rules and consequences

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Archive : 2002 : August : 4

rules and consequences
By Carolyn

I think that it's a good idea to go over rules and procedures during the first week of school. When you go over them, I think it's also a good idea, as the above-poster suggests, to model appropriate and inappropriate behavior,
along with some alternatives to the inappropriate behavior. If you can have the kids act out situations, I think this helps them remember the rules better.
There comes a time, though, when the kids begin to forget the rules. I think that in order to be successful, you have to continually review your expectations of the kids.
One year, I wrote a few rules and placed them

on a poster. Instead of posting them and telling the kids that this was what I expected of them, I elicited from them what was most important. After they had basically come up with what I had already written, I posted the rules on the wall and had the kids act them out.

It may not be your system as much as the fact that kids need so much review and reinforcement of rules, just as they do with academic subject material.