I do not believe in class rules. Go ahead and take a minute to sink in, and then continue reading.
I certainly believe in standards that should be set in place to maintain order in the classroom, but I STRONGLY believe those should be created as a class (NEW each year… don’t be lazy) and should focus on positive behaviors, not “don’t, don’t, don’t.” I cannot emphasize this enough. I know I am a big talker right now because I am a (hopefully) new teacher and have not had to actually try to make this happen. BUT, I do have tons of ideas of ways to guide it and (right now) am willing to mix and match and try them all until something is successful.
While the following is not my ideal vision for the expectations and guidelines for my classroom, I really like the direction it is going. I do not necessarily want a set of things saying what not to do, but in some classes (ESPECIALLY YOUNGER ONES), this might prove helpful. I know that in the classroom I student taught in, having ideal standards were great, but they were too young to understand morals and what was considered “wrong” unless it was explicitly stated. We implemented a form of this peace makers and peace breakers towards the end of the year, and it really made a difference!
minervateach. 