Here are 10 mistakes a rookie should avoid. One piece of advice
that I’ve seen in umerous books about teaching is to always
phrase classroom rules positively. Instead of phrasing a rule as
“no talking,” for instance, teachers should phrase it as “talk
in turn.” The theory, I suppose, is that when students are told
not to do one thing without being told what they should do
instead, they may not know their options. Proponents also argue
that phrasing rules in the positive is less confrontational;
rebellious students will be less apt to break a positively
stated procedure than a negatively worded rule. I don’t buy
this. For new teachers, especially, classroom rules need to be
rules, and a rule should be stated in the clearest way possible.
Many of the most important rules adults have to abide by are
written in the negative: No parking. No dogs allowed. Do not
disturb. Do not pass go. Do not collect 200 dollars. Thou shalt
not kill. The same books that suggest this positive approach to
rule making often take a si