Before school started, I set my classroom rules and share them with my third-grade students. I usually have no more than five classroom rules such as “Come to class prepared”, “Be respectful to others” etc. Once in a month, I go over the classroom rules to make sure students are reminded of them. However, I still have students breaking the classroom rules and interrupting my lessons. What should I do?

What to do?

• Your classroom rules are too general and complicated for your students. For example, “come to class prepared” can mean many things such as bring your books, bring your pencils, bring your homework, etc. You need to consider making your rules simple by focusing on one desired behavior per rule. Students should understand what is and what is not acceptable.
• Further, you should make sure that the consequences for breaking your rules are also clear and known beforehand.
  Involve students in the rule-making process. 

In my fourth-grade class, I have students take home graded papers. They have a folder in which they are to place these papers to take home. I have noticed that many of my students are not putting the papers in their folders. I have also had parents call or e-mail about not seeing their children's take-home papers. I inform them that I sent the papers home in their children’s folder. I'm not sure if the students are taking them out before they get home because of some of the grades or for other reasons. How should I make sure that graded papers are getting home and seen by parents

What to do?

• Set a fixed date for sending documents to parents using student folders such as Fridays, the first day of each month, etc. Then each time, email parents about the documents you placed in students’ folders so that they know exactly what to look for.
• Initials or a signature can also be required from students indicating that they received the documents and placed them in their folders and from the parents showing that students handed the documents to their parents.
• You place the graded papers in students’ folders and distribute them at the end of the day to make sure students put the folders in their bags. 

Two of my students are best friends who moved from another country. Even though they can speak English, I find them talking in their native language from time to time. I have tried seating them farther from one another when we all work together or having me, or another student sit between them, but nothing has worked so far. What should I do?

What to do?

• Some of the state laws, district policies, or school culture do not allow for use of the native language in the classroom. Check with your state/district/school laws and policies to learn about the requirements and make sure to follow the law or policy while advocating for best practices. If this is the case, inform students and/or parents about the requirements.
• Try to understand whether the native language is used for academic purposes or chit-chat. Listen to students as they are speaking. Are they looking at you constantly while they talk to each other? Follow their facial expressions or gestures.
• Academic Purpose? Sometimes students take the opportunity of using their native language in order to comprehend or clarify key concepts without the use of academic terms, phrases, and other vocabulary in the second language. It is normal for students to want to communicate in the language they know best. If the native language is used for academic purposes - and there are no laws against it, students can be allowed to talk in their native language. You can ask the students to report to you a summary of their discussions in English later. Teachers should be explicit as to when students are able to discuss in their native language. Be patient and observant.
• Chit-chat? Regardless of the language used in the classroom, chit-chat should be limited to all students. Teachers should focus on limiting the time for the chit-chat such as allowing 2-minute chat times for groups or before class begins.

I just heard that in my colleague’s kindergarten class a boy started biting another boy’s arm during class activity yesterday. The incident got so big that our principal, and parents of the kids got involved. I also teach kindergarten, what exactly should I do if this happens in my class?

What to do?

• Biting is a common communication method or defense mechanism that young children use as a response to their needs not being met or coping with a challenging situation. It is a very difficult situation to deal with since it usually occurs without warning and it can escalate very quickly and require the involvement of the teacher, principal, and parents. A teacher should always be ready for this situation and need to know exactly what needs to be done before and after biting occurs.  
• First, make sure to check with your school to see if it already has a list of procedures in place for biting incidents. Following the school policy is a must. Read through and make a copy of it. This should be done before school starts so that you are ready for it.    
• During the first week of school, make sure to prepare a rules and procedures document that addresses “When/If Biting Occurs” to be distributed to the parents. This document will give parents a heads up about the possibility of this incident in your classroom and shows them that you are ready for it. The document should explain why biting happens, how parents should inform their children about not using biting as a defense mechanism and what procedures you will be following if biting occurs. Your document should follow the school policy on biting if there is one. If the school has no policy, here is an example procedure you can follow.
• When biting occurs, immediately separate biter and victim. Always focus on the victim first. If you can see teeth marks, redness, or bleeding on the victim’s body, take him/her to the school nurse. Inform the school nurse that the victim was bitten and needs attention. The School nurses will administer first aid and make a decision whether a doctor’s attention is needed and inform parents about the incident. Avoid providing the name of the biter so that the incident does not become a parent-to-parent confrontation. It is very important to keep the confidentiality and privacy of the students and parents during this incident.  
• If there is no mark on the victim’s body, you still need to pay special attention and comfort him/her. Tell the victim that the biting is not okay, and you will talk to the biter. However, you also need to teach the victim to raise her hand and say “stop” if he or she feels someone is about to hurt him/her.
• Ask the biting child about what happened and why he or she bit the other child. Learning about the cause of the event might help you decide what the next action steps will be. You never know which child is the starter of the incident. Regardless, speak to biting child gently but firmly about why biting is not acceptable behavior. Do not allow biter back to class before getting a confirmation about their misbehavior and it will not happen again. Teach the biter to raise their hand and talk to you if he or she feels a similar situation.
• Always fill out an “incident report” to notify parents of the victim and the biter about the incident and explain what happened without the names. Inform parents that you followed the necessary procedures and you are available if they need to talk to you. Attach a copy of the school policy on biting or document you prepared before school started.
• Make a copy of the “incident report” for your own filing and another copy for school administration.

In my 4th-grade science class, I ask students to complete group projects. The current project requires five students to work together to complete the project using their research skills. One issue I have observed over time is that while some of the students are participating in the group work, one or two students in some groups do not do much. When the time is ticking, and the project due date is approaching, I start hearing from the working member of groups about their frustrations with the lazy group members. They usually complain that even though they have tried to reach out to the lazy group members, they are still getting nothing. What should I do to make sure all members of the groups are participating and doing their parts?

What to do?

• Before starting a group project, make sure to break the project up into separate subtasks and outline roles and expectations for the subtasks each group member is responsible for. Ensure that the work is equally distributed among the group members and everyone knows what his/her role is within the group. Assign, or ask groups to assign members to the subtasks and ask groups to submit the list. In addition, set and explain what the process is for dealing with group members who do not contribute. That way everyone will know the consequences of not working.
  Create an evaluation rubric for each subtask. Give individual grades as well as a group grade. The group grade tells how well the project was done, but the individual grades reflect the participation levels of each member of the group. That way, the lazy students are not rewarded for the work of others.
• Ask students to rate each other about group participation but be careful to not to create a negative environment. