Kids Say Thursday

Sometimes going over classroom rules and procedures can be overwhelming for the students. Let's be honest, it can be overwhelming for teachers too! We need to make sure that we clearly communicate rules and procedures. If not, the students will be confused, and we will be frustrated. I've learned that the best way is to introduce a procedure and then practice, practice, practice it. Another thing I do is make a rule book. I print off each classroom rule and let the students illustrate them. We call it "2nd Grade Rules" for a little play on words. Then I assemble it and put it in our classroom library. The students love to see their work, and they're reviewing the rules at the same time.

Here is a humorous conversation from my classroom that shows what can happen when rules are misunderstood.

 

2^nd Grader: “I am going to stare at you really hard. I won’t even blink.”

         Me: “You’re allowed to blink in second grade.”
       
        2^nd Grader: “Whew…okay!”