Back-to-school documents and "RULES"

A friend just reminded me that I have a blog!  It's been another working summer followed by complete relaxation, sneaking in thinking about some classroom management ideas and first-week activities while I sat bathing in the afternoon sun on the cabin deck.  Upon returning home, I got out my many versions of classroom procedures and policies (also known as RULES).  It's like reading a classroom diary, not about what happened in my classroom, but about how I perceived my classroom.  There seems to be a trend - The more of these I wrote, the more succinct they became.  I notice there are things I thought were important at the time, but the words and the "rules" carry no real significance in managing the classroom.  Moreover, I found that I sometimes stopped being consistent with reinforcing the rules.  Sad.

My New and Improved rules are all highly observable.  They are short commands  I can consistently hold the students accountable by them.  The rules cannot be too taxing on ME, otherwise I'd stop reinforcing them.  They have real consequences (like grades or rewards).  They can all be justified by being conducive to student learning.  Sounds like the guidelines you were given at teacher school?  I started looking at some archive resources from other amazing bloggers and came upon some syllabus ideas I promised myself to return to one day.  Many teachers combine their syllabus and rules.  Some examples I looked at are Senora Hitz's Syllabus post, Martina Bex's Syllabus, and all the exciting syllabi at Creative Language Class.  I like how friendly they look, but don't know if I will have it in me to churn out more documents.  

On my list so far:  

• Parent letter (email it when school starts)
• Syllabus (ready for open house)
• Classroom policies (first week)
• Classroom policies PowerPoint with more pics than words (first week)
• Classroom policies homework (first week)
• First week of lesson plans (now)

On first day of classes, I sometimes don't go straight to the rules.  In fact, the first day is often a "getting to know you" sort of day in my class.  It's also a good chance to impress upon the new students - It's fun to use only the target language!  For my friends who are entering their first "real" classrooms-- It is so important to get that first day down pat.  I remember my first day in a real classroom.  I rehearsed it for hours.  I was theatrical and playful.  I performed.  Out comes the TPR and exaggerated "Je ne sais pas" when the students were speaking English to me.  It was fun.  It brought us closer.  The rules may come later if you think your students and your management style can handle it.

For classes that I teach 'rules', I have had activities to check their understanding of the 'rules'.  Sometimes I give a homework assignment or quiz on it.  Sometimes I ask parents and students to sign off on a portion of the document (I don't do this anymore).  I have also drawn up rules that students suggest in my second year of teaching (something else I no longer do).

There are certain classes for which I don't explicitly teach the rules.  They are usually my youngest students, heritage students and students whom I have taught before.  My youngest students tend to learn the 'rules' as we encounter them.  My heritage students and I have some mutual understanding (and I know all of their parents very well!).  And students whom I have taught for many years know better.  Instead, I teach them what I call "procedures"- to smooth out the kinks in the working of our classroom.