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The days of teachers standing in front of a class for an entire period are over. Think of the first row of your students.  Do you find yourself spending most of the time in front of the first row.  If so, step through them; break the plane.  You can see so much more by walking among the students.

The next time you are in a teacher meeting, notice how annoying it is when someone gives you a direction to read something, but then continues to talk to you about what you should be reading.  You may even want to scream, "Stop talking and let me read this." Well, consider this when you give a direction and repeat that direction. Students need time to think too.  If you are worried students might not know what to do., consider writing down the directions for those students who may need clarification.  

It sounds almost impossible, and, frankly, daily individual check-ins may be quite hard to actually complete.  But consider twice a week check ins with individual students.  This can be a simple 30 second quiet whisper talk with a student about a particular quiz item from the day before, or a comment on work they are doing right then in class.  By having these mini-conferences, students will feel that you care about them as individuals.  You will also have a better understanding of exactly what they may need.

Create lessons and activities that are self-motivating.  Dan Meyer's 3-Act Math or tasks like the ones Jo Boaler suggest are fantastic resources to use.  If you give students good content that is thoughtfully chosen and also give them a bit of autonomy, they will become more motivated.  Your classroom may become a bit louder than you are used to.  But listen, the loudness will actually be arguments about math.  It's a beautiful thing.

It's easy to say, but really, don't hold a grudge.  Little Tommy in the 5th grade did something that really irked you yesterday. You know what, he is so egocentric at this point in his life, that he either didn't realize it offended you or he doesn't even remember.  If he doesn't remember, why should you waste your precious energy holding that frustration in?  Instead, greet him with a smile each morning when he enters your door, "Good Morning Tommy.  Great to see you today!"  Even just the act of saying that will bring positivity into your day. too.

One of the biggest fears of all students, all people, is making a mistake, especially in front of others.  However, an abundance of research shows that the most significant learning happens when mistakes are made.  In classes, complement and encourage the act of trying an answer more than getting it right or wrong.  Absolutely, correct mistakes when you see one, but then say how wonderful it was that this mistake came up, so we could understand common misconceptions.  Create an environment where students proudly call out, "Yeah, I got that wrong too!"