Class Rules
Class Rules should be short, positive, and not wordy. Too many rules will create confusion in your class. I recommend 3-5 rules tops with a general set of consequences to be posted somewhere in front of your classroom. These rules should be taught on the first day of school. If you’re considering adding more rules, look at your class procedures first; perhaps a class procedure can take the place of a rule instead of adding extra rules. Too many rules will also make you look like a drill sergeant or a control freak, and students might be overwhelmed trying to follow all your rules.
My class rules are REP: Respect, Effort, and Participate. Showing Respect is also following class procedures and directions. Respect is a broad category that encompasses more factors than just being courteous and kind. Also, fewer rules are better, because when you’re disciplining students, you may forget which rule or infraction was broken. You don’t want to be scrambling to tell the student what rule they broke when you yourself can’t name the specific rule.
Keep rules positive. Rules like “No Cursing, No Sleeping, No Talking” are negative in nature and give off that “downing vibe.” I rather read “Use Good Language” and “Participate” in place of two of the rules above. Also, can you really expect students to keep their mouths shut the entire period? That’s going to be really hard to enforce. If you can’t truly enforce the rule, then you might have to change or drop it. Late to class, being disruptive, phone use, and cursing fall under the Respect category. Sleeping would obviously be placed under the Participation rule.
When designing and thinking hard on rules, think about the expectations and standards of your class. What is really important to you? Consider the age of young people you teach. Think about your own mental wellbeing, too. What do you need to be happy in your class? For me, respect is the most important for everyone in the class. Without that first rule, teaching is going to be pretty hard.
A significant question that gets asked: Can you reteach rules and procedures throughout the year? Yes, you can certainly reteach rules and procedures as you see fit for your class. I recommend quarter changes or semester ends when you have time to start with a “clean slate.” If you do it too often, you risk looking unsure and not confident. Wait until the first day of each quarter to introduce something new.
At the end of each school year, reflect on what worked and didn’t work. Having a notebook with you and writing your thoughts down is another good idea. Next year, I am planning to use phone pockets or get a charging station for phones in my class. If students turn over their phones, they can earn extra points on their participation grade. This is a new idea for me that will be implemented next school year because it’s a big procedural change.
So again, keep rules short and simple. Turn your rules into an acronym like mine. It will help you remember them when conferencing with students.