DiscoverThe Unteachables Podcast#140: If you've ever been told (or felt) you need to "be stricter" for classroom management success - listen to this.
#140: If you've ever been told (or felt) you need to "be stricter" for classroom management success - listen to this.

#140: If you've ever been told (or felt) you need to "be stricter" for classroom management success - listen to this.

Update: 2025-09-08
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We’re busting a big ol’ classroom management myth in this episode: that being kind, compassionate, and empathetic means you’re “too soft” to manage behaviour effectively.

Because I’m seeing it everywhere right now - especially from all the beautiful new teachers joining me inside The Behaviour Club - this feeling of, “Am I doing it wrong?” “Am I too nice?” “Do I need to start being strict to be taken seriously?”

Short answer? No.

Longer answer? Let’s talk about it.

This episode is a riffed, unfiltered reminder that you don’t need to ditch your warmth or change your personality to be respected in the classroom. And if you're walking into class bracing for impact, because the last thing that worked was yelling or snapping, you need to hear this one.

I’m giving you a front seat to my own story from when I started teaching (and was 3 years older than some of my students 🙃), the realisation that changed everything, and what you actually need to learn to manage behaviour without selling out who you are.

What you’ll learn:

  • Why being kind and credible aren’t opposites (and how to be both)
  • The truth behind “don’t smile until Easter” and why it failed me
  • Why your teaching presence matters more than your personality
  • How to balance warmth with boundaries (without burning out)
  • The missing skillset that makes behaviour management sustainable

Resources mentioned:

Have a question, comment, or just want to say hello? Drop us a text!

Memberships to The Behaviour Club now open until Monday 15th September!
Learn more and join us here: https://www.the-unteachables.com/tbc

RESOURCES AND MORE SUPPORT:

Connect with me:


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#140: If you've ever been told (or felt) you need to "be stricter" for classroom management success - listen to this.

#140: If you've ever been told (or felt) you need to "be stricter" for classroom management success - listen to this.

2025-09-0821:15

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#138: Brain breaks that secretly boost behaviour (and help us reclaim a bit of teaching joy in the classroom)

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#137: Feel like you need to split into 30 trying to support the whole room? This tool changes everything.

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#136: The entry routine that is magic for low-level disruption! The power of learning maps

#136: The entry routine that is magic for low-level disruption! The power of learning maps

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#135: Is your teaching presence undermining your classroom management?

#135: Is your teaching presence undermining your classroom management?

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#134: Bullying in the classroom?! 😖 How to talk to your students about it in a way that gets them listening, empathising, and creating change!

#134: Bullying in the classroom?! 😖 How to talk to your students about it in a way that gets them listening, empathising, and creating change!

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#133: Flipping your lid! The concept that changed everything about the way I responded to students in the middle of a meltdown.

#133: Flipping your lid! The concept that changed everything about the way I responded to students in the middle of a meltdown.

2025-07-2219:02

#132: The No-BS Back to School Breakdown! Exactly what I do lesson-by-lesson in Week 1 to build rapport, set expectations, and create routines that stick.

#132: The No-BS Back to School Breakdown! Exactly what I do lesson-by-lesson in Week 1 to build rapport, set expectations, and create routines that stick.

2025-07-1526:28

#131: 4 sobering statistics that prove that teaching is the hardest, and most important job in the world.

#131: 4 sobering statistics that prove that teaching is the hardest, and most important job in the world.

2025-07-0727:31

#130: Dealing with defiance? You don't need to say a word - you just need these 3 game-changing non-verbal strategies!

#130: Dealing with defiance? You don't need to say a word - you just need these 3 game-changing non-verbal strategies!

2025-07-0115:44

#129: The exact one-liners I use in the classroom when responding to defiant or challenging behaviour (and why every teacher needs these!)

#129: The exact one-liners I use in the classroom when responding to defiant or challenging behaviour (and why every teacher needs these!)

2025-06-2319:20

#128: 4 ways imposter syndrome shows up for teachers in the classroom (and what you needed to know YESTERDAY to overcome it)

#128: 4 ways imposter syndrome shows up for teachers in the classroom (and what you needed to know YESTERDAY to overcome it)

2025-06-1721:11

#127: I met the King, and he asked me a question about the work I do with classroom management I was NOT expecting

#127: I met the King, and he asked me a question about the work I do with classroom management I was NOT expecting

2025-06-1018:21

#126: How to support staff mindset shifts around behaviour approaches

#126: How to support staff mindset shifts around behaviour approaches

2025-06-0217:15

#125: Q&A: Dealing with the class clown, when students gang up on you, and motivating unmotivated learners.

#125: Q&A: Dealing with the class clown, when students gang up on you, and motivating unmotivated learners.

2025-05-2621:34

#124: What to do when you’ve tried it all (and behaviour is STILL a battle).

#124: What to do when you’ve tried it all (and behaviour is STILL a battle).

2025-05-1912:22

#123: How to stand tall and confident in front of your class (even in the midst of some tough as heck behaviours)

#123: How to stand tall and confident in front of your class (even in the midst of some tough as heck behaviours)

2025-05-1216:21

#122: “Miss, that deserves a detention!!” When students tell you how to do your job.

#122: “Miss, that deserves a detention!!” When students tell you how to do your job.

2025-05-0513:27

#121: 4 steps to building confidence in your classroom management

#121: 4 steps to building confidence in your classroom management

2025-04-2820:48

#120: Your teaching IS your classroom management. Here are 3 ways to make it work for you

#120: Your teaching IS your classroom management. Here are 3 ways to make it work for you

2025-04-2218:37

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#140: If you've ever been told (or felt) you need to "be stricter" for classroom management success - listen to this.

#140: If you've ever been told (or felt) you need to "be stricter" for classroom management success - listen to this.

Claire English