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'Check Your Posture'

One teacher's method of keeping his students attentive, focused on what's important, and looking beyond today.

by Albert Walter Jones III

When you walk into any one of my classes with me, the first thing you’ll notice is that some of my students will immediately sit down, lock their fingers, stop talking and look into my eyes for acknowledgement. I’ll then say to the rest of the class, matter-of-factly, “Smart people can follow simple instructions the first time.” More students sit down. I then add, in a quiet tone, “Check your posture,” and the remaining students have a seat, lock their fingers, close their mouths and focus on the teacher.

How did this happen? Actually, it was pretty easy.

When you walk around your school and watch what students are doing, chances are you’ll see them talking, walking, playing, reading assignments, passing notes, plundering inside the desks, being entertained by other students, daydreaming, being disrespectful, or just having fun. Next time you’re in class, stop and examine the kinds of behaviors students are displaying. You may be surprised. You may be annoyed, to say the least. And you will immediately understand why your work sometimes seems to be in vain. You’ll probably also see why you have to spend so much of your instructional time teaching social and behavior skills.

When I was a student, teachers didn’t have to yell, scream, threaten and punish students to get them to have the correct posture for learning. One teacher I remember distinctly did the opposite: The quieter she got, the more trouble you realized was coming your way. And if she ever called you “Sugar Bee” during that exchange, it was considered the “kiss of death.” It was over for you!

But as everyone knows, times have changed and classroom discipline is not what it once was. So one day, after many high blood pressure pills and many talks with the Lord, I decided to have a heart-to-heart talk with my students. I told them that no one should have to yell, scream and threaten in order to teach them. I resolved to myself that I was not going to say all the negative things teachers sometime find themselves shouting in moments of frustration at these poor, innocent and misguided students. I was simply going to say, “Check your posture.” This became my nice way of saying "Please have a seat, stop talking and let me have your attention."

I explained how I wanted them to respond to “Check your posture” by sitting down, locking their fingers, closing their mouths and looking directly at me. To my surprise, the students responded better to this than I would have ever imagined. I actually think they preferred it. Just having a real-life explanation for sitting and paying close attention to the teacher other than “Because I said so” fed their young, developing egos. My students have told other students about this, and now if I walk into another classroom and say, “Check your posture,” other students respond just like mine do.
  
So how would you introduce the “Check your posture” concept to your students? Explain to them that this is your special coded warning and it means that it’s time to stop and check in with themselves. Sometimes it means that a student is out of order, so please stop and make sure that you are not that student. Sometimes it means, “May I have your attention? We’re ready to learn!” Whatever the translation, students need to stop immediately and check three things:

• Are your fingers locked? People who sit like this are usually the ones who are in charge, in control. I tell students to look at the President, corporate CEOs, attorneys, the principal, business owners and most other important people. You will see that they sit up straight with their fingers locked on the desk or table.

• Is your mouth closed? Today, information and money can be the same thing. Sure, someone will pay you to do a job, but they will pay you much more for what you know. The top salaries today go to people called "knowledge workers": people who are paid for information and ideas. Right now you are saving your knowledge. Your brain is like a piggy bank. One day you will get paid for all the knowledge you’ve saved. But if your mouth is open all the time, then it’s like having a piggy bank with a hole in it. You’ll never acquire all the knowledge you will need to get paid.

• Are your eyes on me? I explain to my students that your eyes are the windows for your brain. If your eyes go into the hallway, then your brain just went into the hallway. If your brain is out there in the hall, then you will not learn everything you will need in this class.  Look at those same leaders and high achievers who sit with their fingers locked: You’ll notice that they also look directly at whoever is speaking and are not afraid to make eye contact. In addition to preparing your brain to take in more knowledge, eye contact also tells others that you are self-confident and assertive and that you expect the same respect when it is your turn to speak.

Using "Check your posture" changed the dynamics of my classes. The classroom environment became more conducive for learning. I didn’t have to teach the lesson over and over again. At the same time, I was also teaching them a very important life lesson: how to behave with dignity and self-assurance in group settings. Individual student attention spans increased noticeably. Student performance and motivation improved. I could see the self-esteem building in their eyes and efforts.   I am still on high blood pressure pills, but I don’t talk to the Lord as often now except to say "Thanks!"

  Here are a few things that I say over and over to my students:

1. Smart people can follow simple instructions the first time.

2. You can learn to be smart by developing a knack for following simple instructions the first time.

3. Check your posture.

4. If I am talking to you, then I should see you looking at me.

5. Information and money are the same thing.

6. You get paid for what you know, if you don’t know enough, you won’t get paid enough.

7. How do you stay on track? Ask yourself this question. Is what I’m about to do going to help me accomplish my goals? If the answer is yes, then do it. If the answer is no, then leave it alone because you don't have time for it. You're too busy achieving your goals!

8. It's all about getting paid. It’s about your job, business, profession or career. It’s about your goals and dreams.

9. Knowing things that most people don't will push you closer to those goals and dreams.

10.  Today's ideas and information are tomorrow's businesses, inventions and top salaries.

Here is an exercise for your students: Ask them, “If you were the only person in the world who knew today that $1 Hershey candy bars would sell for $100 tomorrow, what would you do today?” They’ll tell you that they’d buy as many candy bars as possible today and sell them at a profit tomorrow. Tell them that money and information are the same thing. When teachers speak, it’s the same as though they are passing out $1 candy bars to every student that has the correct posture for learning. Tomorrow, those candy bars will be worth $100 each.

Remember: Check your posture. It works for all ages.

Jones, a member of the Richmond Education Association, is a Title I math teacher at Blackwell Elementary School.