November 12, 2024 • 21 mins
You’ve FINALLY gotten your students settled and started at the start of the lesson… cue… the disruptive latecomer!
This month on the podcast, I'm focusing on the first five minutes of each lesson—the foundation of a calm, connected start. However, even with a solid roadmap that guides teachers in creating a smooth start with key strategies, like shifting students’ energy through entry routines, engaging starters, and seamless transitions... there's one big wrench that can throw off this plan: when students arrive late.
In this episode, we’ll dive into why students might be late and practical steps to get them on track without disrupting the flow.
IN THIS EPISODE, I DISCUSS:
- The many reasons behind lateness: Beyond just "running late," chronic lateness can stem from factors like family routines, neurodivergence (e.g., ADHD or autism), and executive function challenges. We also touch on how needs-based motivation can play into students’ timing.
- Practical steps to manage late arrivals: I share ways to welcome students in without disrupting the rest of the class.
- How to increase accountability and connection through private follow-ups: For repeated lateness, I discuss questions and prompts that encourage students to reflect on the reasons behind their lateness, explore if it’s in their control, and collaboratively make a plan to help them improve.
- Low-stakes latecomer tasks and routines: My top tips for engaging students that are late, without derailing the lesson.
Late arrivals don’t always have to disrupt your lesson flow!! You just need the right tools to approach them consistently, and calmly.
Have a question, comment, or just want to say hello? Drop us a text!
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Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Oh, hi teachers.
Welcome to Unteachable'spodcast Congratulations.
You have just stumbled acrossthe best free professional
development and support youcould ask for.
I'm Claire English, apassionate secondary teacher,
author, teacher mentor andgenerally just a big behavior
nerd, and I created theUnteachable's podcast to
demystify and simplify classroommanagement.
I want this podcast to be thetangible support, community
(00:26):
validation, mentorship, allthose pretty important things
that we need as teachers to beable to walk into our classrooms
feeling empowered and, dare Isay it, happy and thrive,
especially in the face of thesereally tough behaviors.
So ready for some no-nonsense,judgment-free and realistic
classroom management support.
I've got your teacher friend.
Let's do this.
Hello, hello, wonderful teacher.
(00:48):
Welcome back to another episodeof the Unteachables podcast.
Thank you for joining me.
How are you going?
Because, whether you are one ofmy Northern Hemisphere teachers
, you are going into a dark andcold time of the year.
The energy is dipping, oh gosh.
You just want to probably putyour head under a blanket and
hibernate, but you have to dragyourself out of bed and head to
(01:12):
school and it's tough.
It can get really tough thistime of year and my Southern
Hemisphere teachers.
You're nearly at the end of theschool year, but things amp up
at this time of year.
It's November, so instead ofwinding down like you think it
should at the end of the schoolyear, but things amp up at this
time of year it's November.
So instead of winding down likeyou think it should at the end
of the year and everyone's kindof feeling like things should be
winding down things are justgetting more intense.
(01:34):
There's marking, there's youknow, all of the report writing
for the end of the year.
There's tying up the loose ends.
So wherever you are in theworld right now, I know that you
have a specific set ofchallenges that you're facing.
So the point of that is just tosay I see you and I acknowledge
that and I hope you're well.
If you haven't listened to lastweek's episode about the first
(01:56):
five minutes of the lesson,setting ourselves up for success
in that first five minutes, goand do that first, because this
episode here is just anextension of that.
Because you can do everythingright at the start of the lesson
, you can follow all of thestrategies.
So, for example, inside of theBehaviour Club, I've got
training around the first fiveminutes of the lesson and I
(02:17):
teach an explicit roadmap tofollow to have a smooth start to
the lesson and it involvesthings like shifting the energy
really strategically as studentsenter in through an entry
routine where we're standing bythe door and using our
non-verbals to guide andinfluence that energy.
The second thing is having areally strong starter that
engages them, that makes themfeel successful, that reduces
(02:37):
their subject anxiety.
And the third thing istransitioning from that starter
in a way that keeps the vibegoing for the rest of the lesson
so you don't do all of thatwork in the first five only for
it to all go to crap.
The second you try totransition into teacher led
instruction or the next activity.
And I know that's an issuebecause I asked on Instagram.
I said what do you strugglewith with that first five
(02:58):
minutes?
And I think about 50 peoplesaid transitioning from the
first starter activity into therest of the lesson.
So I know that's a struggle.
So, even with that roadmap, ifyou follow that to a T, if you
execute that like an absoluteboss and you have an incredible
start to the lesson.
There is one thing that isalways going to throw a spanner
(03:20):
in the works of that roadmapwhen students aren't there for
it.
That means all of the work thatyou've put into it they've
missed.
So this episode is all aboutwhat to consider and what to do
when students are arriving lateto class.
And I know, again, this is amassive issue because when I put
that question box out therearound what we struggle with in
(03:42):
the first five minutes, Again Ihad dozens of responses that
said students arriving late toclass and bringing in disruption
, bringing in dysregulation,bringing in the energy that you
have just worked so flippinghard to shift when students came
into the room.
When it comes to lateness, thereare so many things that we need
(04:03):
to consider.
