The other day, I had a really interesting conversation on one of my social media posts.

Someone commented:
"All good teachers yell or raise their voice at their students—it’s just what you have to do."

The discussion that followed? Let’s just say it got spicy.
Some teachers agreed. Others passionately disagreed. And honestly? I get both sides.

Because I’ve been both of those teachers.
I’ve been the one who believed yelling was the only way to get students to listen.
And I’ve also been the teacher who learned how to get students to follow directions—without ever raising my voice.

So today, I want to share my thoughts on this whole “yelling” debate and exactly how I turned things around in my own classroom.

My First Year Teaching: Yelling Felt Like the Only Way

When I first started teaching, I was told that good teachers were strict and didn’t smile until December.

So I did what I thought I was supposed to do.
I raised my voice.
I tried to show I was in charge.
I yelled... a lot.

But let me be honest with you—it didn’t feel good.
I hated how it made me feel.
I hated how it made my students feel.
And worst of all? It didn’t even work.

My class still felt out of control.

That’s when I made a promise to myself: I was going to find a better way.

Here's How I Finally Got My Students to Listen Without Yelling

1. Clear Expectations

At first, I thought my class was “hard.”
The truth? I didn’t have clear expectations.

Once I started clearly defining what I expected and how I expected it to look and sound, things changed dramatically.

Here’s what worked:

• Explicitly teach expectations the way you’d teach content.
  
  
• Model the right way to follow a procedure.
  
  
• Model the wrong way, too (yes, this matters).
  
  
• Ask students to reflect: “What did you notice?” “Why do we do it this way?”
  
  
• Practice, practice, practice.
  
  

Want a plug-and-play tool to help with this?
Grab my Classroom Procedure Slides in my TPT store to walk students through expectations with ease.

2. Consistent Consequences

It’s easy to feel like you’re losing control when there are no real consequences for not following directions.
But what’s more damaging? Getting into constant power struggles.

What changed everything for me was having a consistent plan I could rely on. No guesswork. No reacting out of frustration.

Here’s what mine looked like:

• 1st time – Use proximity
  
  
• 2nd time – Shout out 3 students who are following directions
  
  
• 3rd time – Quiet sideline conversation
  
  
• 4th time – Re-teach and practice the expectation
  
  
• 5th time – Family contact or behavior plan
  
  

This system helped me stay calm, consistent, and in control.

Need help creating your own classroom management plan?
Check out the Classroom Management Bundle for everything you need to get started.

3. Intentional Voice Level

There was a year I worked with an assistant who yelled at students all the time.
The louder she got... the louder the class got.
And eventually, the students started ignoring both of us.

One day, I was helping a friend during a Valentine’s Day party. Her class was getting rowdy.
So I tried something different…

I started whispering.

Guess what? The room fell silent.

That day, I learned something powerful:
If you want students to lower their voices—you lower yours.

In fact, on the days I lost my voice, I found my students listened better.
We had “whisper days,” and it reset our classroom energy in the best way.

You Don’t Have to Yell to Be Respected

Let’s recap:

• You don’t need to yell to be a “good” teacher.
  
  
• The key is having clear expectations, consistent consequences, and an intentional voice.
  
  
• The energy you bring into the classroom sets the tone.
  
  

If you’re ready to make a change, here’s what I recommend:

Next Steps:

Just getting started? Grab the Classroom Management Guide to help you get clear on expectations and systems.

Want everything done for you? The Classroom Management Bundle has editable templates, slides, and routines you can implement right away.

Need mentorship and support from other teachers who get it? Join The Present Teacher Circle for monthly trainings, accountability, and classroom management support.

Because yelling doesn’t make you a great teacher.
But having systems that work? That’s where the magic happens.
And remember—we are stronger together.