Enforce Rules --
Consistently

Never make a rule that you are not willing to enforce every time, says classroom management expert Fred Jones.

Consistency begins with thinking long and hard about which classroom rules you are willing to enforce every time. You might find that some, while they sound good, will not be worth your time when you are forced to choose.

I have rarely met a green teacher who understood consistency, added Jones. To the green teacher, consistency is just a word. People who enter teaching after they have raised their kids are miles ahead when it comes to consistency. They know that consistency is serious business. Their kids taught them how serious it is. They know that the sweetest child in the world can be awful under the right circumstances.

Green teachers tend to take the notion that there are no degrees of consistency as being a bit rigid and authoritarian. They are more concerned with creating an exciting and friendly atmosphere that causes children to quicken their step as they approach the classroom door.

Green teachers are absolutely right to have that focus. But, unless they can balance nurturance with firmness and consistency, they will inadvertently produce brat behavior. And then, without wanting to, they will have to struggle to maintain order. Without wanting to, their voice will become harsh as they nag and criticize.

Read More
Fred Jones: Positive Discipline -- Meaning Business

Source: Ken Shore: The Classroom Problem Solver

09/14/2010