It is so easy to assume that ifstudents are late, they're just
shooting the breeze out in theplayground, but let's just have
a think about it.
There are a couple of differentthings that we really do need
to consider when it comes tostudents being late and turning
up to class late.
The first thing is that if it'schronic lateness in the morning
for the first part of the day,there could be a very, very big
(04:26):
reason that is very much out ofthat child's control.
Just like we don't have controlover our students'
dysregulation, or we don't havecontrol over our students'
activities on the playground, wedon't have control over what
the other teacher does down thehall before they send the
students to us.
Some of our students don't havecontrol over the fact that they
are late to school because theydon't have control over their
(04:47):
parents, their siblings, certainthings in their home
environment.
There are so many factors thatcould be causing a student to be
late, so many situations wherea child is late that is not in
their control.
So we really need to considerthat when we are talking through
lateness with students.
The second thing is forneurodivergent students, like
(05:07):
those with ADHD or autism.
Getting to class on time can beso much more complex than it
feels for some of us.
Many face challenges withexecutive functioning skills
like switching focus andorganizing materials and moving
from one place to another.
On top of that, some studentswith ADHD experience what people
might call time blindness,meaning they don't have a
(05:28):
natural sense of how much timeis passing or has passed.
And without this internal clockkeeping track of time, it can
be really tricky, especially inbusy school environments.
Just think the bell goes andthey're like, oh crap, I haven't
gone to the toilet yet andthey're desperate to go to the
toilet.
So they go to the toilet andthen all of a sudden, they're
late to class and they'rewalking in and things feel
awkward and you know.
(05:48):
It just helps us to reframelateness as more than just a
choice for all students,Although sometimes it is a
choice.
However, if you've listened toany of my other podcast episodes
around needs meeting behaviors,you know that choices are
actually needs motivated.
So even the choices thatstudents make are just us
(06:08):
meeting one of our basic needs.
So is a student late to classbecause they're meeting their
need for survival?
Like, maybe they're, you know,feeling anxious about the lesson
and don't want to come in andtheir brain's keeping them safe.
Or maybe they're hungry andthey forgot to eat.
They're out there eating, orwhatever it might be.
Maybe they're making a choicebecause of their survival need.
Maybe they're making a choiceto be late to class because of
(06:31):
their love and belonging need.
They're choosing to stay outthere and have an extra 10
minutes of a chat with theirfriends because they're meeting
that need.
Maybe they're meeting theirneed for fun.
Maybe they've been out thereplaying football and they're
like, no, I'm not going to class, I'm having fun playing
football and my cup needs to befilled.
They're not actually thinkingabout that as a need, but, you
know, maybe they are trying tomeet their fun need out there.
Maybe they're meeting theirneed for freedom.
(06:53):
They're going nah, not going toclass I'm going to make choices
that suit me and they'remeeting their need for freedom
of choice.
Maybe they're meeting theirneed for mastery.
Maybe they're stuck playingguitar in the music room because
they are so keen to, you know,nail those songs that they've
been working on.
Maybe they're really, reallytrying to gain mastery.
(07:15):
Starting to think about thingsin this way allows us to get
into the right frame of mind forthe strategies that I'm about
to talk through.
So, lateness just to recap onwhat I just spoke about, the
first thing to consider arestudents late in the morning
because of something that'stotally out of their control?
If so, we need to approach thatin a totally different way,
because they can't control that,so we just need to make
(07:37):
arrangements and accommodationsfor that.
Are they struggling to get toclass on time because of a
neurodivergence?
Are they just struggling tomanage their time with executive
functioning All of those thingsthat can make it a lot harder
to show up on time at the bell,you know, with all the other
students or are they just makingthe choice to come late?
Are they choosing to come latebecause they're meeting another
(07:58):
need?
Remember, all choices are needsmotivated.
We're always behaving to meetour needs.
What needs are they?
What are they doing out thereto meet their needs?
And just reframing it like thatis a great place to start
Doesn't mean those choices areokay, by the way, it does not
mean that we excuse them, but itgives us a lens to look at
those choices through.
So let's talk about what to do,and this is the same, no matter
(08:22):
what, no matter what thereasons are.
I just like to go through thebehavior backpack and talk about
some of the things that mightbe driving the lateness and
driving those behaviors, just tokind of help you to frame the
strategies that are going to becoming.
A student arrives to class late.
No matter what the reasonyou're not going to know, you're
not a mind reader, you're not apsychic the student arrives to
(08:44):
class.
You could make a huge spectacleof that student.
You could ask them why they'relate.
You could get frustrated andangry.
You could send them backoutside.
By the way, that is also reallyunderstandable because, as a
teacher, when you have justspent.
Understandable, because, as ateacher, when you have just
(09:06):
spent all of that time andenergy strategically shifting
the energy of the studentscoming in, you've finally set
them up with a starter activity,they're working quietly, and
then you have a student thatcomes in late and feels like it
completely tips everything onits head, it disrupts everything
.
Of course you're going to befrustrated by that, but all of
those things, if we do go downthat path, they're going to
(09:28):
create a disconnection and notonly are we going to escalate
that student who's come in late,but it's also going to undo all
of the hard work that you didto have your class walking
through that invisible barrierand shifting their energy.
