Educators, have you ever considered the purpose or the motives behind the rules and procedures in your classroom?

Is your goal to have the most orderly, well-behaved classroom? Or, do you hope your procedures provide structure and peace for students being raised in a chaotic world? 

When students argue, is your goal to simply end the conflict to restore peace in the classroom (and, in all honesty, your sanity)? Or, do you use it as an opportunity to model reconciliation? 

Are you trying to make sure students do things “my way or the highway?” Or, are you setting up guidelines that will make your classroom a safe and loving learning environment?

As Christian educators, we know that God has placed us in our students’ lives so that we can be lights that point to Him. But, in order to allow Christ’s light to shine in our classrooms, we have to see our students as precious children of God. Furthermore, our students need to know and feel that we care about them as individuals. If our students think we only want them to behave because it makes our jobs easier, not only will our classroom management suffer, but more importantly, our eternal impact will be stifled.

With this in mind, when presenting expectations, rules, or procedures to our students, we can embrace an “I’m putting these guidelines in place because I want the best for you” mindset. 

This frame of mind reflects the love of the Father and His plan for us since the day He placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God warned Adam and Eve to stay away from the fruit because He wanted to prevent a devasting future for their souls, not because He wanted to keep a delicious taste from their lips. Likewise, we warn our students not to run in the hallway because we want them to be safe, not because we want to steal their fun. 

As we carefully craft a classroom management plan that is best for our students, our purpose and motives matter. Our students will know if our love for them is authentic (and Christlike). And, if we are serving in a public school, this presents one of our biggest opportunities to let Christ’s light shine without ever cracking open a Bible. 

Linda Kardamis taught middle school math before founding Teach 4 the Heart. She is the author of Create Your Dream Classroom and Take Heart and Teach and the creator of Classroom Management 101. She and her husband are raising their four kids in Northeast Ohio.

For more classroom management help, sign up for Linda's FREE on-demand training: How to Reduce Disruptions without Yelling, Begging, or Bribing. 

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