Student Generated School Rules

“School” belongs to the students! Therefore, shouldn’t they have a lot to say about how and what they learn? If they are going to learn effectively shouldn’t they have the opportunity to establish the expectations of the environment where they feel they can be successful?

This year, we gave that opportunity to our Lower School students. A committee of two students from each 2^nd through 4^th grade class came together for three sessions in order to determine our School Wide Rules for the Lower School. These rules, or expectations, will guide our students’ interactions throughout the school, especially in our common areas like the cafeteria, playground, and the specialist area classrooms.

Mrs. Hall, the Lower School Director and I guided the students as they collaborated during each session and took full ownership of the process. At the first session students brought their classroom rules. These classroom rules were generated at the start of the year, through the hopes and dreams process of the Responsive Classroom approach. One by one, the committee, in small groups, discussed each rule. They then looked at themes to determine the different categories represented for example, responsibility, respect for people, and for materials. In the second session they took each and every classroom rule, cut them into separate strips and posted them to the correct category. (Wow, little qualitative researches!) Finally, during the last session they looked for overlap and commonalities; little by little, they funneled out repetitive information and re-worded each statement until they agreed on a set of rules they felt the whole Lower School community could commit too. Here is the final product, which the committee presented to the Lower School students at Inspiration (a community building and sharing time in the Lower School)

                       FLINT HILL LOWER SCHOOL RULES

·           Be responsible for yourself;

·           Be respectful of others;

·           Be responsible for and respectful of your own property and the property of others. 

One fourth grade student summed it up nicely, “These aren’t strict rules; these are ‘our’ rules and they will keep us and others safe.”

As educators we must look for the many opportunities for students to take charge of their learning. The rich conversations that occurred as students analyzed each rule, what they would look like if implemented, and the importance rules have in guiding the community to care for themselves, others and the community, was transformational and hard to describe in this short blog post. Give students the opportunity to lead and they will!

  
(I don't know why it is in different colors; but I will work on that later, I am still learning :)