August 30

There’s a Reason for Rules

The start of the school year means listening to a whole laundry list of rules and dispensing with an even longer list of rules. You need to do XYZ before you copy anything. Take out the next four things for a fire drill. Be sure you check your mailbox twice a day, every day. Rules . . . I get it. We need them, but we don’t always enjoy hearing them or, to be honest, giving them.

Our kids look at us with glazed eyes after they’ve heard the same rule for the cafeteria that they, in all likelihood, have heard since kindergarten. Come in. Wash your hands. Head to your table. Wait for the monitors to call on you to go get your lunch. Eat your food. Wait until you are told to throw away your trash. When you hear your table called for dismissal, head out the back door. All too often, the rules start to sound daunting and overbearing when in reality they are simply common sense: treat the cafeteria like a restaurant where you enjoy eating, and everything will work out fine. One of my coworkers put it to the kids the best: rules are there to make things run smoothly for the other 1,000 people in the building.

And yet, teachers hear all too often that we are being too harsh, that schools are more like prisons these days. Trust me, they aren’t. But the rules sometimes seem oppressive, especially if you are coming off of three months of some carefree living. Remember – the rules are there to make things run smoothly for the other 1,000 people in the building. Honestly, I would say that just about all of the students on our team follow the rules because they have common sense, which might seem a little odd for seventh graders. Sure, we have our days when it is more difficult to walk that straight and narrow path (I’m looking at you, Full Moon!), but everything being equal, students follow the rules. The ones that they seem to have difficulty with are the more nebulous ones like dress code. Even that, I completely get it! Leggings are more comfortable than dress pants, but if you can’t wear them, you can’t wear them. Sorry. It’s truly nothing personal . . . it’s just a simple rule.

This year, I’m trying out 20% Time with my students. Maybe you’ve heard about it? It started when Google gave its employees 20% of their time to work on projects that interested them personally. Thanks to 20% Time, you have Gmail! Do I think my kids will create the next Gmail? Possibly, but I doubt it. Do I think that they will find a problem and try to find a workable solution? Oh, absolutely! After all, there have got to be some rules out there that they think need changing. Wish us luck!

 


Posted August 30, 2016 by mrsgreenwood in category Development

About the Author

The path to teaching is not always a straight one. Prior to finally admitting I wanted to be an English teacher, I worked as a technical writer, graphic designer, pharmacy technician, and instructional assistant. Being a teacher, however, is the most rewarding career yet, save for one . . . being a mother to 26-year-old twin daughters. When I'm not teaching, I'm either reading, knitting, taking photographs, running, or writing, but teaching is never far from my mind. I truly love my job and am privileged to work with many talented colleagues and students alike.

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