All teachers are striving for effective classroom management. One strategy some schools have turned to is adopting school-wide rules.
For the past three years, my school has adopted school wide rules, which means the rules in every single classroom are the same. We also have school rules which apply to all of the common areas: hallways, courtyards, cafeteria, parking lot, etc. There are many benefits with adopting school-wide rules. Most importantly, there is a sense of consistency in what is expected from students. They realize they must be on time for each class. When the bell rings, they know that they
must be seated quietly in their assigned seats. Having uniform rules ends confusion and prevents argument.
Enforcement of the rules by some teachers and even some administrators leaves a lot to be desired. A problem with enforcing school rules is that consistency becomes problematic
Some teachers expect more of their students than other teachers. Some teachers struggle with rule enforcement and need to raise their expectations. It is fairly difficult for students to transition behaviorally from a class in which they are allowed to act like anything other than civil individuals to a class where they are supposed to behave like young adults.
School-wide rules can be extremely effective, if all the teachers and administrators are committed to improving student behavior at their school. However, there needs to be some flexibility that hinders teachers from inserting their own rules. For example, some teachers want bottled drinks to be concealed in students’ book
bags. These drink bottles are a tripping hazard. In addition students feel they must take a sip of their drink every time the teacher turns his or her back.
If school faculty work cooperatively to implement school rules and are consistent in enforcing the rules, schools will see a drastic change in student behavior.