Rules for the Art Room
1. Listen quietly to directions (and follow them).
2. Keep hands and body to yourself.
3. Show Respect (to others and property).
4. Give best effort.
5. Clean up carefully.
2. Keep hands and body to yourself.
3. Show Respect (to others and property).
4. Give best effort.
5. Clean up carefully.
Each school I work in has a slightly different set of school-wide expectations. For example, Oxbow had established the High Five Habits which are: Give Best Effort, Think First, Show Respect, Think Win-Win (cooperate with others so both succeed) and Follow the Rules. Though my schools have slightly different procedures, I established rules that provided structure and a safe environment allowing all students to succeed. Most importantly, for rules to be successful they need to be modeled, taught, and reinforced. Essentially, if you want a behavior you have to teach a behavior. For example, as I was standing out front greeting students each morning, I noticed many students did not respond to my "Good morning, Johnny" and "How are you today, Jill?" Too often they just nodded, smiled or barely looked up. So that week I read "The Happy Lion" to my classes - a story about a lion in France who escapes from the zoo and doesn't understand why no one is kind or greeting him anymore. It was a perfect lesson to use as a springboard for a discussion about being polite and how to initiate and respond to greetings. Soon I heard, "Bonjour Mrs. Krupa!" or "Hi, I can't wait till art today!" Throughout the year I did my best to teach my students what my expectations were (for example, what working quietly looks like and sounds like) so they could achieve success in art class. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how to create Rules and Procedures in your classroom.