How to Introduce Rules and Procedures

Let me be honest and say that before last school year I didn't do this very well. And, last school year I was working on retraining some established habits, so despite my best efforts, I didn't get every procedure down pat. But, my experiences have taught me the importance of putting a lot of thought into my rules and procedures, which is why as the school year is approaching this is the first thing on my mind.

Last year I was on maternity leave at the beginning of the school year and didn't return until November. It took a lot of work to re-train my students in my expectations and the way I wanted things done. In fact, I still had kids turning their math homework into the "To Mrs. Douglas" drawer instead of the math drawer in May. It just goes to show how important those first few weeks... days... hours of school are for establishing your expectations. When students learn a routine, whether it's right or wrong, it sticks and it's hard to change it. (This goes for academics as well).

I am excited to start this year being very clear about what I need from my students, and you should be too. Maybe you're new to teaching and you aren't really sure how in depth to teach your rules and procedures, or maybe you've been teaching for a while and could show me a thing or two. Either way, it never hurts to give this important aspect of the new year some intentional thought.

Make a List

My best ideas come when I make a list. When I sit down with my trusty blue notebook and write out what's in my mind I end up with a chain of ideas. One thing reminds me of another which makes me think about something else in a new light. It's marvelous and you should do it. After doing this for ten minutes or so, then again, then again, I came up with what I thought was a pretty good list. Then I made it pretty. You can find my list here, but you should definitely add to it because my room and my style is not your room and your style. It's free and it comes with a back to school checklist as well!

Decide How and When You Will Teach Each Item

I've created a Rules and Procedures Booklet that I'm going to use on the first day of school. It covers up to 5 rules and the most important generic procedures that almost all teachers have (walking in line, entering the room, finding materials, etc.) I am NOT going to sit down with my students and work through page by page. Can you say BORING? After I teach each rule or procedure I will be using these booklets to have students work in groups and reflect on what was learned, write, and color. Then we can discuss and review as a class. Most of the spaces are pretty straight forward... "I should walk into the classroom____________." Silently, obviously. Or they are open ended to fit any teacher's specific procedure. The point is to get students interacting with the rules and procedures I'm teaching them and taking ownership of them. Let me also say that I am not a fan of coming up with the rules together as a class. I tend to follow a Smart Classroom Management approach and I think it's important that students know that I have a certain set of standards in the classroom that are immovable.

Here is a peek at a few of the pages:

Think About How You Will Explain, Model, and Practice

Before you bring in any sort of reflection, like the Rules and Procedures Booklet, there a few things you have to do first. Explain what you're going to do before you do it. "Right now I'm going to show you how you will walk into the classroom in the morning and get started on our morning routine. Watch closely so you know exactly what to do." Then model the routine EXACTLY, in excruciating detail. Walk in how a student would, put an actual backpack in a locker, say hello to a few "classmates" while you sign in and make your lunch choice. Make it funny by accidentally dropping a pencil or almost tripping over a chair a student didn't push in. Once you've modeled it perfectly, ask your class if they have any questions about what to do in the morning and answer them thoroughly. Have a few students model how to do the routine and discuss as a class if they did it to a T. When you are confident your students understand it and can do it, have the whole class practice. On the first day of school I have my students go directly to their desks without putting their backpacks away (and if they did put it away, I make them go get it) because I want them to practice this routine first thing. It might seem petty, but the morning is such a big indicator for how the day is going to go and I need it to be done exactly the way I taught.

Follow this for every rule and procedure you teach. I will be spending a lot of time on the morning routine and less time on others like getting a drink or throwing away trash. The importance of the routine determines the amount of time spent. Some important routines to spend a good chunk of time on are:

• Rules & Consequences
• Taking a Break
• Morning Routine
• Coming to Sit for Whole Group
• Lining Up
• Voice Levels
• Anything Related to Technology
• End of the Day Routine

I'm sure there are others, but these are the ones that really jump out at me.

They say that the more time you spend practicing routines on the front end, the less time you'll spend fixing them later, so whatever you do, be sure to teach your rules and procedures clearly right away so you can spend the rest of the year teaching, not babysitting.

Take care!
-Interventionista