So it is in your best interestand the best interest of the
rest of the class to follow thefollowing steps to be able to
(09:50):
address students coming in late.
Remember as well, you can'tcontrol that that student's
rocked up late.
You can't control the fact thatthey've made that choice or the
external factors that are goingon.
You don't have control overthat.
And I'm all about controllingwhat you can control and all you
can control is how you respondwhen you get to this point, when
the student arrives.
(10:10):
So how do we approach thesestudents?
Well, everything that I teachteachers about addressing
behavior when we're in thelesson itself is almost always
geared towards us being able toget back to teaching said lesson
in the quickest, most effectiveway that we can.
It's all about minimizingdisruptions, trying to regulate
that student and then get backto teaching as quickly as
(10:32):
possible.
So everything that I'm about totalk through in how to address
students coming late to class isabout getting back to the
lesson as quickly as possible,minimizing those disruptions and
trying to deescalate and getthat student as quickly as
possible in their seats, ontrack with the rest of the class
.
So the first step that studentrocks up late, walks into your
(10:55):
classroom, the first step iskeep using your brilliant
non-verbals, your embodying yourcredible teaching persona.
So to say, if you're embodyingyour credible teaching persona,
so to say if you're in themiddle of that, do now task that
starter activity and you'vegotten your students working
away.
Just keep that same regulatedvibe.
Embody the credible welcomethat student in, warmly and
(11:15):
non-verbally.
I wouldn't say, hey James, howare you going, I would just give
them a little thumbs up, alittle smile.
Obviously it's going to be hardif they come in, causing mass
disruption.
But obviously I can't coverevery single circumstance in a
podcast episode, but welcomethat student in as warmly and
non-verbally as you possibly canRemember.
(11:37):
If you've done the first five inthe right way, hopefully that
means that most of the time therest of your class are going to
be in that space of calm andlearning and hopefully, when
that student walks in, theenergy is going to influence the
student that's just walked into be able to go to their seat
and get started straight away.
(11:58):
So have them sitting down.
That's why I have a seatingplan.
By the way, they're not goingto be wandering around.
They know where to go.
I know where to direct them.
They're not going to bechatting to the person they're
choosing to sit next to hey mate, how are you going?
They're just going to be ableto come in, sit down.
I'm warming, warming, warming,warmly, welcoming them in in a
nonverbal way, just maybe athumbs up, a smile, or even just
(12:22):
, if I don't want to smile or,you know, give them that thumbs
up.
I will literally just use myproximity to point to their and,
you know, stand by the desk andpoint down to their desk, as if
to say okay, welcome sittingdown, now let's get started.
The second thing I do is alwaysplace their starter activity on
their desk so they can getstarted immediately.
(12:42):
So just say they've come induring that first activity.
Students are already workingaway on it.
I will place their starter ontheir desk, they can just get
started.
There's no looking around.
What are we doing?
There's no fumbling.
Depending on your context andyour students, I always also
have a pot of pens for thesesituations.
So when they turn up, I grabthat starter, I grab a pen, I
(13:04):
place it on their desk so thatstudent isn't rummaging through
their bags and disrupting thatvibe.
Like I take the path of leastresistance possible.
It's not a big deal for me tohave a pot of pens, to give it
out and collect it at the end ofthe lesson.
I or collect it once I'vegotten their stuff out.
You can tell them you know, getyour stuff out now I'm going to
(13:27):
collect your pen back if yourstudents bring their own
supplies.
I've actually always worked inenvironments where you know, in
really deprived areas wherestudents don't have access to
their own stuff.
So I do provide pens and allthe rest of it.
But you know, you're obviouslygoing to work in different
contexts, so it depends on whatyour context is, what your
students are like.
As a rule of thumb for me, Ialways place a starter on their
desk, a pen on their desk.
There's no rummaging, there'sno questions.
(13:49):
They can always just getstarted immediately, Least
resistance possible.
The third thing if they seemunsettled in their chair.
So fingers crossed, most of thetime, if a student walks in
late, they're going to walk intothis beautiful vibe you've
created.
You are keeping thingsconsistent and predictable.
You're directing them to theirchair.
They've got a starter activityin front of them that's
(14:11):
accessible, that they can feelsuccessful in, that doesn't
require any type of instruction.
You want to remove yourselffrom that for a starter activity
completely.
But if they seem unsettled intheir chair, I will quietly move
over to them and use myproximity, my positioning and my
private voice.
I'll kneel next to them and askare you okay?
Do you know what you're doingright now?
(14:31):
Okay, fantastic, let's getstarted.
Just to get them back on track.
And this is the absolute, likeit's just the epitome of the
power of a starter activitythat's created in the way that I
teach it.
It needs to be strategicbecause this step could actually
further escalate that studentif it's not created in the right
way.
(14:52):
And I'm doing an episode onthis next week, so listen out
for that one.
The fourth thing just get onwith the lesson.
I give as little time andattention to lateness as
possible in the lesson.
I remain totally unfazed Ifit's an issue that I know needs
to be addressed in more depth.
