Thank you everyone for your recent comments on whose classroom would you rather be in?
Teacher A
Teacher B
As a blogger I’m experimenting with asking open ended questions but at the same time it’s hard not to weigh in on my own questions.
I guess I have two major problems with Teacher A’s rules. Everything that we say as teacher we have to mean. In other words, if we have a ridiculous rule, we have to enforce it. I would say the rule “Don’t talk” is unenforceable. Students are just little people. Ask teachers to complete an activity and notice whether or not they talk. If teachers can’t do it, how can students?
Now, of course, there are times that students must be quiet. When someone else is talking, during some protected reading time, when there’s an announcement over the PA. However, to expect dead silence while students are working independently for an extended period of time (particularly when we’re developing the oral language skills of English Language Learners and supporting students who may not be able to work without the help of their neighbor) is impossible. If a teacher says “No talking” and then has no consequence for a student talking then the teacher loses their authority. Their word means nothing. I would argue that we should change the rule rather than add a consequence.
Similarly, the rule of not letting students get up eliminates their ability to solve problems like getting a pencil or a paper when they need it, putting back supplies, stepping outside the classroom door to vomit (that one’s from personal experience and I”m so glad I do allow students to get up when they need to), etc. I want my students to get up and help themselves when I’m unable to help them. After I stat working with a small group, my priority is helping those students, not finding other students’ pencils or getting students a particular worksheet when they can easily help themselves to materials and know where to find them.
Another problem with Teacher A’s rules is that they’re all written in the negative. I hate to even say that because it’s almost a cliche. It does say not to frame your rules in the negative in most classroom management books I’ve read. However, I do think it’s true that a rule like “Respect others” is much more powerful than a rule like “Don’t hit.” Also “Respect others” includes no spitting, no talking while others are talking, no pulling hair, etc. It’s inclusive of a lot of stuff whereas in a room where the rule is “Don’t hit” it’s technically okay to put chewing gum in Sally’s hair.
“Respect others” is more about teaching students the golden rule whereas “Don’t hit” is about following a rule cuz the teacher said so. What I like about Teacher B’s rules are that even though they are still rules, they all support and foster the development of a community that supports each other and helps each other. I’d rather be in that room. But no one asked me.
Mathew, please underscore you observation about rules “all written in the negative. I hate to even say that because it’s almost a cliche.” It may be cliche, but it’s really important! One of the reasons that it’s important is that it alters teachers’ behavior, encouraging them to “catch ’em being good.” Teachers have an reading opportunity to tell students that they are following rules.
On another note, I’m concerned about teachers having too many rules. If there have to be different rules for multiple different situations, then teachers need to communicate to students those different rules each time the situation changes in the beginning, as the scaffolds are gradually removed, and once the students know them, at every transition from Situation A to B or C, B to C or A, etc. That gets burdensome.
So, in my view, teachers would be savvy to select a very few rules, teach them at the beginning of the semester or year, and then gradually introduce variations on them.
@John,
Agreed…I keep to three rules in my classroom so that it’s reasonable for me to expect that students can memorize and be able to state the rules.
Great post. The 2 questions I get asked the most everyday:
1. Can I sharpen my pencil?
If it can’t write, you NEED to sharpen your pencil.
2. Can I get a drink?
Yes, there is a reason every classroom has a water fountain in the back.
It is almost December and the students are still asking these questions. The only thing I can figure is their other teachers this year or previous years had rules just like Teacher A. Unfortunately, I think a lot of them have the rule of “don’t get out of your seat”.
@MrTeach,
I have a box of sharpened pencils available to students because the noise from the electric pencil sharpener is too disruptive. However, I think we think alike in that we prefer teaching respect, responsibility, and problem solving over obedience.
I have the box of pre-sharpened pencils ready as well, so as not to disrupt the class.
And what fantastical land is it where every classroom has a fountain in the back??
@ Mister Teacher,
Yeah, the advantage to not having a water fountain was that I never had to deal with students getting water. You really did have to get some at recess or lunch.
Matthew,
I really enjoyed reading this post. It highlighted a lot of really important points, especially the rules being written in a do or do not form. I’d be much more willing to comply with the rules of teacher B than teacher A, because they’re a lot friendlier and more positive.
Here’s something I’m interested in knowing your stance on. Should the teachers make the rules, or should it be a collaborative thing between the teachers and the students?
We recently had an argument about expectations for students in the hallway. There was a whole group of teachers ready to say, “NO TALKING”. I met quite a bit of resistance in voicng my opinion that we shouldn’t have this rule. I explained my understanding of the purpose behind the rule, but that it was simply unfeasible. Like you mention, as teachers we can not remain quiet. Passing in the hallways is one of the few times we might get to see another teacher, it would be difficult to stifle our own chatter. Then, looking at punishment, what do you do when your whole class is talking? When just one or two are talking? It seems to me a rule like “No Talking” makes much more work for the teachers than the students. And the battle continues…
@Steven,
Yes, much more reasonable would be to have a rule like use an inside voice in the hallways or if the problem is students are late to class, then deal with the lateness itself. It’s just not reasonable to expect students to be anything but human. We can teach them to be kind and respectful humans but it’s a losing battle to try to make them inhuman.