Manners, Discipline, Respect Part II

To continue with Ron Clark's rules, here are some others I thought were important:

Rule #13: Follow along when we read together. This is a difficult one to mandate. Many students don't read along; others are good at pretending to read along! I like Clark's suggestion that a student needs to know exactly what place you are at and to call on students randomly to read. The most important thing is to develop an enjoyment for reading in the students.

Rule #14: Answer all written questions with a complete sentence. To this rule I would add when speaking also. This rule is especially valuable for ELL students.

Rule #15: Do not ask for a reward. The fact of the matter is that kids like rewards, but they must also learn that a good education is the true award. When students ask for rewards, they come across as greedy and a little obnoxious and rude. Yet, it is very natural for them to ask so this is something that definitely needs to be cultivated and taught.

Rule #16: You must complete your homework everyday. I really like this one. As high school teachers a lot of times we give up on getting homework from students. Admittedly I have a high percentage return on homework which I attribute to the routinization of the homework, but it's always the same students who don't do their homework. I'm going to try the suggestion of Clark to give a group incentive for the highest # of days of the entire class bringing in their homework and make it a competition between 2/3 and 4/5 periods.

Rule #17: Transitions will be swift, quiet, and orderly. My main concern is that the transitions are swift. This is a timely rule as I am trying to work this out with my 4/5 period class who transition a lot during the period. I am using a timer with sound effects that I think is going to work well with group deductions for those who don't make the time limit.

Rule #21: Follow specific classroom protocols. Two protocols that I want to incorporate. Don't shout out answers and raise your hand if you need help. I want to get good at asking specific students when I pose questions that way everyone will know they need to pay attention and contribute instead of just a few students dominating the discussion. Also I want to work on noise level when students are working in groups.

The last seven rules are important and are something that need to be cultivated throughout life:

Rule #49: Stand up for what you believe in.
Rule #50: Be positive and enjoy life.
Rule #51: Live so that you will never have regrets.
Rule #52: Learn from your mistakes and move on.
Rule #53: No matter the circumstances, always be honest.
Rule #54: Carpe Diem
Rule #55: Be the best person you can be

Manners, Discipline, Respect

Over the Winter Break I had the opportunity to read Ron Clark's book and really enjoyed it. I think I have done a good job creating an interesting, relevant curriculum for my students, but I still need to work on on how to be respectful. Kids hear over and over again- Be respectful, but exactly what does that mean. Many of Ron Clark's rules are geared towards elementary age students, but unfortunately it is sad to say that many of our high school students and even adults still have yet to master these rules. Here's a discussion of the first 10 rules:

Rule #1: Responding to adults- Although I would mention to my students that if they really want to be polite or respectful they should use ma'am or sir. I think by using a teacher's full name that will suffice. What I hate is when my students call me Miss or teacher, especially miss.

Rule #2: Make Eye Contact-When someone is speaking keep eyes on them, also when you are speaking keep eyes on the person you are speaking to. This is an important way to show respect for others when they are speaking and confidence in yourself when you are speaking. It's important to remember that this is a cultural thing making it important to teach ELL students who have different cultural norms for eye contact. Also this is an important part of active listening.

Rule #3: Congratulating a classmate- When someone does something well or shows improvement, students should congratulate their classmates. Claps should be 3 seconds. My students this year are for the most part respectful to one another, but this is a good way to build community, because I think in general, high school students are very self-absorbed.

Rule #4: Respect other students' comments, opinions, and ideas- My students more than anything need to listen to one another, but eventually I would like to get them to the point where they respond respectfully verbally with statements like the ones Clark mentions (i.e. John made an excellent observation..., I disagree but I can see his point... etc.)

Rule #5: If you win, do not brag; if you lose, do not show anger- There is nothing wrong with competition, but I've noticed that they way students act during and after competition that can spoil it, by being rude or arrogant to other students.

Rule #6: If you are asked a question in conversation, ask a question in return- I wish I had been taught this one. This is a great way to show interest in others and cultivate friendships.

Rule #7: Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough and say excuse me: This is one that could be a refresher.

Rule #8: Do not show disrespect with gestures- Many high school students break this rule by rolling their eyes and through their body language. A good one that needs to be taught.

Rule #9/10/11: Always say thank you when given something; when you receive something, do not insult the gift or giver. Surprise others by performing random acts of kindness. Showing appreciation and kindness is another quality lacking in high school students. I think it is part of what makes dealing with high school students so difficult. This is an important area to work on with students.