The importance of routines and procedures

Ben Guest Assignment: Free write.

A fair amount of the advice we have been given has been prefaced with, "The most important thing you need to know is…" We've been given a lot of advice, so that adds up to quite a few most important things we're supposed to remember. Depending on who you're talking to, we're told that the most important thing is to use rewards and consequences, establish authority, have a good folder system, and rely on well practiced routines and procedures.  The lattermost has proven to be of notable significance.

When someone tells you that not having your students practice passing their papers forward is a sure path to anarchy, it's hard to believe at first. But as it turns out, even at the high school level, students need directions on how to do just about everything. "Have your students pass their papers to the side. Passing form the front to the back may lead to confrontation if someone is not paying attention." "Clearly state how you expect homework to be turned in, so students don't get up in the middle of class." "Explain your bathroom policy to avoid requests at inopportune times."

I feel bad that in a lot of ways we treat our students like prisoners, but the more control that is imposed, the less there is to go wrong, at least that's the going theory. In a school that functions properly, it is unnecessary, but that is not the case here and no one knows how to turn it around. Whether you agree with it or not, strict management of routines and procedures has proven its place in academia, at least in Mississippi. And not only are well established routines important within the classroom, they are also essential beyond the school walls.

Everyday I get home from summer school, and after eating lunch, I get down on a popsicle. For the few minutes that it takes me to eat that popsicle, I completely forget about all the stress of summer school and lesson planning. I have now come to associate those artificial flavors with pure bliss, a deep, almost meditative, relaxation. My afternoon popsicle has become a daily routine that I won't soon be parting with.

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