Running head: CLASSROOM RULES AND PROCEDURES 1

Classroom Rules and Procedures

Lauren Reese

Professor Trombley

Arizona State University

SED 464
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Rules and Consequences

The rules for my classroom will be explained to my students on the very first days of the

semester. The first rule is to be polite and respectful to yourself and to others. This means that

students should respect their peers and myself, as well as respecting the classroom and the

materials inside of it. Being polite to others insinuates that students shouldn’t talk during a lesson

or be disruptive in any way that can take away from another student’s learning. I also believe that

being polite and respectful to yourself is an important addition to this rule: self-deprecation has

no place in my classroom, and I will encourage my students to not talk down to themselves if

they don’t understand a concept or how a problem is solved. My second rule is to be on-time,

prepared, and ready to learn. This rule states that students shouldn’t be late to class, and that they

should also transition between in-class activities quickly. Being prepared when entering the

classroom is absolutely essential to getting the most from a lesson, so I expect my students to

bring all of their materials to class every day. The third rule is to listen and stay seated when

anyone is talking. This rule is important because it specifies that students shouldn’t get up and

move about the room during a lesson or presentation, and it also states that they shouldn’t talk

while someone else is speaking or presenting. The final rule in my classroom is that all school

rules apply inside the walls of my classroom. This is an important addition because students

should know that my classroom isn’t a bubble where school rules don’t apply, and also that I will

check behavior according to the school’s policies. All of these rules will not only be explained to

my students, but I will also post them in my room and on my classroom website. I will also give

a hard copy of these rules to my students for them to keep in the very front of their math

notebooks, so they see these every day and have constant exposure to my expectations of them.
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The consequences for not following these rules will be expressed to them, and will also

be printed on the hard copy of the rules that I provide. My consequences will follow this series of

steps: 1) remind and steer away, 2) conversation with the student, 3) conversation with the

parents/ detention, 4) referral to the office to decide how to progress. The first step is a reminder-

if a student isn’t following the rules, I’ll let them know that their behavior doesn’t work with the

rules and steer them gently towards better actions. If the behavior continues, I’ll have the student

talk to me after class- at this point, I’ll ask them if they’re doing okay and why they keep

showing this type of behavior. I’ll let them know that the next step is contacting their parents,

and I will also let them know how their behavior is impacting their peers. I’ll keep monitoring

the student, and if it still persists, I’ll move to step three. At this point, I would contact the

student’s parents and let them know what’s going on in the classroom. I’ll also have the student

serve a lunch detention with me and we’ll have another conversation about their behaviors. If all

of this doesn’t stop, the final step is a referral to the office. From there, I’ll work with the

administration to see what the next steps for this student are. Ultimately, I’ll try to keep students

from ever reaching that point by reinforcing positive conduct inside my classroom.

Classroom Procedures

It’s important for an educator and for students alike to have a daily procedure for the

classroom. In my class, every day will start with me greeting my students at the door- this is an

opportunity for me to connect with my students as they enter my classroom, and also a way for

me to know who’s here and who’s not. Upon entering the room, students are to go to their seats

and take out all materials they might need for the day- typically, this will include their math
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notebook, loose leaf paper for taking notes on, highlighters, and a pencil with an eraser.

Bellwork will be posted on the board when students walk in, and they should begin working on

it. After the bell has rung, they will have seven minutes to complete the bellwork (which is

usually one or two problems from the previous lesson). During these seven minutes I will take

roll- any student who isn’t in the class at this time will be counted absent. After this amount of

time, students will be called on randomly to work out the problems on the board.

The expectation for out-of-classroom behavior will be communicated to my students, as

well. If a student has to use the bathroom during class, they have to sign out, leaving their name

and leaving time, and take a hall pass. They should return quickly, with no side trips or stopping

to have a conversation. Upon reentering the classroom, they have to return the hall pass and sign

back in, including the time they returned. Two hall passes will be available- this means, at most,

there should only be two students outside of my class at once. If I notice that students are not

coming back to class in a timely fashion, or that they’re taking multiple bathroom breaks during

class time, I would have a conversation with that student. If the behavior persists, the

consequences detailed above will begin to be put in place.

My procedures for material use begin with the materials that the students are expected to

bring every day. They should have pens, pencils, and highlighters with them, as well as loose

leaf paper for note-taking and their math notebook. This notebook should be very organized,

including tabs that separate it into multiple sections for tests and quizzes, notes, and bellwork. At

the beginning of the semester, I will show my students how I want them to organize their

notebooks, and I will do regular binder checks throughout the semester to make sure that they’re

continuing with this organizational system. The next stop for this procedure is materials offered
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in the classroom. In my classroom there will be spare pens, pencils, and highlighters offered in

case a student forgets to bring theirs. If a student wishes to borrow one, they have to give me

their ID and sign out the materials they’re taking. At the end of the class, they can return the

pencils and get their ID back. There may also be textbooks offered- it is extremely important that

the students respect these books and don’t damage or deface them in any way. This expectation

falls under rule one, and there are consequences if the student does not follow it. The final piece

of my material procedure is the materials in my desk, as well as other students’ personal

materials. I will convey to my students that it is in no way acceptable to take mine or anyone

else’s materials without consent, and state that if they need materials, they can be rented out from

me at the beginning of class.

Group work is an essential piece of math instruction, and it is therefore highly important

that procedures be set up for it. I will communicate to my students that they will be working in

groups at the beginning of class, and then give them two minutes to turn their seats to work with

their table partners. During this transition time, there should be minimal talking. After this, I will

explain the activity and allow them to begin work. While the students are working, they are

allowed to speak as long as the conversation stays on topic. If it does not, I will let the students

know that group work is a privilege, and that if off-topic conversation continues, the activity can

be converted into an individual assignment. During group work, I will walk around and monitor

the groups’ progression and offer help if I believe that a group may be stuck.

In terms of passing back individual work, I only plan on passing back tests to students.

The rest of the work will be placed in the back of the room in a file box, alphabetized and sorted

by class period. Students will be responsible for picking up their graded work there every day at
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the end of the class period, and I will communicate this during the very first day of the semester.

When I have to hand back tests, I’ll do so at the beginning of class in place of bellwork. I will

return them to students and give them five minutes to go over their grades and see what they

missed. If they have any questions, they may ask after class.

When ending the class period, it’s important to have a schema in place so that students

know what behavior is expected of them. Six minutes before the end of each class, I will stop

whatever lesson or activity is currently happening and give the students three pack up. Students

are only allowed to pack up at this time, and it will be conveyed to them that they should not

pack up any earlier. After this time, I will reiterate the homework assignment and tell them what

they should bring with them for the next class. After this, they will get their work from the files

at the back of the class and line up at the door. I will monitor this line and make sure that it

doesn’t clump, and then release them when the bell rings. If a student tries to leave before the

bell rings, I will have them come back inside and wait for all the other students to leave before

they can.

Emergency procedures are some of the most vital, and so I have strict policies for them.

In the event of a fire drill, the students are to line up in front of the door quietly and wait for me

to get the emergency binder before we leave. When exiting the building, they are to walk single

file and not talk. Any student who doesn’t abide by these rules will have to speak to me about

why they didn’t, and I will remind them of the importance of following these procedures.