If it's chronic lateness, ifthe student's struggling to get
(15:12):
started, if they're causingdisruption, if they're
dysregulated, then I will talkto them about this in private.
But the lesson's not the righttime to do it.
I will always just get on withthe lesson, seem totally unfazed
.
If it's something that I needto address with the whole class,
I will say there are somestudents who are turning up late
.
Please just know.
Thank you so much if you'rehere on time and you're able to
(15:32):
get here on time For those whoare struggling with that, I will
speak to you about this at atime that's more appropriate,
but right now I care too muchabout what we're doing in this
lesson to spend time on it.
So let's get started with thelesson.
So I will just approach it inthat way if I need to speak to
the whole class about it.
So they are my four steps.
So keep using your non-verbals,you know, really keep that
(15:54):
regulated vibe, embody thecredible welcome that student in
and use your non-verbals to.
You know, thumbs up, smile ordirect them to their chair in a
non-verbal, calm way.
The second have their starterand a pen on their desk.
They can get startedimmediately.
You know you don't want them togo rummaging through their bags
and disrupting the vibe.
Take the path of leastresistance possible.
(16:16):
The third thing if they seemunsettled in their chair, use
your proximity, your positioning, your private voice.
Kneel next to them, you know,get them back on track,
co-regulating the best way thatyou can.
And then the fourth step isjust get on with the lesson and
if it's something you need toaddress, address it in private
and don't give it any more timewithin the lesson if you don't
(16:36):
need to, because there's nopoint.
You're not going to be able toaddress chronic lateness in the
middle of a lesson anyway.
As long as you're able to kindof regulate and get that student
back on track, then that's allgood.
In that discussion with thestudent the kind of questions
that you'll ask if you're in thebehavior club.
I am going to be doing a livesession on this exact topic this
(16:57):
month.
I actually think it's thisSunday.
The time of recording it's in acouple of weeks, but, yes, the
time that this is released it isthis Sunday.
If you're not listening to thisin real time, then you can
catch up on the replay.
All the replays are in thevault so you can watch anything
whenever you feel like it's anissue for you.
So if you want to know how tonavigate that conversation after
the lesson, then I will bediscussing that in the live
(17:18):
session.
You can go and listen to thatwhen you choose.
There's this one more thing thatI'd like to mention, which is
if that student doesn't come inthe middle of the starter
activity, if they come in themiddle of the lesson, for
example, what do I do?
Well, there are a couple ofother strategies that I always
have up my sleeve, and the onethat is just so wonderful to
(17:39):
always have there as a go-to issome low stakes, late comer
tasks.
So if they do come in later inthe lesson, if it happens to be
in the middle of a task that Ican't stop and explain to them,
it is a task that they can dototally independently.
It could be an SEL booklet thatI've created that they're
working through.
It could be anything, reallyanything that can be done
(18:03):
totally independently without myinput that I can just give them
and they'll know exactly how toget on with it.
This way, no matter what ishappening, I can direct that
student to something to grabtheir attention immediately,
continue teaching what I wasteaching and then go back to
that student once I'm able toand then talk them through what
we're doing for the lesson,catch them up and then maybe
arrange to speak to them afterabout their lateness.
(18:25):
Whatever I want to do, dependingon the context, the second
thing that is wonderful to do ifyou have students that are
coming late is create a routineor process for those students
who are coming late.
So pretty much all of the stepsthat I spoke through before,
but be sure that it'scommunicated in a way that
students understand.
You could put a visual up onyour wall or on your door.
(18:46):
It could just be really simplelike late question mark, be
seated, wait to check in, get onwith the work.
It could be super simple like afour-step checklist to follow
if they are late to class.
You could print out some flyersand put them by the door.
It could be something reallyspecific to your class and your
students.
It could be something that youcreate together.
(19:06):
But a routine or a process forstudents who come late that's
really explicit and consistentis going to be wonderful for
reducing the anxiety of studentswho are coming to class late,
which is always going to supportyou having less disruptions,
lesser level behaviors and justbeing able to get on with the
lesson, which is the goal, ofcourse.
So, yes, I know that studentscoming late to class can be a
(19:29):
huge struggle, but pleaseremember, teachers control what
you can control.
There's no use getting workedup and frustrated and heated in
the middle of the lesson becausethat's going to be working
against everything that you haveworked so hard to establish in
that first five minutes.
Instead, just try to approachit with your curious lens on so
(19:51):
you're able to do what you needto do, follow the process, get
back to the lesson and reflectafter.
That's all you can do.
That's all you can control.
So, if you're listening in realtime I did say it just before
that on Sunday I'm doing a livesession in the behavior club,
and this is where I'm going todelve into all of these things
in more depth.
I'm going to be giving you someprompts to be able to use for
(20:13):
the discussions that you canhave with students who are
coming late.
So if you're in the behaviorclub, make sure you come along
to that if possible.
If not possible, then you cancatch up on the session after
you know that.
So my behavior clubbers comejoin me, and my non-behavior
clubbers that maybe know they'rea behavior clubber at heart but
just haven't taken the leap tojoin us yet.
Come and do that.
It would be flipping wonderfulto see you inside and be able to
(20:35):
be your mentor.
I, as you can tell, I am verypassionate about the Behaviour
Club.
