I read the book The Essential 55 by Ron Clark and was inspired to create " Essential rules" for my own classroom. These are the rules that I will be implementing to discover the successful student in every child in my care! We'll be learning them all throughout the year. Some are things that relate to school and others are just teaching good practices for life! Please encourage your children to follow the rules at home as well as at school.
- Rule 1: Yes Ma’am, No Sir. When Responding to any adult, you must answer by saying “Yes ma’am” or “No, sir.” or you may say "Yes, Mrs. Jansen or No, Mrs. Jansen" or the name of other adult. Just nodding your head or saying any other form of yes or no is not acceptable. This includes campus supervisors and office staff.
- Rule 2: Make Eye Contact: When someone is speaking, keep your eyes on him or her at all times. If someone makes a comment, turn and face that person.
- Rule 3: Good Sportsmanship: If someone in the class wins a game or does something well, we will congratulate that person. Claps should be of at least 3 seconds in length with the full part of both hands meeting in a manner that will give the appropriate clap volume.
- Rule 4: Discussion Rules: During discussion, respect other students’ comments, opinions, and ideas. When possible, make statements like, “I agree with Mark, and I also feel that…” Or “I disagree with Natasha. She made a good point, but I feel that…” or “I think Jimmy made an excellent observation, and it made me realize…”
- Rule 5: Do Not Brag: If you win or do well at something, do not brag. If you lose, do not show anger. Instead, say something like, “I really enjoyed the competition, and I look forward to playing you again,” or “Good game,” or don’t say anything at all. To show anger or sarcasm, such as “I wasn’t playing hard anyway. You really aren’t that good,” shows weakness.
- Rule 6: Conversation: When asked a question in conversation, you should ask a question in return. If someone asks, “Did you have a nice weekend?” you should answer the question and then ask a question in return. Rule 6: an example Mrs. Lewis: “Hi Angie, did you have a nice weekend?” Angie: Yes, I had a great time. My family and I went shopping. What about you? Did you have a nice weekend? It is only polite to show others that you are just as interested in them as they are in you.
- Rule 7: Coughing, Sneezing Burping: When you cough, sneeze or burp, it is appropriate to turn your head away from others and cover your mouths with the full part of your hand (or arm). Using a fist is not acceptable. Afterwards, you should say, “Excuse me.”
- Rule 8: Rude gestures: Do not smack your lips, tsk, roll your eyes, or show disrespect with gestures. There is also no foul language allowed, that will put you in the principal's office.
- Rule 9: Say Thank You: Always say thank you when I give you something. If you do not say it within three seconds after receiving the item, I will take it back.
- Rule 10: Receiving a gift: When you are given something from someone, never insult that person by making negative comments about the gift or by insinuating that it wasn’t appreciated.
- Rule 11: Reading Aloud When we read together in class, you MUST follow along. If I call on you to read, you must know exactly where we are and begin reading immediately.
- Rule 12: Answer all questions in complete sentences. Answer all questions in complete sentences. For example; if the question asks, “What is the capital of Washington?” you should write “The capital of Washington is Olympia.” Rule 12: continued Also, in conversation with others, it is important to use complete sentences out of respect for the person’s question. For example, if a person asks “How are you?” instead of just responding by saying “Fine.” you should say, “I’m doing fine, thank you. How about yourself?”
- Rule 13: Rewards At times throughout the year, I will give rewards for good behavior, academic performances, and other acts worthy of praise. If you EVER ask me for a reward however, it will not be given. It is rude to ask if you are getting something for good behavior. You should be good and try your best because you are trying to better yourself, not because you are anticipating a reward.
- Rule 14: Homework: Homework will be turned in each day. You must give each assignment an honest try. Remember I know what you are capable of doing on your own. If you forget your homework or fail to do it then you will sit out at recess to complete it.
- Rule 15: Transitions: When we are in transition from one subject to another, the change will be swift, quiet, and orderly. We should be consistently able to turn from one book to another, complete with all homework and necessary materials, as quickly as possible. The opportune amount of time to spend on transition should be less than 10 seconds, we will work towards a goal of 7 seconds.
- Rule 16: Organization: You will make every effort to be as organized as possible. This includes: the neatness of your desk and the area around it as well as the order of your notebook/binder.
- Rule 17: Complaining: When I assign work, there will be no moaning or complaining. This will result in a doubled assignment. If it is not possible to assign a doubled assignment, other work will be assigned.
- Rule 18: The Sub Clause: While you are with a substitute teacher, you will obey the same rules that you follow when I’m with you. (I know this is hard, but it is important to show the substitute teacher that we have our act together.)
- Rule 19: Protocols: We will follow certain classroom protocols. We will be organized, efficient, and on task. In order to do so, we will follow these rules: Do not get out of your seat without permission. (exception - if you are sick, leave immediately. Do not speak unless: You raise your hand, and I call on you. I ask you a question and you are responding. It is recess or lunch. I instruct you otherwise (for ex. During group work. ) Sharpen your pencil before school. You may not use the pencil sharpener between 9am - 2:50pm. Take care of your business before school. Always have a silent reading book available. This might be on or in your desk. If you are near the end of your book, get an extra!
- Rule 20: Water: You may bring a bottle of water and leave it on your desk. Do not ask me if you can get water while I am teaching a lesson.: continued Additionally - When we are in line do NOT stop at any water fountains. GUM - it is against school rules to chew gum. Chewing gum will result in an immediate detention. Water is the only beverage allowed in the classroom, except for at class celebrations.
