Lee, the awesome thing here is you are willing to be critical of your own strategies. This shows me that you are working hard towards moving from a good instructor to a great instructor. Pat yourself on the back and understand these things take time. Greatness comes through hard work and a strategy to get you there, you seem to have this well in hand. : - ) As for the "leader of the pack" situation, best practice here is to have one-on-one discussions with your students that seem to want to take control in the classroom. As them directly why they feel they need this level of attention and do they know the level of disruption they cause in the classroom? My experience has been that students often times do not even know you see them in that light. Let them know if they are interested you are happy to give them additional assignments and even have a part in the delivery of the lesson plan if interested. Find ways to use their energies in more constructive methods that add value to the classroom versus a distraction. Come back to this discussion forum from time to time and let us know how things are going. The more information we all share, the better we call can become at working through such situations. Thanks for sharing and I look forward to hearing more. James Jackson