It is my baby, it is everythingthat I have always wanted to do
, it is the best, I love it andI love my Behaviour Clubbers and
it is just the most wonderfulthing that I could possibly
imagine in my life, except mydaughter.
(20:56):
So if I seem really excitedabout it, really passionate
about it, that is why, and ifyou want that support, I just
want to make sure you know thatthat is a place to get it.
So for some of you, I'll seeyou on Sunday.
Otherwise, have a flippingwonderful week, teacher, and
don't forget focus on what youcan influence, what you can
control, what you can lead on,and that my friend is going to
(21:18):
help you feel far more empoweredand regulated with your
classroom management.
Have a lovely week and I willsee you next time.
Oh, hi teachers.
Welcome to Unteachable'spodcast Congratulations.
You have just stumbled acrossthe best free professional
development and support youcould ask for.
I'm Claire English, apassionate secondary teacher,
author, teacher mentor andgenerally just a big behavior
nerd, and I created theUnteachable's podcast to
demystify and simplify classroommanagement.
I want this podcast to be thetangible support, community
(00:26):
validation, mentorship, allthose pretty important things
that we need as teachers to beable to walk into our classrooms
feeling empowered and, dare Isay it, happy and thrive,
especially in the face of thesereally tough behaviors.
So ready for some no-nonsense,judgment-free and realistic
classroom management support.
I've got your teacher friend.
Let's do this.
Hello, hello, wonderful teacher.
(00:48):
Welcome back to another episodeof the Unteachables podcast.
Thank you for joining me.
How are you going?
Because, whether you are one ofmy Northern Hemisphere teachers
, you are going into a dark andcold time of the year.
The energy is dipping, oh gosh.
You just want to probably putyour head under a blanket and
hibernate, but you have to dragyourself out of bed and head to
(01:12):
school and it's tough.
It can get really tough thistime of year and my Southern
Hemisphere teachers.
You're nearly at the end of theschool year, but things amp up
at this time of year.
It's November, so instead ofwinding down like you think it
should at the end of the schoolyear, but things amp up at this
time of year it's November.
So instead of winding down likeyou think it should at the end
of the year and everyone's kindof feeling like things should be
winding down things are justgetting more intense.
(01:34):
There's marking, there's youknow, all of the report writing
for the end of the year.
There's tying up the loose ends.
So wherever you are in theworld right now, I know that you
have a specific set ofchallenges that you're facing.
So the point of that is just tosay I see you and I acknowledge
that and I hope you're well.
If you haven't listened to lastweek's episode about the first
(01:56):
five minutes of the lesson,setting ourselves up for success
in that first five minutes, goand do that first, because this
episode here is just anextension of that.
Because you can do everythingright at the start of the lesson
, you can follow all of thestrategies.
So, for example, inside of theBehaviour Club, I've got
training around the first fiveminutes of the lesson and I
(02:17):
teach an explicit roadmap tofollow to have a smooth start to
the lesson and it involvesthings like shifting the energy
really strategically as studentsenter in through an entry
routine where we're standing bythe door and using our
non-verbals to guide andinfluence that energy.
The second thing is having areally strong starter that
engages them, that makes themfeel successful, that reduces
(02:37):
their subject anxiety.
And the third thing istransitioning from that starter
in a way that keeps the vibegoing for the rest of the lesson
so you don't do all of thatwork in the first five only for
it to all go to crap.
The second you try totransition into teacher led
instruction or the next activity.
And I know that's an issuebecause I asked on Instagram.
I said what do you strugglewith with that first five
(02:58):
minutes?
And I think about 50 peoplesaid transitioning from the
first starter activity into therest of the lesson.
So I know that's a struggle.
So, even with that roadmap, ifyou follow that to a T, if you
execute that like an absoluteboss and you have an incredible
start to the lesson.
There is one thing that isalways going to throw a spanner
(03:20):
in the works of that roadmapwhen students aren't there for
it.
That means all of the work thatyou've put into it they've
missed.
So this episode is all aboutwhat to consider and what to do
when students are arriving lateto class.
And I know, again, this is amassive issue because when I put
that question box out therearound what we struggle with in
(03:42):
the first five minutes, Again Ihad dozens of responses that
said students arriving late toclass and bringing in disruption
, bringing in dysregulation,bringing in the energy that you
have just worked so flippinghard to shift when students came
into the room.
When it comes to lateness, thereare so many things that we need
(04:03):
to consider.
It is so easy to assume that ifstudents are late, they're just
shooting the breeze out in theplayground, but let's just have
a think about it.
There are a couple of differentthings that we really do need
to consider when it comes tostudents being late and turning
up to class late.
The first thing is that if it'schronic lateness in the morning
for the first part of the day,there could be a very, very big
(04:26):
reason that is very much out ofthat child's control.
Just like we don't have controlover our students'
dysregulation, or we don't havecontrol over our students'
activities on the playground, wedon't have control over what
the other teacher does down thehall before they send the
students to us.
Some of our students don't havecontrol over the fact that they
are late to school because theydon't have control over their
(04:47):
parents, their siblings, certainthings in their home
environment.
