By Peter Johnson, Middle School Social Studies and Language Arts Teacher

Students are often curious about what the rules are for activities and what the expectations are in different classroom environments. Ideally, students support the rules and independently follow them. But, how do we get there?  According to our social-emotional curriculum, Responsive Classroom, creating rules (called “guidelines”) with student involvement dramatically increases adherence to the classroom expectations. The process we follow can vary somewhat from classroom to classroom depending on grade level, but the process is always guided by student input. 

In middle school, students began the guidelines process by journaling about their ideal learning environment in order for them to meet their full potential. Next, students discussed and debated their ideas in small groups. Students were then asked to answer the question: What do we want the middle school to look like, sound like, and feel like? Small groups of students were given poster paper to write down ideas for classroom expectations related to this question that they agree are most important. Groups of students presented back to the class and explained how the expectations they want for middle school would benefit students. The guidelines were then consolidated to remove duplicates and combine similar ideas. For the next step, students ranked the remaining guidelines according to how important they are for us to focus on this year. The top 12 guidelines made the cut, and you can read the list below. They are listed in the order that students prioritized them. As a final step, students all signed guidelines posters to indicate that they agree to do their best to follow the guidelines.

As PNA Middle School students, we should…

be COVID safe

listen to teachers and follow directions

be respectful

be nice/kind and friendly

try your best

be honest

be appropriate

stay clean and organized

take care of the classrooms

be responsible

be good role models

be positive

These guidelines will be used by all teachers that middle school students have, including specialists. The guidelines will be referenced by teachers throughout the year, and students will periodically have check-ins and discussions to see how they are doing individually and as a class. As a parent, you are welcome to ask your child how well they are doing at these.