A major fundamental aspect of classroom management is the rules, consequences, and procedures that occur on a daily basis. The necessisity for rules is absolutely imperative. Teaching appropiate behavior in the classroom helps students mature and develop a sense of what is right and what is wrong. Rules are put in place to help provide structure to the classroom, and when a rule is broken there should be a clear consequence, whether that be disciplinary or a natural consequence that occurs without the teacher interfering. Consequences are very important in the classroom, if a student is found cheating on a test but is not reprimanded for it , then what is to stop that student from cheating again and again? Establishing classroom guidelines help create order in a classroom setting, if the guidelines are well defined students can feel safer, more secure, and have a clear sense of direction. Procedures on the other hand are more like habits or routines. For example, one of my old teachers used to assign us "bell work" at the start of each class we knew that we had a mini assignment to complete upon the beginning of class. This was her classroom procedure, we knew what was expected of us and we completed the task accordingly. Procedures show students that once developed they should know what to do without needing additional direction from the teacher (Levin and Nolan, p. 167-171). I've found that the teachers who were slightly more strict on me ended up helping me the most. I desired to have rules and routines, it made my classroom experiance more enjoyable and my time there more successful. As a teacher, I will make sure that my rules, consequences and procedures are clearly defined, that way my students know what to expect of me, and I them.