There are so many factors thatcould be causing a student to be
late, so many situations wherea child is late that is not in
their control.
So we really need to considerthat when we are talking through
lateness with students.
The second thing is forneurodivergent students, like
(05:07):
those with ADHD or autism.
Getting to class on time can beso much more complex than it
feels for some of us.
Many face challenges withexecutive functioning skills
like switching focus andorganizing materials and moving
from one place to another.
On top of that, some studentswith ADHD experience what people
might call time blindness,meaning they don't have a
(05:28):
natural sense of how much timeis passing or has passed.
And without this internal clockkeeping track of time, it can
be really tricky, especially inbusy school environments.
Just think the bell goes andthey're like, oh crap, I haven't
gone to the toilet yet andthey're desperate to go to the
toilet.
So they go to the toilet andthen all of a sudden, they're
late to class and they'rewalking in and things feel
awkward and you know.
(05:48):
It just helps us to reframelateness as more than just a
choice for all students,Although sometimes it is a
choice.
However, if you've listened toany of my other podcast episodes
around needs meeting behaviors,you know that choices are
actually needs motivated.
So even the choices thatstudents make are just us
(06:08):
meeting one of our basic needs.
So is a student late to classbecause they're meeting their
need for survival?
Like, maybe they're, you know,feeling anxious about the lesson
and don't want to come in andtheir brain's keeping them safe.
Or maybe they're hungry andthey forgot to eat.
They're out there eating, orwhatever it might be.
Maybe they're making a choicebecause of their survival need.
Maybe they're making a choiceto be late to class because of
(06:31):
their love and belonging need.
They're choosing to stay outthere and have an extra 10
minutes of a chat with theirfriends because they're meeting
that need.
Maybe they're meeting theirneed for fun.
Maybe they've been out thereplaying football and they're
like, no, I'm not going to class, I'm having fun playing
football and my cup needs to befilled.
They're not actually thinkingabout that as a need, but, you
know, maybe they are trying tomeet their fun need out there.
Maybe they're meeting theirneed for freedom.
(06:53):
They're going nah, not going toclass I'm going to make choices
that suit me and they'remeeting their need for freedom
of choice.
Maybe they're meeting theirneed for mastery.
Maybe they're stuck playingguitar in the music room because
they are so keen to, you know,nail those songs that they've
been working on.
Maybe they're really, reallytrying to gain mastery.
(07:15):
Starting to think about thingsin this way allows us to get
into the right frame of mind forthe strategies that I'm about
to talk through.
So, lateness just to recap onwhat I just spoke about, the
first thing to consider arestudents late in the morning
because of something that'stotally out of their control?
If so, we need to approach thatin a totally different way,
because they can't control that,so we just need to make
(07:37):
arrangements and accommodationsfor that.
Are they struggling to get toclass on time because of a
neurodivergence?
Are they just struggling tomanage their time with executive
functioning All of those thingsthat can make it a lot harder
to show up on time at the bell,you know, with all the other
students or are they just makingthe choice to come late?
Are they choosing to come latebecause they're meeting another
(07:58):
need?
Remember, all choices are needsmotivated.
We're always behaving to meetour needs.
What needs are they?
What are they doing out thereto meet their needs?
And just reframing it like thatis a great place to start
Doesn't mean those choices areokay, by the way, it does not
mean that we excuse them, but itgives us a lens to look at
those choices through.
So let's talk about what to do,and this is the same, no matter
(08:22):
what, no matter what thereasons are.
I just like to go through thebehavior backpack and talk about
some of the things that mightbe driving the lateness and
driving those behaviors, just tokind of help you to frame the
strategies that are going to becoming.
A student arrives to class late.
No matter what the reasonyou're not going to know, you're
not a mind reader, you're not apsychic the student arrives to
(08:44):
class.
You could make a huge spectacleof that student.
You could ask them why they'relate.
You could get frustrated andangry.
You could send them backoutside.
By the way, that is also reallyunderstandable because, as a
teacher, when you have justspent.
Understandable, because, as ateacher, when you have just
(09:06):
spent all of that time andenergy strategically shifting
the energy of the studentscoming in, you've finally set
them up with a starter activity,they're working quietly, and
then you have a student thatcomes in late and feels like it
completely tips everything onits head, it disrupts everything
.
Of course you're going to befrustrated by that, but all of
those things, if we do go downthat path, they're going to
(09:28):
create a disconnection and notonly are we going to escalate
that student who's come in late,but it's also going to undo all
of the hard work that you didto have your class walking
through that invisible barrierand shifting their energy.
So it is in your best interestand the best interest of the
rest of the class to follow thefollowing steps to be able to
(09:50):
address students coming in late.
Remember as well, you can'tcontrol that that student's
rocked up late.
You can't control the fact thatthey've made that choice or the
external factors that are goingon.
You don't have control overthat.
And I'm all about controllingwhat you can control and all you
can control is how you respondwhen you get to this point, when
the student arrives.
(10:10):
So how do we approach thesestudents?
Well, everything that I teachteachers about addressing
behavior when we're in thelesson itself is almost always
geared towards us being able toget back to teaching said lesson
in the quickest, most effectiveway that we can.
