everything you didn’t learn in your teacher prep program: how to understand your emotions, recognize your stress responses, and build true emotional resilience.
You’ll walk away with practical tools to manage your stress and anchor your classroom with calm — no matter what the day throws at you.
✨ Learn more at about the brand-new Calm in the Classroom course HERE!
Learn all THE Most Important
Teacher Skills HERE!
Teacher, it's not YOU.
It's your BRAIN!
You’re staring at a mountain of ungraded papers, "that" parent just emailed again, and your lunch is still sitting untouched.
You wonder, “Why can’t I handle this better? What’s wrong with me?”
The truth?
Nothing.
Your brain is doing exactly what it’s wired to do—protect you by scanning for danger, anticipating problems, and staying on high alert. In other words, it’s trying to help... but it’s efforts often work against you becoming the calm, confident teacher you want to be.
That’s where I come in. I help teachers understand their brain’s survival patterns—and train them to work with those patterns instead of fighting them.
Want to learn how to reset your mental autopilot and feel better?
Let’s talk. Grab a FREE 30-minute coaching session and take the first step toward a calmer, more in-control classroom (and life).
Hi, I'm Brenna Nelson, a long-time educator turned Certified Life Coach.
I help teachers, just like you, learn how to process emotions, regulate their hyperactivated nervous systems, manage their brains, and create a life they love!
Ready to feel better in the classroom? Click for more help!
Subscribe to The Strength of Teachers Podcast and never miss an Episode!
FREE Weekly Teacher Wellbeing Practices Straight to Your Inbox!
Brenna Nelson
Long-time Educator turned Certified Life Coach
Welcome to The Strength of Teachers Blog! Here we share real-life skills and practical applications that you can implement in your teacher life today!
Teachers Did Not Learn this in College!
Come learn what our college professors failed to teach us in college:
How to manage the emotional toll of life in the classroom!
