Sitting down to write your classroom rules seems like it should be simple. But for a new teacher on
information overload SUPER-IMPORTANT-INFORMATION OVERLOAD at the beginning of the school year, nothing feels simple. Here are a few common classroom expectations that serve as a good starting point.
- Come on time and fully prepared to learn every day.
- Leave food, drinks and gum outside the classroom.
- Keep cell phones and any other electronics off and out of sight.
- Only one person should be talking at a time.
- All students should be in their seats when the teacher is speaking.
- Respect yourself by dressing appropriately for school, conducting yourself as a professional student, and taking your education seriously.
If you like these rules as is, there is no reason you can’t just copy and paste them into a word document, blow it up to 24-point font, and hit print.*
*Just remember that a rules poster does very little by itself. The only real rules in your classroom are the ones you consistently enforce. Still, it’s a good idea to have a rules (or classroom expectations) poster in your classroom.
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