The Door Swings Out

In Front of the Class

by Linda Starr, Education World®

The Door Swings Out

Does it sometimes seem as though you have a swinging classroom door -- leading straight to the restroom? How do you determine if those restroom requests are legitimate or just an excuse to leave the room? Stop guessing! Discourage middle and high school students from asking to leave the room unnecessarily by providing an unwieldy hall pass.

The Victory Dance

At the beginning of the year, help students create a classroom victory dance. When you want to reward them, either individually or as a group, allow them a minute or two to perform the dance.

RESPECT

Write the word RESPECT on the chalkboard at the start of each week. Every time the class gets out of hand or is off-task enough to be disruptive, put a big X through one of the letters. The class will have discussed and agreed in advance on the rewards and consequences for "keeping" or "losing RESPECT" during the week. Other words -- such as REWARD, BEHAVE, or the name of the school -- work as well.

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