TIPS TO CALM CAFETERIA CHAOS

Do you just DREAD lunch duty? Can the noise in your school lunchroom be heard down the street?  Are your students so loud that you need to wear noise canceling headphones? Is the room a disaster after students leave?  If this sounds like your cafeteria  have no fear! I've got a few great suggestions to help promote respectful, responsible and safe lunch behavior in your students so that lunch periods become less of a headache and more of a relaxed time to eat and socialize appropriately.

Creating an inviting, safe, and comfortable location for students (and often adults) to eat and socialize is an important role that a principal has influence over.   You may not be able to choose the location kids eat in as that may be decided by design of the building but you certainly can influence the expectations for behavior, civility, respect and sense of community that exist while students eat there.  Being proactive by giving ample thought and consideration to how you want your lunchroom to look like, sound like and feel like during student lunch periods is important.  Work collaboratively with your staff, especially those that provide direct supervision during lunch periods, to identify guidelines, expectations, systems and processes that will help you create and uphold the lunchroom culture you wish to have.  Be certain that all adults clearly understand and can articulate the expectations and know how to best model and reinforce them.  A few key areas to think about when creating your lunchroom vision are:

• seating arrangements (long tables vs. restaurant style smaller groupings)
• noise proofing the room
• adequate number of trained adults that actively supervise and assist students
• training for all adults that supervise the lunchroom
• options for student engagement once they are done eating but have time remaining
• incentives and rewards for appropriate behavior by students
• setting the mood (i.e. playing of quiet classical music, dimming lights slightly, entering the cafe in an orderly, quiet manner)
• create traffic patterns that minimize overlap and crossing of groups of students
• grade level configurations within same lunch period
• balanced student numbers during each lunch period
• master schedule changes that may positively impact lunch (i.e. recess before lunch, making a gym area available during lunch)

Once you've created your lunchroom vision, the key to successful implementation and sustainability is to clearly teach, model, and re-teach the expectations to both students and staff.  Utilize your entire staff to reinforce and model the expectations throughout the school year, especially when it seems students need a little friendly reminder.  Get everyone speaking the same language relative to lunch room expectations.  Being consistent, teaching and re-teaching the expectations, modeling them daily, and rewarding students for exhibiting appropriate behaviors will increase the probability that your lunchroom vision will become a reality.

As a bonus, here are a few great ideas gleaned from school administrators across the country on how to create a safe, respectful, enjoyable lunchroom atmosphere.

1. Play quiet, classical music during dining.  You can try alternating "7 on/7 off" which means 7 minutes of music and no talking then 7 minutes of low volume, appropriate student conversation time
2. Use smaller, round table seating so that students can talk to one another and not yell down long tables.
3. Take students outside or to a common area such as the gym when they finish eating.  Buy lots of soft Nerf toys for this time!
4. Use a noise meter app such as Classcraft Volume Meter, Too Noisy, or Yacker Tracker to help students self-regulate the noise level.
5. Establish incentives for appropriate behavior (i.e. Free Seating Friday, movie day during lunch, Golden Spoon awards, class contests for best behavior with rewards)
6. Establish a "When Finished Table" - a table that has activities, cards, puzzles, etc. that students can enjoy once they finish eating.
7.  Create activity bins that sit in the middle of each table.  These are small, covered, plastic bins filled with drawing materials, cards, small handheld games, etc.
8. Give them the royal treatment.  Award the class with the best behavior over a period of time with a "Fine Diners Club" experience. Set a class table with a table cloth, real silverware, flowers, battery operated candles, and serve them pizza, salad, ice cream or something else special.  The best part is the principal wears an apron, takes the students' orders and serves them.

Student lunch periods do not have to be your most dreaded time of the day.