It's all about minimizingdisruptions, trying to regulate
that student and then get backto teaching as quickly as
(10:32):
possible.
So everything that I'm about totalk through in how to address
students coming late to class isabout getting back to the
lesson as quickly as possible,minimizing those disruptions and
trying to deescalate and getthat student as quickly as
possible in their seats, ontrack with the rest of the class
.
So the first step that studentrocks up late, walks into your
(10:55):
classroom, the first step iskeep using your brilliant
non-verbals, your embodying yourcredible teaching persona.
So to say, if you're embodyingyour credible teaching persona,
so to say if you're in themiddle of that, do now task that
starter activity and you'vegotten your students working
away.
Just keep that same regulatedvibe.
Embody the credible welcomethat student in, warmly and
(11:15):
non-verbally.
I wouldn't say, hey James, howare you going, I would just give
them a little thumbs up, alittle smile.
Obviously it's going to be hardif they come in, causing mass
disruption.
But obviously I can't coverevery single circumstance in a
podcast episode, but welcomethat student in as warmly and
non-verbally as you possibly canRemember.
(11:37):
If you've done the first five inthe right way, hopefully that
means that most of the time therest of your class are going to
be in that space of calm andlearning and hopefully, when
that student walks in, theenergy is going to influence the
student that's just walked into be able to go to their seat
and get started straight away.
(11:58):
So have them sitting down.
That's why I have a seatingplan.
By the way, they're not goingto be wandering around.
They know where to go.
I know where to direct them.
They're not going to bechatting to the person they're
choosing to sit next to hey mate, how are you going?
They're just going to be ableto come in, sit down.
I'm warming, warming, warming,warmly, welcoming them in in a
nonverbal way, just maybe athumbs up, a smile, or even just
(12:22):
, if I don't want to smile or,you know, give them that thumbs
up.
I will literally just use myproximity to point to their and,
you know, stand by the desk andpoint down to their desk, as if
to say okay, welcome sittingdown, now let's get started.
The second thing I do is alwaysplace their starter activity on
their desk so they can getstarted immediately.
(12:42):
So just say they've come induring that first activity.
Students are already workingaway on it.
I will place their starter ontheir desk, they can just get
started.
There's no looking around.
What are we doing?
There's no fumbling.
Depending on your context andyour students, I always also
have a pot of pens for thesesituations.
So when they turn up, I grabthat starter, I grab a pen, I
(13:04):
place it on their desk so thatstudent isn't rummaging through
their bags and disrupting thatvibe.
Like I take the path of leastresistance possible.
It's not a big deal for me tohave a pot of pens, to give it
out and collect it at the end ofthe lesson.
I or collect it once I'vegotten their stuff out.
You can tell them you know, getyour stuff out now I'm going to
(13:27):
collect your pen back if yourstudents bring their own
supplies.
I've actually always worked inenvironments where you know, in
really deprived areas wherestudents don't have access to
their own stuff.
So I do provide pens and allthe rest of it.
But you know, you're obviouslygoing to work in different
contexts, so it depends on whatyour context is, what your
students are like.
As a rule of thumb for me, Ialways place a starter on their
desk, a pen on their desk.
There's no rummaging, there'sno questions.
(13:49):
They can always just getstarted immediately, Least
resistance possible.
The third thing if they seemunsettled in their chair.
So fingers crossed, most of thetime, if a student walks in
late, they're going to walk intothis beautiful vibe you've
created.
You are keeping thingsconsistent and predictable.
You're directing them to theirchair.
They've got a starter activityin front of them that's
(14:11):
accessible, that they can feelsuccessful in, that doesn't
require any type of instruction.
You want to remove yourselffrom that for a starter activity
completely.
But if they seem unsettled intheir chair, I will quietly move
over to them and use myproximity, my positioning and my
private voice.
I'll kneel next to them and askare you okay?
Do you know what you're doingright now?
(14:31):
Okay, fantastic, let's getstarted.
Just to get them back on track.
And this is the absolute, likeit's just the epitome of the
power of a starter activitythat's created in the way that I
teach it.
It needs to be strategicbecause this step could actually
further escalate that studentif it's not created in the right
way.
(14:52):
And I'm doing an episode onthis next week, so listen out
for that one.
The fourth thing just get onwith the lesson.
I give as little time andattention to lateness as
possible in the lesson.
I remain totally unfazed Ifit's an issue that I know needs
to be addressed in more depth.
If it's chronic lateness, ifthe student's struggling to get
(15:12):
started, if they're causingdisruption, if they're
dysregulated, then I will talkto them about this in private.
But the lesson's not the righttime to do it.
I will always just get on withthe lesson, seem totally unfazed
.
If it's something that I needto address with the whole class,
I will say there are somestudents who are turning up late
.
Please just know.
Thank you so much if you'rehere on time and you're able to
(15:32):
get here on time For those whoare struggling with that, I will
speak to you about this at atime that's more appropriate,
but right now I care too muchabout what we're doing in this
lesson to spend time on it.
So let's get started with thelesson.
So I will just approach it inthat way if I need to speak to
the whole class about it.
So they are my four steps.
