Dealing with Classroom Interruptions

Classroom interruptions are an unavoidable element of any class or school; many times teachers will experience interruptions by intercom, a teacher or student entering the room, or even dealing with behavior issues within the classroom that take up class time. The ability to manage these pauses in instruction is not something that can be taught in school; in my opinion, learning how to deal with class interruptions can only come from experience. In education, we often talk about the idea of "withitness": the ability for a teacher to be present in the classroom and deal with issues as they are noticeable. A teacher must have "withitness" to be able to effectively handle interruptions and move on with instruction.

In my classroom, our most common interruptions are from outside the class; we often encounter announcements from the office for the school or for my students. Thankfully, my seventh grade students are able to handle announcements well. They know that when someone is on the intercom, it is their time to be quiet. I believe that much of the ability to recover from interruptions comes from classroom management strategies that have been implemented with the students from the beginning of the year; because the students have respect for me and know my expectations, I am able to reconvene and continue my lesson immediately after any interruptions.