Students Trust the Consistent.
As a teacher it is important to be firm and consistent in everything you do. Without consistency students do not feel comfortable with the teacher. They do not know how to trust the teacher. They do not feel safe!
Do not change rules
Set rules at the beginning of the year. DO NOT change them. DO NOT decide to just have them as decoration either. Set a rule and enforce it. If you tell the students at the beginning of the year that they are not to speak out of turn in class, then make it so. If you have rules that you do not enforce this causes you to loose credibility with your students. It creates empty promises.
Deal equally to all students
If and when you do have to deal consequences to a student make sure the punishment is always equal for everyone. Going to easy or too harsh could also effect how safe students feel in your classroom. This is another reason that rules, consequences, and rewards should all be stated at and agreed upon at the beginning of the year.
Harry and Mary Wong wrote in 2010:
"The Importance of Consistency
Every successful group has a culture of consistency. For example, look at any sports team. They all have a common goal: Win the game. Every player has a role to play, a set of practices that contribute to the team.
The team is what matters. Regardless of how good the players are, winning a game is ultimately the result of how well they function as a team. It is the result of how well the players carry out the practices and procedures as a team.
Sports is not the only entity with teams. Successful businesses, the military, even Broadway shows—they all have a Culture of Consistency. So why not our schools?"
This also means that schools as a whole should set rules to be kept in every class. Like attendance and tardy policies. If a student can expect the same rules from every classroom on most things, they will be less likely to be unruly and will be more likely to feel comfortable in a classroom.
So hold fast to your rules and your beliefs. ALWAYS AND NO MATTER WHAT!
The video below illustrates, in it's first half, a good example and benefit of being consistant.
Do not change rules
Set rules at the beginning of the year. DO NOT change them. DO NOT decide to just have them as decoration either. Set a rule and enforce it. If you tell the students at the beginning of the year that they are not to speak out of turn in class, then make it so. If you have rules that you do not enforce this causes you to loose credibility with your students. It creates empty promises.
Deal equally to all students
If and when you do have to deal consequences to a student make sure the punishment is always equal for everyone. Going to easy or too harsh could also effect how safe students feel in your classroom. This is another reason that rules, consequences, and rewards should all be stated at and agreed upon at the beginning of the year.
Harry and Mary Wong wrote in 2010:
"The Importance of Consistency
Every successful group has a culture of consistency. For example, look at any sports team. They all have a common goal: Win the game. Every player has a role to play, a set of practices that contribute to the team.
The team is what matters. Regardless of how good the players are, winning a game is ultimately the result of how well they function as a team. It is the result of how well the players carry out the practices and procedures as a team.
Sports is not the only entity with teams. Successful businesses, the military, even Broadway shows—they all have a Culture of Consistency. So why not our schools?"
This also means that schools as a whole should set rules to be kept in every class. Like attendance and tardy policies. If a student can expect the same rules from every classroom on most things, they will be less likely to be unruly and will be more likely to feel comfortable in a classroom.
So hold fast to your rules and your beliefs. ALWAYS AND NO MATTER WHAT!
The video below illustrates, in it's first half, a good example and benefit of being consistant.