Pulling a Class Out of a Slump

accountability classroom management culture growth mindset Oct 01, 2023

Estimated Read Time: 5 minutes

By Rob Chilton

Picture this:

It’s late October, mid-November, or maybe the third week of April. All of a sudden, your classes begin to stall and you’re beginning to wonder what’s up. A week passes, then two, and things still haven’t picked up. Things had been steadily moving forward, but now it all feels harder. Each day is beginning to feel like a slog—covering the same material day after day. You’re frustrated—what happened?

Your class is in a slump.

Like the ocean tide or a swinging pendulum, there’s a natural ebb and flow to everything in life—including the classroom. Ups and downs, steps forward and back, growth and decline—they’re all part of the process. But a slump is more than a simple downswing. It’s a prolonged stretch of stagnation or even regression. The key is first recognizing that you’re in a slump, and second, identifying which kind. I generally categorize slumps as either learning or behavioral.

The Learning Slump

A learning slump is marked by an extended stretch of time when students aren’t learning effectively. Maybe you’ve spent a week on the same line and made little progress. Or, you’ve explained the same concept a hundred different ways and still come up short. If you’re experiencing ongoing frustration—or recurring thoughts that your students just aren't getting it—you’re likely already waist-deep in a slump. But what causes a learning slump?

The Root Cause: Learning Gaps

The primary cause of learning slumps are gaps in learning. Like missing code in a computer program, these are blank spots in a student’s knowledge where missing information is holding them back from moving forward and makes acquiring new knowledge and skills difficult, if not impossible.

For example, let’s say your class is working on the dotted quarter note. A learning gap might occur if students missed—or never fully grasped—the concept of eighth-note subdivision. Take it a step further, and understanding syncopation becomes nearly impossible. Sure, we could rote teach both concepts and drill them until they’re memorized—but would our students truly understand? Would their comprehension be strong enough to apply it independently elsewhere?

In my opinion—no. In this case, the right move is to go back, revisit eighth-note subdivision, and fill the gap, even if it takes time. Forging ahead without doing so will only lead to frustration and bad habits. Like a missing puzzle piece, that gap must be filled before real progress can continue.

Filling the Gaps: Think, Plan, Act

Whenever I discover gaps in my students’ learning, I use the "Think, Plan, Act" approach.

1. Think

What concept or skill are my students struggling to understand?
Where might there be gaps stifling understanding or performance?
What must they fully comprehend to be successful?

2. Plan

Identify a place in your curriculum to backtrack.
Design a short series of lessons to reteach and fill those gaps.
Plan assessment strategies that show when adequate learning has occurred.

3. Act

Teach the prepared lessons.
Allow time for comprehension.
Be mindful of when to keep pushing—and when to say, “That’s enough for today.”

A Little Slowdown Now Beats a Big One Later

It’s never fun to slow down and retrace your steps—especially with performances on the calendar. But a small slowdown now beats a big one later. Think of it like car maintenance: a 20-minute oil change and tire rotation today can save you days of repairs down the road. And consider this: if you don’t have time to backtrack and teach it now, when will you have time to teach it again?

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The Behavioral Slump

We all start the year with clear rules and expectations. But as time passes, we often grow more comfortable, leading to more flexible standards—and that’s when the trouble begins. Children are hard-wired to test boundaries. It’s how they learn what’s right and wrong, safe and unsafe, acceptable and unacceptable. And they’re expert observers. They notice what we say as much as what we don’t.

A behavioral slump is marked by a decline in student behavior that goes beyond the occasional bad day. What begins as a mild nuisance can quickly grow into apathy or defiance if left unaddressed. These slumps often form during periods of reduced redirection or when consequences are applied inconsistently. Put simply, they tend to appear when we become too permissive—or fail to follow through on our word.

The Bank of Positive and Negative Behaviors

Let’s imagine we have two banks at the front of our classrooms: the Bank of Positive Behavior and the Bank of Negative Behavior.

Obviously, praising desirable behavior adds to the bank of positive behavior. But what’s more important—and easily overlooked—is how influential our responses are to negative behavior. Each time we redirect it, we make another deposit into the positive bank, reinforcing for everyone what is acceptable. But, every time misbehavior goes unaddressed, we make a deposit into the negative bank. As that balance grows, it quietly signals to all that our boundaries have shifted and that certain behaviors are now permissible.

Once it tips too far, restoring harmony becomes very difficult. Recovery requires steady, positive deposits—consistent praise for the behaviors you want, and even more importantly, persistent redirection of those you don’t.

The Hard Reset

Sometimes, a class drifts too far off course and needs a hard reset—like holding down the power button to force reset your phone or computer. For me, this means dedicating a portion of class time to discuss the issues, reset expectations, and revisit procedures. Here are some steps to help guide a forced reset:

Time
Dedicate 15–20 minutes—preferably at the beginning of class—to address the reset.

Proximity
Decrease the physical distance between you and your students. Invite them to gather at the front of the room, or even sit on the floor. Then, sit with them so you’re all at eye level.

Volume
Wait until the room is quiet before speaking. Lower your voice, slow your speech, and calmly describe the behaviors you’ve observed. Be transparent about how it affects the learning process and their success.

Expectations
Revisit your rules and procedures—list them clearly. Let students know that together you’re engaging in a reset and that you may seem a bit more strict at first.

Presence
Establish yourself as the commander, not the demander. Help students understand that the reset comes from a place of care. They are valued, and you want to see them succeed.

Conclusion

Don’t be too hard on yourself when you realize your class has fallen into a slump. It often happens so gradually that we don’t notice it until we’re already in the deep end. Even the most experienced teachers find themselves there from time to time. What matters most is recognizing where we are and where we want to be—then taking intentional steps to move forward.

And remember, success isn’t a straight line. It’s a messy series of rises and dips, bursts of momentum and moments of pause—all part of a larger pattern of growth.

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About the author:

Rob Chilton is the creator and owner of Readymade Music, LLC and its content. Previously, Chilton was a middle school band director from 2007-2021. His most recent teaching position was the Head Band Director at Killian Middle School in Lewisville, Texas from 2014-2021.

Under his direction, the Killian Honors Band was named the 2018 Texas Music Educators Association CC Honor Band and performed at the annual 2018 TMEA Clinic/Convention. In 2019, the Killian Honors Band was invited to and performed at The Midwest Clinic in Chicago. Additionally, the Killian Honors Band was named a National Winner in the Mark of Excellence National Wind Band Honors Project in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019.

Chilton is a graduate of Southern Methodist University where he had the opportunity to study music education under the tutelage of Lynne Jackson and Brian Merrill. During his years as a middle school band director, Chilton continued his professional growth under the guidance of his primary clinicians, John Benzer and Brian Merrill.

Chilton’s mission for Readymade Music is to promote the overall well-being of music education and support school music teachers by providing solutions to help make teaching music more efficient and inspirational while increasing engagement for 21st century learners.