So keep using your non-verbals,you know, really keep that
(15:54):
regulated vibe, embody thecredible welcome that student in
and use your non-verbals to.
You know, thumbs up, smile ordirect them to their chair in a
non-verbal, calm way.
The second have their starterand a pen on their desk.
They can get startedimmediately.
You know you don't want them togo rummaging through their bags
and disrupting the vibe.
Take the path of leastresistance possible.
(16:16):
The third thing if they seemunsettled in their chair, use
your proximity, your positioning, your private voice.
Kneel next to them, you know,get them back on track,
co-regulating the best way thatyou can.
And then the fourth step isjust get on with the lesson and
if it's something you need toaddress, address it in private
and don't give it any more timewithin the lesson if you don't
(16:36):
need to, because there's nopoint.
You're not going to be able toaddress chronic lateness in the
middle of a lesson anyway.
As long as you're able to kindof regulate and get that student
back on track, then that's allgood.
In that discussion with thestudent the kind of questions
that you'll ask if you're in thebehavior club.
I am going to be doing a livesession on this exact topic this
(16:57):
month.
I actually think it's thisSunday.
The time of recording it's in acouple of weeks, but, yes, the
time that this is released it isthis Sunday.
If you're not listening to thisin real time, then you can
catch up on the replay.
All the replays are in thevault so you can watch anything
whenever you feel like it's anissue for you.
So if you want to know how tonavigate that conversation after
the lesson, then I will bediscussing that in the live
(17:18):
session.
You can go and listen to thatwhen you choose.
There's this one more thing thatI'd like to mention, which is
if that student doesn't come inthe middle of the starter
activity, if they come in themiddle of the lesson, for
example, what do I do?
Well, there are a couple ofother strategies that I always
have up my sleeve, and the onethat is just so wonderful to
(17:39):
always have there as a go-to issome low stakes, late comer
tasks.
So if they do come in later inthe lesson, if it happens to be
in the middle of a task that Ican't stop and explain to them,
it is a task that they can dototally independently.
It could be an SEL booklet thatI've created that they're
working through.
It could be anything, reallyanything that can be done
(18:03):
totally independently without myinput that I can just give them
and they'll know exactly how toget on with it.
This way, no matter what ishappening, I can direct that
student to something to grabtheir attention immediately,
continue teaching what I wasteaching and then go back to
that student once I'm able toand then talk them through what
we're doing for the lesson,catch them up and then maybe
arrange to speak to them afterabout their lateness.
(18:25):
Whatever I want to do, dependingon the context, the second
thing that is wonderful to do ifyou have students that are
coming late is create a routineor process for those students
who are coming late.
So pretty much all of the stepsthat I spoke through before,
but be sure that it'scommunicated in a way that
students understand.
You could put a visual up onyour wall or on your door.
(18:46):
It could just be really simplelike late question mark, be
seated, wait to check in, get onwith the work.
It could be super simple like afour-step checklist to follow
if they are late to class.
You could print out some flyersand put them by the door.
It could be something reallyspecific to your class and your
students.
It could be something that youcreate together.
(19:06):
But a routine or a process forstudents who come late that's
really explicit and consistentis going to be wonderful for
reducing the anxiety of studentswho are coming to class late,
which is always going to supportyou having less disruptions,
lesser level behaviors and justbeing able to get on with the
lesson, which is the goal, ofcourse.
So, yes, I know that studentscoming late to class can be a
(19:29):
huge struggle, but pleaseremember, teachers control what
you can control.
There's no use getting workedup and frustrated and heated in
the middle of the lesson becausethat's going to be working
against everything that you haveworked so hard to establish in
that first five minutes.
Instead, just try to approachit with your curious lens on so
(19:51):
you're able to do what you needto do, follow the process, get
back to the lesson and reflectafter.
That's all you can do.
That's all you can control.
So, if you're listening in realtime I did say it just before
that on Sunday I'm doing a livesession in the behavior club,
and this is where I'm going todelve into all of these things
in more depth.
I'm going to be giving you someprompts to be able to use for
(20:13):
the discussions that you canhave with students who are
coming late.
So if you're in the behaviorclub, make sure you come along
to that if possible.
If not possible, then you cancatch up on the session after
you know that.
So my behavior clubbers comejoin me, and my non-behavior
clubbers that maybe know they'rea behavior clubber at heart but
just haven't taken the leap tojoin us yet.
Come and do that.
It would be flipping wonderfulto see you inside and be able to
(20:35):
be your mentor.
I, as you can tell, I am verypassionate about the Behaviour
Club.
It is my baby, it is everythingthat I have always wanted to do
, it is the best, I love it andI love my Behaviour Clubbers and
it is just the most wonderfulthing that I could possibly
imagine in my life, except mydaughter.
(20:56):
So if I seem really excitedabout it, really passionate
about it, that is why, and ifyou want that support, I just
want to make sure you know thatthat is a place to get it.
So for some of you, I'll seeyou on Sunday.
Otherwise, have a flippingwonderful week, teacher, and
don't forget focus on what youcan influence, what you can
control, what you can lead on,and that my friend is going to
(21:18):
help you feel far more empoweredand regulated with your
classroom management.
Have a lovely week and I willsee you next time.
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