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Think about which rules will keep your class a safe and fun learning environment. Design rules to reflect this goal. These rules will be different depending on the ages of the students and the type of class you’re teaching. Some sample rules might include:  Treat others with respect. Take care of yourself. Take care of classroom property. Raise your hand to speak or to get someone’s attention. This will make it easier for students to remember them. These rules will guide behavior in a variety of circumstances so that you don’t need to spell out rules for every scenario. Take time on the first day of class to cover your classroom’s rules. Explain what each rule means. Give examples of how rules are followed or not followed. Tell students about consequences for breaking the rules. These might occur in stages, such as a warning, then staying after class, then detention, then visiting the principal, and so on. You might include a time-out or break for younger students. Younger students who are disruptive may need to be removed from a situation for a few minutes to recover their attention. Then they can rejoin the class. Make a rules poster and hang it in the classroom. Phrase the rules in positive ways. For example, instead of saying, “Don’t push other people,” you can write, “Treat others with respect.” Ask the students to come to an agreement with you about the rules. They can sign a pledge form or even just raise their hands. In doing so, they will promise to uphold the class rules.   Another way to get students to buy into the rules is for students to take ownership of them. Get their input when developing rules for the classroom.  Take time every now and then to talk about the rules and review them with students. Using hand signals, body cues and other tactics can be helpful in getting students’ attention. For example, you might turn the lights off and on when it’s time to wrap up an activity. Hand signals work particularly well with primary grades. Changing the non-verbal cues periodically will keep students from getting bored with them. Make a positive example of students behaving properly by letting students know when they have followed the rules. By showing students what good behavior looks like, they will know how to model the behavior. Make sure to praise different students. Don’t always praise the same few students. If there are discipline problems at the elementary school level, it can be helpful to get in touch with the child’s parents. Think about doing this before the discipline problem becomes serious.  Earlier intervention can redirect a child away from problematic behavior. Reinforce positive interactions by giving students tools to handle disagreements and miscommunications. Having tools to use for these interactions may help diffuse potential discipline problems.  For example, talk about how students should ask another student for permission to take something. A student should look directly at the other student, wait until she is listening, and ask politely. Give students tools if they disagree with each other. For example, have students look calmly at each other and say, “I understand how you feel.” Then the student can explain his opinion calmly.
Decide which rules are most important. Choose no more than 5 rules for your classroom. Make sure students know the rules. Outline consequences. Post the rules. Have the students make a commitment to the rules. Use non-verbal communication. Praise students for acting appropriately. Get parents involved early on. Give students tools for interacting with each other.