by Jacqui Pratlett

Created on: June 21, 2010

Consistency and being firm are two of the most important aspects of managing behavior in schools. Effective behaviour management can make a big difference to pupils and teachers, allowing for the delivery of inspiring and active lessons. Good manners and skills for the work place can also be instilled if teachers are firm and consistent.

Consistency is a vital; when teachers implement a school discipline policy consistently pupils do behave better and are able to work and learn effectively. Pupils need to know what to expect when they come to school, and boundaries must be made clear.  Being firm is also important because pupils cannot be allowed to dictate the rules to you. You must be stringent and never allow exceptions – if you do pupils will notice and soon begin to take control in your classroom. I will demonstrate both of these points through example.

To show the strong effect of consistency in schools, I will use the example of having mobile phones in classrooms. A pupil could walk into a Mathematics class using their mobile phone; school policy states the teacher should confiscate the phone and their parents should come in to collect it. Their Mathematics teacher could decide, however, they are tired on this particular day and cannot be bothered with the confrontation of confiscating the phone. They decide to let it go and the pupil continues to use their phone in class.

The pupil then walks into my classroom next lesson, still using their phone. I stick to school policy and decide to confiscate the phone. Now, because this pupil’s previous teacher did not confiscate the phone, I instantly become the ‘bad guy’. I now have to deal with extra confrontation and agitation because the pupil is unclear about the school rules. This pupil can then begin to use excuses such as “but I’m allowed to do this in Mathematics” and you are fighting a losing battle. This can begin to put dents in your authority over the whole class because you can no longer rely on the school rules.

Alternatively, the Mathematics teacher could have taken the phone immediately, sticking to school policy. If the next day the pupil walked into my classroom using their phone, they would expect it to be confiscated from them. When I ask for the phone, there is no longer a ‘bad guy’ and there is nothing for the pupil to argue about. They are clearly in the wrong and have to take the consequences; a confrontation is avoided and your

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