Cat stares
I may be about to lose readers with this confession, but here goes.
I do not like cats. I am hideously allergic to them and even a brief interaction can leave me wheezing with bloodshot eyes for the next few days. Consequently, I devote a fair amount of effort to avoiding feline encounters. However, it must be a truth universally acknowledged that a cat in want of a stroke will invariably select as its target the one person least disposed to offer such a service.
In fact, cats do indeed seem to prefer people who avoid making eye contact with them. Thus, in one of life’s great ironies, the very behaviour intended to discourage feline attention often proves irresistible, leaving the unwilling recipient with a purring cat firmly established on their lap or wrapped around their feet. I have therefore learnt to resist my instincts and embrace my best cat-defence; to lock eyes with them and stare them down. More often than not, the cat will back down and, importantly for my allergy, back off.
From cat stares to teacher looks
I’ve been thinking about developing beginning teachers’ classroom presence this week. Beginning teachers often believe that classroom control comes from what they say. In reality, some of the most effective behaviour redirection happens without a single word being spoken and experienced teachers know that there are times when silence, coupled with a ‘look’ speaks far louder than any words.
The teacher look works because human beings, rather like cats, are highly sensitive to eye contact. Direct eye contact immediately captures attention. It tells the recipient they have been singled out from the group and most importantly communicates the teacher’s confidence and authority. Pupils often test boundaries because they want to know whether the adult at the front of the room genuinely means what they say. A calm, confident stare signals certainty and can help to reinforce those boundaries.
Mastering the teacher look
Many beginning teachers feel the teacher look is impossible for them to master as, at the point of implementation, they simply crack into a broad smile or even laughter. However, experience working with beginning teachers tells me that it is an aspect of a teachers’ classroom presence that can be developed with practise.
The internal work
Beginning teachers trying to develop their teacher look need to possess the internal conviction they have the right to direct the room. If a beginning teacher is wondering deep down whether a pupil will respond to their instructions, the uncertainty often leaks into their body language. In this situation the ‘look’ becomes a plea rather than a direction. Effective classroom presence comes from the quiet belief that the expectations are reasonable, that pupils should meet them, and that it is the teachers’ role to ensure they are met. The teacher look only truly works when it is backed by that confidence, because pupils are remarkably adept at spotting the difference between a request that can be ignored and an expectation that will be enforced.
The teacher looks steps
Alongside this internal work there are several steps that can be followed to better achieve an effective teacher look.
- Stop and be silent
The teacher stops what they are doing and become completely still and silent. This creates a moment of tension, pausing the flow of the lesson and making pupils realise something has changed.
- Deploy the look
The teacher look is a look of controlled authority which is achieved by:
- Adopting a neutral expression – avoid smiling/ frowning/showing frustration and instead think calm, controlled and unimpressed.
- Locking eyes with the pupil and hold their gaze while remaining silent, raising one eyebrow (if possible) to communicate the behaviour has been noticed and requires immediate correction.
- Say less but make expectations clear
When the pupil stops the behaviour, the expectation can be calmly stated (for example, “This was a silent task, so I should not hear any voices.”) while eye contact is maintained and before the teaching resumes.
The escalation process
Of course, not every pupil responds immediately. In these cases, the look needs to be accompanied by a clear warning and ultimately escalation to a clear consequence in line with the school behaviour policy. The crucial point is consistency. Pupils quickly learn that the look is not an empty gesture and is instead the first stage of a predictable sequence that ends with consequences if the expectations are not met.
The teacher look and inclusion
There are of course circumstances in which the teacher look is ineffective, inappropriate, and even counterproductive. Some pupils with special educational needs and disabilities may struggle with direct eye contact. For example, some neurodiverse pupils may find sustained eye contact uncomfortable, distracting, or difficult to maintain, meaning that a teacher’s look may not communicate the intended message. Equally, pupils with anxiety, trauma-related needs, or certain social and communication difficulties may perceive prolonged eye contact as threatening rather than corrective. For these pupils, what is intended as a calm behavioural cue can feel highly confrontational and may escalate rather than de-escalate the situation. A child who already feels dysregulated or under pressure may respond to intense eye contact with defiance, distress, or withdrawal. Effective teachers therefore know when to use the look and when to draw on other approaches in their toolkit. The teacher look is most effective when applied with professional judgement and a sound understanding of the individual pupil.
Practice makes powerful
Like any classroom technique, the teacher look improves with practise. Even experimenting in the mirror can be useful – especially for maintaining a neutral expression and holding eye contact for longer than feels comfortable.
Most beginning teachers worry about being too strict, but the reality is that new teachers are often far more likely to smile through disruption and talk when they should pause. The look is a minimally invasive part of a toolkit that teachers can draw upon to make their expectations have been made clear and are consistently reinforced.
