Teaching Classroom Procedures and Expectations

There’s so much “advice” out there for teachers who are having classroom management problems. You can read books, blogs, get information from the teachers down the hall, and some parents may even tell you how to do your job. But today I want to talk to you about how to prevent problems in the first place. That’s why we’re going to dive into teaching classroom procedures and expectations.

This post contains affiliate links.
When you purchase, I receive a small commission at NO EXTRA cost to you.
You can read my entire disclosure statement here. 

Many educators adore how veteran teacher and author Rafe Esquith (who wrote Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire) sums it all up with his two famously concise rules:

WORK HARD

BE NICE

While most teachers know these two simple rules can easily cover a multitude of classroom rules, procedures and expectations, we also know that most students need more details than that. Yes, taking the time to explicitly teach, review, and assess our classroom procedures is the difference between sanity, or victory and defeat, in our classrooms! Let’s break it down into a few easy steps…

{Also, for those of you who may be struggling with classroom management issues and you’ve already been in school for a few months, don’t lose hope! It is NOT too late to go back and teach these expectations!}

Classroom Setup

Does your classroom provide ease of movement and flow? Does it prevent distractions, encounters, and the general silliness that can happen in elementary school?

For example, think about where you want the pencil sharpener to go. It should not be in a trouble zone. Where do you want papers turned in? Where are the various centers or stations in your room? Think about the potential “hot spots” that could cause a distraction.

Also give some thought to your seating plan and how it relates to these “problem areas”. All of these factors need to be considered when putting together your lesson plans.

Week 1: The First Days of School

During those first days of school, you need to literally write down exactly what expectations and procedures you are going to teach. Yes, you MUST teach them explicitly. Teach, model, role play, and show students exactly what you expect. Make sure there is no doubt in how you want students to carry out the various tasks and your expectations.

If you think this needs to be dull and boring, you’re wrong! Teaching classroom procedures and expectations can be lively and fun. Have kids do skits on the right and wrong way to act. Taking the time to really teach and reinforce your expectations and procedures early on can make the rest of the school year go much more smoothly for you. {But if you’re already part-way through the school year, don’t worry! You can still turn things around, but you’re going to have to be extra consistent and take a small break from academics to get your classroom back under control.}

Your First Classroom Assessment

Make the first test of the year on your procedures and expectations. You can do this informally by a show of hands, or make it an actual paper-and-pencil exam. Either way, giving students a test over your expectations solidifies the importance to them. If you opt for the paper-and-pencil (or online) version, you then have a helpful piece of documentation showing that the student understood the rules if you should run into any problems later in the school year. {Handing this paper back to the student to remind them they knew the rule – or showing it to parents – helps everyone know just how long these expectations have been in place!}

Have Patience

All of these lessons and procedures may take several days or weeks to really be second nature, and that’s ok! Take the time early on in the year to really teach through everything. Shortcuts will only cause you headaches down the road.

What if they forget?

Let’s face it – everyone forgets! Students are no different. Where appropriate, set up labels in the classroom to remind students of the rules or expectations. (Bathroom checkout, hand signals, etc.) You can design these yourself or let the students help create them during those first days of school. It can be adorable and helpful classroom art! 🙂

Plan on Doing Refreshers

This goes with the last point… Refresh as needed. There are going to be times during the school year where kids can get sloppy with your classroom procedures and expectations – such as after a long week or holiday break. Bring back those funny skits, point out the posters, or go through the PowerPoint you created. Take the time to remind students that you know the rules are not being followed, and correct it now. Letting things get out of hand can just escalate until your classroom is a disaster that you don’t even recognize.

If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed, don’t worry! I’ve compiled a free download to help you when teaching classroom procedures and expectations. This list will provide you with a list of topics to think about before the school year begins. You can then explicitly teach your expectations for each one in the first days and weeks of school. Click here to grab your free download now!