Safe Classroom Environment

Teaching Respect

    Respect is a difficult word to define because it means something different to each person. If you want your students to be respectful, you must model respect. It might not be easy to get high school or middle school students to be respectful in your class. But they will not be respectful if you are not respectful. You can not be a hypocrite.

    Try to say only positive things about people. Stop students from gossiping about other students. Creating a safe classroom environment is difficult when slander is present.

    Try to make all your students feel like they are an integral part of the class. Every student is different, there is no need for you to point this out. If a student wants to share how they are different, that is ok. But you pointing it out is not ok.

    Try to be consistent with your rules. An example would be: if Johnny can't wear his bandana, Sally can't either.

    Try to say please and thank you when making requests. Students might be shocked by this and might think it is a sign of weakness. But you are modeling correct behavior for your classroom.

    Try to get the parents involved in the positive things their child is doing. When parents are invited to come to school, they may speak about and remember all the positives of your class. The more you integrate the parents on positive aspects of your class, the more likely they will support you when things go bad with discipline issues.

    Try to go to every meeting regarding your student, especially IEPs. Responding to parent's phone calls and emails promptly is important but time consuming. Using a website where students and parents can access password protected grades or homework assignments can help time management.

Example Classroom Rules

    You should have easy to remember classroom rules. Try to keep each rule at to no more than five words. There should be no more than five rules. Create a large sign with your rules and put it where every student can see it. The idea is that the rules are both easy to understand and easy to remember. They should not repeat the school rules, since all students should be following these. Example, “be on time” is not a good rule since this is true for all classes and once the students are in class; this rule no longer applies to the students.  Good classroom rules may include:

1. “No food, drinks, gum, or edible items”.   This rule works well since not all teachers have consistent rules for edible items. 
2. “No sexual, drug, violent or inappropriate topics”
3. “No swearing, vulgar, or offensive language”
4. “Show respect: teacher, others, room, and yourself”
5. “Raise your hand to speak”
6. “Stay on task and in your seat”

Student Confrontations

   Before doing anything else, ask for advice from the vice principal when working with potentially aggressive students. The placement of students who do not get along is critical to a safe classroom environment. When creating a seating chart, place students who are aggressive toward each other on the polar opposite sides of the room. Remember to place friends of the two students in areas far enough away so they will not be tempted to provoke a confrontation. If the students cannot behave themselves in your class, you must get help from the office. You need to create a safe classroom environment for all students.

Classroom Set-up & Organization

    Maintaining a clean and organized room communicates to your students that you are a professional. Student might think your disorganization is the reason for their lost papers. The degree of cleanliness and organization is up to you. But it is important that all school supplies be put away so they don't become a danger to you or your students. This is especially true for science lab equipment.

* Disclaimer: Before implementing any ideas from this website, please first consult your principal and make sure they are in compliance with state laws, district and school procedures.