With the start of the school year underway, I thought I would share some key things to keep in mind when teaching procedures to students. As an experienced teacher who interacts with new teachers on a regular basis, one of the most common complaints I get is problematic student behavior. This is one of the reasons many teachers choose to leave the profession. It can be frustrating when you feel like no matter what your best efforts are, you just cannot get that class or those certain students to behave. There are many mitigating factors that can affect student behavior, and as teachers we cannot control all of them. Thus, it is important to control what we can: what we teach and how we teach it.

Before I get to the key components, it is important to note that procedures include teaching students how you want them to behave in any given situation. Walk into a school that uses PBIS, or Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports, and you will see expectations for procedures in every area of that school. For example, when you walk into the cafeteria, you will see a chart on expected behavior. The same goes for the hallway, classroom, and other spaces in the school. Thus, teaching proper behavior should be an integral part when going over your procedures. And the good thing is that procedures can be taught at any time during the year!

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