Classroom management consists of many things. Mainly, management revolves around classroom procedures. Another important aspect of classroom management is rules.

Now, rules in the classroom can be very specific (walk in the classroom) or more general (be respectful). No matter which type of rules fits you or your students best, you need to have some rules.

I have read many articles on classroom rules before I started teaching to try to get it right. I have read that you shouldn’t use rules that are negative (no running in the classroom). Or you should only have a max of 5 rules.

Ultimately, the best classroom rules are the rules that work for your own classroom and your own students. Look at your personality and what type of teacher you are when creating the rules. Whatever is best for you is best for your classroom. You need to work in an environment that is enjoyable for you.

In this post, I will explain what rules are, who should make the rules, what your rules should be, and what kind of consequences might work for you.

What are rules?

I explain at the very beginning of the year that I have rules in my classroom and I also have classroom procedures. I very specifically teach my students the difference between the two. 

Classroom rules must be followed in my classroom and if they are not, there will be a consequence. A rule is an expectation that will not be lowered. I expect all students to accept and follow my rules. I also explain to them that I follow the rules as well.

What if a student chooses to break a rule? 

I explain to the students that breaking a rule is a choice they make, not an accident. I also explain that I realize they may break the rules from time to time, but I want to fix these problems so it doesn’t happen again. They will have a consequence if they break a rule. I will go in more detail of my consequences later in this post. Also, make sure you check out our post on creative consequences you can use in the classroom.

What are procedures?

Classroom procedures are a way that we do things in the classroom. These include stuff like walking quietly in the hallway, using hand signals, raising your hand in class, etc. Classroom procedures help us have an orderly classroom, they help students become more productive and successful, and they help students learn more! These classroom procedures must be followed. I teach and model the procedures correctly at the beginning of the year. I make sure my students know my expectations. Check out my posts on classroom procedures and the first days of school if you want to learn more about these in detail.

What if a student does not follow a classroom procedure?

I explain that sometimes you may forget a classroom procedure in the first couple weeks of school. I tell them I will give them a few weeks to practice and get the hang of all procedures. After that, if they choose to not follow a classroom procedure, they will practice it at recess. I have retraining slips for students. If they don’t follow a procedure correctly, I will mark which procedure and they will practice it at recess. This will not take a long time, usually 1 to 5 minutes. For example, if a student didn’t follow walking quietly in the hallway, they would practice at recess. If they didn’t respond correctly to the quiet signal, they would practice at recess.

Who should make the rules?

There are many different styles of teaching. You can be student centered, meaning the students create the rules. You can be teacher centered, meaning the teacher makes the rules. Or you can combine these and both student and teacher works on making the rules. You can ultimately choose whatever works well for your personality. 

In my opinion, I think making the classroom rules myself is the best. I am taking control of my own classroom and I make sure students know I am in control. This does not mean I don’t let students make decisions. I actually do believe in student choice, but I give students more choice on what reading station they want to do or where they work best in the classroom for silent reading. I make the rules and I make the consequences. Also, I make sure the students know this and I follow through with what I tell them. 

If you allow the students to make the rules, the rules will usually be negative or very specific. This may be okay with you, just make sure you realize what you are getting yourself into.

Ultimately, whatever works well for you is best. However you decide to make the rules is fine, but after they are made, you just need to make sure they are followed.

What should my rules be?

This is really up to you, the teacher. Like I said earlier, I have read multiple articles about classroom rules. I have read about general and specific rules. Rules in the classroom can be very specific (walk in the classroom) or more general (be respectful). I have also read that you shouldn’t use rules that are negative (no running in the classroom) or you should only have a max of 5 rules.

In my experience, I have found that 4 more general rules work best for me. I like having 4 general rules because it usually encompasses all the behavior problems you are going to experience in your classroom. This way, any misbehavior can be a rule violation and receive a consequence.

This is the list of classroom rules that I use in my classroom. I display these rules in my first days of school PowerPoint. I explain what these rules mean and I also point out that I follow these rules too.

• Be Respectful to yourself, others, teachers, and staff by using manners. Treat others the way you want to be treated. (I will respect you)

• Be Responsible for your own learning by being prepared to learn. Take care of your personal and school belongings. (I am responsible for preparing a positive learning environment)

• Be Kind to others and caring towards classmates and teachers. (I will be kind to each of you)

• Be a Worker by doing your best in every situation. (I will give my best to you)

Some other general rules to use:

• Act Appropriately

• Be Prepared

• Do Your Best

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Consequences 

My first year of teaching, I did not have a specific guideline for breaking a rule. I re-evaluated this my second year of teaching and came up with a system of consequences for breaking rules. This system is easy to follow. Each time a student breaks a rule, I follow this system. This keeps punishments fair in the classroom. I treat every student equally. Whether they break the rule once or twice, they get the same consequences each time. This system starts over each day. So if they break a rule twice in one day, the next day is a fresh start.

First time a student breaks a rule: Verbal Warning

I tell the students I will specifically say, “Josh this is your verbal warning,” whenever a student breaks a rule. This way they know they have broken a rule and have been warned to stop.

Second time a student breaks a rule: Name on board, 5 minutes of recess, Meeting with me

By this time, the student has already broken one rule and got a warning. If it happens again, they will owe me 5 minutes of their recess. I normally just have the students walk during recess for whatever amount of time they owe me. I also put their name on the board, so they remember they owe recess time and I remember. I also will have a short talk with them after they walk their time at recess about the behavior and how they can fix it in the future.

Third time a student breaks a rule: Check by name, 10 minutes of recess, Meeting with me

The student’s name is already on the board, so I will put a check mark by it to know they owe more time. They will need to walk 10 minutes at recess. I will also have a meeting with them about their behavior.

Fourth time a student breaks a rule: 10 minutes of recess, Action Plan, Call to parents

Most students never get to this point, but if there really is a behavior problem that gets to this point in ONE day, most likely I will need to call the parents. I also have made Action Plans for the students to fill out.

The Action Plan includes the students to write what the problem is (what rule was broken), what is causing the problem, and then what their plan is to solve this problem. I will require the student and parent to sign this.

Fifth time a student breaks a rule: Sent to the office

If a student ever gets to this point in one day, they usually need to be removed from the classroom. I will send this student to the office to talk to the principal or counselor.

More than likely students will not get to this point. Also, try not to make a habit of sending students to the office. Principals don’t appreciate seeing your students constantly. Instead, I use this as a last resort. Students also really do not want this option.

Severe Disruption: Sent immediately to the office

This includes a student that is disrupting the class so much that I can no longer teach or the student is physically fighting.

Other Consequences:

If a student gets to three strikes two days in a row, I will require the student to complete an Action Plan, because there is obviously a problem if this keeps happening.

If a student receives two action plans in one week and I see no improvement, the student will be sent to the office.

I usually do not need all these consequences, most students only get to about two or three strikes and then they fix their behavior. You will have students that constantly push you and you may need to have all these in place. At the beginning of the year, I go over each consequence and I make sure the students realize I am serious and I will follow through. This just helps to set up some respect in my classroom.

I hope these classroom rules and consequences help you in your classroom. Classroom Management is so important to make sure your classroom runs smoothly and you can teach as much as you can. Having rules and consequences helps you gain control of your classroom and the students know the expectations and how to behave.

Thank you for Continually Learning with us!

Kyle and Sarah