Anyone who has ever tried to manage a class of children, regardless of age, knows that it is hard work. The goal is to create a group of engaged, attentive, and reasonably polite learners, but managing diverse personalities who come from different backgrounds and home environments and have different standards and expectations of behavior can be difficult.
Some teachers take a good old-fashioned “law and order” approach, laying out a list of classroom rules that everyone must follow, and if they don’t, they’ll face some kind of punishment.
But high school English teacher Monte Sillier takes a different approach, viewing his students not as young people to be controlled but as valued citizens of the community.
A teacher for more than 20 years, Schilley says she always strives to make each school year better than the previous one. That means regularly reflecting and reevaluating how she communicates with students, which has led her to redefine standard classroom rules as “policies and procedures” and ditch the notion of “rules” altogether.
He now proposes “the four R’s” (roles, routines, rights and responsibilities) as a framework for classroom management.
“I think teachers are framers. We frame our classrooms. We frame our jobs. We frame our days. We frame our years. We frame our entire experiences, whether we like it or not,” says Silly. “Kids look to us for a frame. What we do, or don’t do, will define their day. And there’s pressure. But there’s also possibility, powerful possibility.”
In his book on education, Schilling explains how children respond differently when teachers frame things differently, and how being told the classroom rules on the first day elicits certain reactions from children.
“We seem to believe that we can’t lead our kids to where we want them to be if we don’t immediately show them the rules,” he wrote. “I no longer believe this. I suppose I did at one point, but at this point I believed there were better ways to ‘lead’ our kids.”
Silly decided to reframe her classroom policies as roles that helped children see themselves from different perspectives, routines that told children what was expected of them, rights that granted them personal autonomy, and responsibilities that helped them contribute to a shared community.
What does that feel like?
Cilley’s classroom roles include himself (the most important role according to him), a valued member of the community, a reader, a writer, a corrector, a reflector, etc. He explains to his students what each of these roles means and why it is important for children to take on those roles.
The routine includes daily and weekly activities, such as starting class with a community check-in called “Smiles and Frowns” and ending class with “Journey Journaling,” and each day of the week has a specific focus area, such as writing, reading, or grammar.
These rights include the right to feel safe, the right to learn, and the right to ask as many questions as they like. Syria also gives students the right to eat and drink during class, and to make mistakes without fear of punishment.
Monte Sillier speaks to his students during a class. Photo credit: Monte Sillier
Regarding responsibilities, students have a variety of responsibilities, including attending class on time, knowing and respecting class routines, self-regulating the use of electronic devices in the classroom, being a good listener, self-regulating when leaving the classroom, taking responsibility for their learning, and being considerate and respectful of others’ opinions. Students are expected to do their best to fulfill these responsibilities and, in the event of any infractions (such as arriving late to class), to be polite and cause minimal disruption to the rest of the class. If a student is struggling with any of these responsibilities, interventions include reminders, conversations, contact with parents, and, as a last resort (not likely), referral to the office.
The beauty of Silly’s 4 R’s is that it immediately demonstrates trust in students and helps them see themselves as responsible individuals and valued members of the overall community. When students feel trusted, valued, and empowered with a clear balance of rights and responsibilities, most students, even in high school, tend to act accordingly. While this framework won’t solve all classroom management problems, it is a framework that encourages character development from within, rather than top-down control. Students can use it throughout their education and beyond.
A fellow educator responds to X by asking, “This is amazing in so many ways! How can we help our learners understand democratic principles in this day and age?” Imagine if we thought more deeply about our roles, routines, rights and responsibilities as citizens, rather than just memorizing the laws we are obligated to follow. Perhaps Mr. Silly’s rethinking and reframing of the educational experience can help all of us reframe our lives, both as individuals and as members of communities.
You can follow Monte Syrie on X and find his book, “better: A Teacher’s Journey: Project 180 Book One,” here.
