Easy wins give us energy for the hard-to-wins. And there is no easier win than the checklist.
Many people's initial reaction to checklists is that teaching is not a profession you get good at just by ticking boxes. I agree. But checklists make sure you are not missing something that is quietly undermining everything else. They stop the small things falling through the cracks.
Having observed a number of early-career teachers, I saw how many missed things — not through unwillingness, but through sheer inexperience. For example: I like all my classes to know that as soon as they walk through the door, there will be something for them to do. There is always something waiting. It is a routine, and a great way to achieve a calm start. Spontaneity is much less stressful within a context of structure. You can break your habits once you have made them.
In Atul Gawande's The Checklist Manifesto, he explains how relatively simple checklists used before, during and after surgery saved a remarkable number of lives. He notes that we make two types of mistakes: ones we make because we do not know the right thing to do, and ones we make even though we know what to do. Checklists help with both.
A behaviour management checklist might include things like:
These are not revolutionary ideas. Most experienced teachers do most of them, most of the time — without thinking. That is exactly the point. A checklist helps less experienced teachers build those habits, and helps experienced teachers catch the moments when pressure or distraction means they slip.
Making the easy stuff easier makes the harder stuff easier too.