Don't stick peas in your ears

I have found the old saying, "what you resist, will persist" to be true in managing classrooms at the community college, college and graduate level, as well as at 1st, 2d 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade levels. I don't quite understand why this is true, but I have come to believe it.

In my experience, telling students what not to do is like telling them not to stick peas in their ears. It sets up a vicious cycle. Students get a good idea of what not to do, they do it, you get irritated, and you can go around and around on this, as many times as you choose.

The way out of this cycle, for me, is to tell students what I want them to do, and help them articulate why it matters. So, for example, instead of announcing rules about cell phones I say "give the class your undivided attention" and "treat everyone with respect." Students figure out that this means a lot of things, including turn off your cell phone and don't answer it in class.

When I take a class, for example, and the professor gives me a course description listing the things that I shouldn't do (don't skip this class, don't talk on your cell phone, don't leave early, don't turn things in late, etc.) it strikes me that these things must have happened frequently in this course in the past, and I get the idea they are likely to happen again. This makes me wonder whether the class is going to meet my needs, because I like to learn, and I like to be in groups where others share this desire. It also makes me wonder whether the class and/or the material is going to be boring!

Colleagues have told me that they can't leave out these warnings because if they did, students wouldn't behave.

I have had the opposite experience. I demand that my students treat me and each other with respect. I hold them accountable for this. I also set my expectations high in the Course Description:

You can expect me to:

• Prepare lessons that help you understand what you read and read more easily.
• Follow your progress to help you reach your educational goals.
• Treat you with respect.
• Be ready to start class on time, with the materials needed.
• Give the class my undivided attention.
• Be available to meet with you privately when you need 1-on-1 support.
• Return your work promptly.
• Ask questions and make mistakes as I learn what you need as you learn.
• Do my best.

I will expect you to:

• Take risks and make mistakes as you learn.
• Ask questions when you don’t understand.
• Ask for support when you need it.
• Treat others with respect.
• Attend every class, giving the class your undivided attention.
• Be ready to start class on time, with the materials you need.
• Participate actively and positively in class.
• Study at home roughly ½ hour each day.
• Complete assignments on time.
• Do your best.

Once we have gone over these expectations I can ask if there is anything unreasonable here. If not, then I trust my students will live up to the expectations, and with few exceptions, they do.