Thank You...

Ron Clark has inspired me to come up with my own by combing two of his rules.

I believe appreciation and saying thank is extremely important.  Therefore, every week, have your class write a thank you note for someone working hard in the school (but not always receiving the gratitude they deserve).

These people can be:
cafeteria workers, bus drivers, janitors, volunteers that come to the school, other teachers who come and help out in the classroom, etc.

Who doesn't like being thanked for what they do?!  Plus, it teaches your students to be more grateful!

Ask ?Questions?

Inquiry lessons take more time to plan and do BUT they are so important and beneficial to the classroom.  Wait, you might be asking a question...what is an inquiry lesson?  Perhaps, you do these all the time (I hope!). 

Inquiry lessons provide students the opportunity to ask questions AND find out answers for themselves...with you helping and guiding along the way of course!  It might hard to do lessons like these every single day, but once a week is quite manageable!  

An example of an inquiry lesson (combining science and math) is giving your students various sodas and scales and get them asking questions.  You can model a few questions to get them to start thinking:  does diet weigh less than regular; does carbonated weigh more than flat soda; etc.  They can use the scientific method to test the various questions they come up with; come up with a hypothesis, and so on.  Let them come up with the questions and be the curious beings that they are (or hopefully are)!

Positively Positive!

Notice when someone asks you to do something in a nice way, you're bound to do it more than if you were asked in a negative way?  Yeah, that's the idea with children.  They ARE human beings after all so when treated with respect, they'll treat you back respectfully (HOPEFULLY)!  However, I see way to many adults who treat children like someone less than them.  No, they deserve respect too!

Therefore, using positive statements when asking your students to do something can make quite a difference.

It's not "don't run"  it's "walk please".
It's not "don't talk while I'm talking" it's "please be quiet while I'm talking".

You get the drift!