A minute feels like an eternity

Keeping students after class is a discipline that is somewhat controversial. I have played around with the idea in the past. Today, I saw it done the way I think it should be done.

I observed another teacher at our school today and the students were being a little chatty. The teacher said that if they are going to waste his time, he will waste their time after class. He held them for one minute after class. I am not against keeping students after the bell, but it seems like every time I have done it, it was merely for dramatic effect. You see, the teacher's activity did not stop when the bell rang. That is how I believe it should be done. It should be an extention of class.

When I made them stay after, I made them sit quietly for one or two minutes. I also nagged after a few seconds of complete silence. When they sit there quietly, it makes a minute feel like an eternity. When they're finishing up an activity, a minute is nothing. Thinking back, I have not done that in a long time. There has been no need to. I think after I did the first time, the students realzed that I could actually do that and so they don't waste my time as much anymore.