Classroom Management – Rules that Work for Teachers and Subs

Teachers can do themselves the best favor by establishing clear classroom rules that are posted prominently in the classroom. Once I retired, I had the time to analyze past problems. I was also doing some subbing. This led me to realize that a few students had developed specific, aggressive tactics for gaining control of the class. I have found that the following rules and consequences serve as the basis for creating a classroom climate of fairness and respect. These rules work for substitutes even if they differ from the teacher’s rules. This is because they are the responsible adult for the day (see rule 9).

The Rules

Talking, making noise or other sounds while someone is speaking or it is time for the room to be quiet is not allowed
*Sarcastic remarks, putdowns, noises, faces, or rolling eyes is not allowed. The teacher/sub is the judge of what is sarcastic, or what constitutes a putdown.
No touching of anyone, anyone’s property, or anything else in the room that does not belong to you.
Do not throw anything.
*Do not become a lawyer for another student when I am disciplining him or her. The teacher/sub will deal with any misbehavior.
*Ask questions that are specific to the classroom topic or daily lessons.
No food/drink/gum in the room except for plastic bottled water.
No cell phones or other electric devices unless specified by the teacher.
*When a guest or sub is in the room, he or she may do things in a different way. The person in charge is responsible for your safety, the maintenance of the room and the equipment so he or she will make decisions as needed.

Consequences:

Students will not be warned because these rules are school rules and deal with fair
play (equal treatment) and respect. (A side note about this specification which is a
personal preference. I don’t give warnings because I have seen parents in malls start
counting to get their child to stop misbehaving which allows the bad behavior to
continue during the countdown.)

Students may try saying sincerely, “I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.” This may or
not work.
Students will be sent to in-school suspension or to another teacher’s
classroom and it is possible a referral will be written. Note: If the school doesn’t have
in-school suspension, then find a near-by teacher who is willing to take in a
misbehaving student. A lot of teachers will help you if you don’t make it a habit.

*At the end of letting students know the rules and the consequences ask:
Are there any rules you didn’t understand?
Is there any rule you wish to modify or change in a way to make it better or clearer?

None of my students has ever responded to either question when I sub. This means if they break a rule, they have no recourse because they had a chance to alter the rules. You may want to print out the rules with a statement that they have been offered a chance to modify the rules and obtain their signature.

All of the starred items are extremely important because they represent blocks to the tricks students have used to get around the controls that teachers attempt to establish. If these rules are in place and have been enforced, then students will not be able to pull any of the troublesome behavior I used to read about on my substitute reports. Students can’t complain about that mean, unfair substitute.

Many teacher training courses promote spending time having students generate the rules and the consequences. This is to get the students to buy into following the rules because they have been part of the process. My experience is that this creates the idea that the classroom is a democracy and students feel empowered to jump in when you are disciplining someone. Students should not feel that powerful. You are the authority in your classroom and that’s it. Besides you need the time to be an effective teacher with a manageable class.