- Rule 21: Learn Names: Quickly learn the names of other teachers in the school and greet them by saying things like “Good morning, Mrs. Sadowsky.” or “Good afternoon, Mr. Ford." (Note. If you are in line with the rest of the class, you are not allowed to speak to the teachers at that time because the no-talking rule is in effect. You should speak to other teachers if you are entering or leaving school, on recess, on an errand.
- Rule 22: The Bathroom Wash your hands after using the rest room. When in a public restroom, get a paper towel before washing your hands. After washing your hands, use the paper towel to turn off the faucets and press the dispenser o get another paper towel to dry your hands.
- Rule 23: Do Not Save Seats: Do not save seats in the lunchroom. If someone wants to sit down, let him or her. Do not try to exclude anyone. We are a family, and we must treat each other with respect and kindness.
- Rule 24: Look Away: If I, or any other teacher in the school is speaking to or disciplining a student, do not look at that student. You wouldn’t want others looking at you if you were in trouble or being reprimanded, so don’t look at others in that situation. If you are the student I am talking to, do not get angry or fuss at students who are looking at you. Let me know and I will handle the situation.
- Rule 25: Go to my website and get help with the math homework if you are having trouble. Print homework from the link if you forget your book.
- Rule 26: Clean up after yourself, After we eat, we will clean up after ourselves. This includes cleaning off the tables and making sure we haven’t left any trash on the floor or around the eating area. It is important to be responsible for your trash no matter where you are and to be sure not to litter.
- Rule 27: The Bus: When we ride on a bus, we will always sit facing forward. We will use an appropriate volume. We will never turn around to talk to other students, stick anything out the windows, or get out of our seats. When we exit the bus, we will always thank the bus driver and tell him to have a good day.
- Rule 28: Field trips: When we go on field trips, we will meet different people. When I introduce you to the people, make sure that you remember their names. Then, when we are leaving, make sure to thank them, mentioning their names as you do so.
- Rule 29: Food: Whenever food is offered, whether it be on a buffet or treats in class, never take more than your fair share. You never want to be greedy and try to get more than you should, not only because it is wasteful, but also because it is disrespectful to others when you do not leave enough for them.
- Rule 30: Pick it Up: Whether we are in school or on a field trip, if someone drops something, pick it up an hand it back to them. Even if they are closer to the object, it is only polite to make the gesture of bending down to retrieve the item.
- Rule 31: Doors :If you approach a door and someone is following you, hold the door. If the door opens by pulling, pull it open, stand to the side, and allow the other person to pass through first, then you can walk through. If the door opens by pushing, hold the door after you pass through.
- Rule 32: Excuse Me: If someone bumps into you, even if it was not your fault, say “Excuse me.”
- Rule 33: Silent Entry: When we are on a field trip, there will be no talking as we enter a building. We will enter the building so quietly that no one will even notice we are there. This rule applies to entering any place where people are gathered, whether it be the movies, a church, a theater, or any other venue. It also applies to returning to school.
- Rule 34: Complements: When we are on a field trip, it is a good idea to compliment something about the place where we visit. For example, if we visit someone’s home, it would be a nice gesture to tell them that you think they have nice curtains. People always feel self-conscious when they have guests visit their home, so you want to make them feel at ease. Also, if we are visiting other places, such as a museum or theater, it would be nice to comment on how beautiful the architecture is or to tell the guide that you think the facility is very nice.
- Rule 35: Assemblies: During an assembly, do not speak and do not look around and try to get the attention of your friends in another class. We must uphold an image that shows we have our act together.
- Rule 36: After a Trip: When we return from a trip, you will the hand of every other chaperone. You will thank us for taking the time to take you on the trip, and you will let us know that you appreciate having the opportunity to go. I am not concerned with being thanked; I am concerned with teaching you that it is appropriate to show appreciation when someone has gone out of his way to help you.
- Rule 37: In Line: When in line, walk single file or in two lines (whichever your teacher instructs), two or three feet behind the person in front of you with your arms at your sides. You should be facing forward at all times. There will be absolutely no talking.
- Rule 38: Cutting: Never cut in line. If someone cuts in front of you, do not say or do anything about it. Let it happen, but let me know about it. I will handle the situation. If you fuss with someone who has cut in line, you will get in trouble as well. It’s not worth it; just let me know what happened.
- Rule 39: Be Positive Be positive and enjoy life. Some things just aren’t worth getting upset over. Keep everything in perspective and focus on the good in your life.
- Rule 40: No Regrets Live so that you will never have regrets. If there something you want to do, do it! Never let fear, doubt, or other obstacles stand in your way. If there is something you want, fight for it with all your heart. If there is something you want to do, go for it and don’t stop until you make it happen. If there is something you want to be, do whatever is necessary in order to to live out that dream.
- Rule 41: Accept Mistakes Accept that you are going to make mistakes. Learn from them and move on.
- Rule 42: Be Honest No Matter what the circumstances, always be honest. Even if you have done something wrong, it is best to admit it to me, because I will respect that, and oftentimes I will forget any disciplinary measures because of your honesty.
- Rule 43: Carpe Diem You only live today once, so don’t waste it. Life is made up of special moments, many of which happen when caution is thrown to the wind and people take actions and seize the day. Carpe diem - Latin for Seize the Day
- Rule 44: Be the Best Be the best person you can be. By being the best you can be, we will be the best class we can be.
- Adapted from Ron Clark's Essential 55