Code of Conduct
Beats Rules

Teachers at one school decided that they didnt want rules. They decided that rules imply punishment, which creates negativity. They wanted, instead, to create an atmosphere where rules did not beget more rules. They decided to focus on the development of good citizenship skills and creation of an atmosphere where children could learn from mistakes, make good choices, and internalize concepts necessary for success in life. Many meetings later, the staff had developed a school Code of Conduct, which was summarized in four beliefs:

Now, when kids misbehave teachers ask them to explain how their behavior has violated the Code of Conduct. (They find the four concepts are broad enough to cover most incidents.) The teachers report there is less yelling and more of a focus on kids being caught being good. The staff recognizes successes. The students are helping each other. They know they can't run up the steps because it violates the Safety First code. Lack of performance in the classroom, forgetting homework, and laziness all detract from achieving our standards related to the Working for Quality code.

By stressing the four simple concepts in a variety of ways and modeling them as adults, the staff has found -- over time -- that most children have begun to reflect what they see and hear.

While the Code of Conduct was a school-wide effort, there is no reason to believe that it could not work well in individual classrooms. Maybe next year, you will consider replacing that long list of classroom rules with a new, simple Code of Conduct.

Source: Adapted from How I Handled Changing Attitudes About Student Discipline.

09/14/2010