Classroom Rules

A responsible student needs to know the rules of the class.

I "borrowed" these three rules from a wise master teacher.
Now they are mine.

1. Raise your hand and wait to be called on before speaking.
2. Raise your hand and wait to be called on before getting permission to get out of your seat.
3. Follow all the rules in the school handbook.

These are the rules, but we have dozens of procedures.
Each procedure must be practiced until it becomes automatic. More on procedures later.

My List

Here is a list of jobs that have to be done to keep my classroom operating:

1. Answer the door for visitors and student aides who frequent the class.
2. Help with roll checking
3. Papers-passing out, collecting and filing
4. Passing out and collecting music
5. Handing out pencils to students who have lost theirs.
6. Filing music
7.Filing tests
8. Keeping chairs in order
9. Posting work on walls
10. Cleaning chairs
11. Picking up paper
12. Leading physical warm ups-Simon Sez, stretching etc.
13. Changing PowerPoint Slides
14. Operating the CD player
15. Time keeping.
What jobs do you have in your classroom that can be done by trained students?

Who Does the Work in Your Classroom?

Make a list of the tasks you have to fulfill to keep your classes running. Look at the list. Do you see any tasks that can be completed by a competent student? Are these tasks the reason you started teaching? Did you often dream....when I grow up I want to file papers, sharpen pencils, answer the door to my classroom, operate a cd player etc.? I don't think so. As a music teacher I want to choose suitable music for my singers then help them gain the skills to perform the music with knowledge of what is on the page and how to achieve the goal of intelligent singing as a musical ensemble.

The student must be competent. That means they must be trained to do those tasks, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Who Owns the Classroom?

Most new teachers have the misconception that they are in charge of the classroom. Problems occur when students begin to show the new teacher who really is in charge. At this point, the teacher/student power struggle begins. This is a losing battle for both particpants.
The best solution for this situation is to give the student ownership in their classroom. The more power students have, the more power the teacher has. This doesn't mean abandoning rules, procedures and the curriculum. Students want structure and learning in a classroom as much as the teacher wants it. They do, however, want to feel that they are responsible for their learning and for what happens in the class. How does a teacher help to achieve this?
That is the major topic of this blog.