Rules

Are they not teaching rules anymore at the Elementary level? I have very simple rules in my classroom:

• No hall pass in first/last 10 minutes of class
• I enforce the dress code
• No email, chat, Facebook during class time
• No iPods or cell phones during school hours
• Stay on approved websites
• No food, candy, soda, or gum allowed in the classroom due to the computers

Pretty simple right? Other than that, they get a bunch of perks if they follow those. One perk is if they keep their grade at 85% or higher they get to listen to music from the internet while they're working. Unfortunately it has been causing more problems than getting kids to turn in their work. 

One issue, for instance, is this generation's feeling that they are "entitled to everything every one else gets". Meaning if you're failing you still get the same privileges that other people get. Uh, NO! Doesn't work that way in my classroom. You earn what you earn.If that means that you need to turn in more work before you get the PRIVILEGE of listening to music, then so be it. You can whine and complain all you want. All I'm going to do is shrug my shoulders, give you a little smile, and say "On your way." I actually had one student, Slim, tell me that he gets whatever every one else gets. When I told him he has to work on it in order to get it, his reply was "No. It's just like little league sports. Everyone gets it whether they're good or not." Is that really what they're teaching them now? When Slim told me that, it didn't surprise me one bit that my students are the way they are. I've known about that for a while but I've never had anyone actually tell me that to my face.

No wonder people are the way they are now. Young life and School has failed to provide these people with what they actually need to succeed. As a teacher, my hands are tied on so many levels. I can't "discipline" a child (verbally or otherwise). If they turn in their work, whether it's done correctly or not, they expect to get full points on it.

What ever happened to following rules and strict guidelines? Have they really gone out the window like that?