Don't Let Your Classroom Rules Fall Apart

Classroom Management Issues? Learn from Seasoned Teachers:

Let's face it, teaching needs order and respect for it to be effective. This means that as teachers, you need to not only nurture each child but you need to be very crafty at setting your boundaries in order to create that respectful environment.

As often as possible you will want to recognize and reward appropriate behaviors. Punishments and negative consequences don't teach a child how to behave appropriately and often end up with a child that resents you or becomes angry. Writing out lines or giving any consequence that is repetitive in nature only serves to fuel negativity from the student. You'll find that behavior contracts, one to one talks and some removal of some privileges will be more productive.

Don't be general in your requests "Be cooperative" Be Respectful" Instead, use specific requests like "Don't shout out the answers" "Thanks for putting up your hand".   Your rules should be co-created with the students and they should not be ambiguous. The students need to clearly understand what the rules are. Keep your rules to a minimum or they will be too hard to remember. If the rules are broken, it's wise not to lecture a student, therefore, be sure to let your students know what the consequences are for not following through. Here are some great ideas about what to do when the rules do get broken.

To see more about rules and classroom management, you'll find a wealth of information here.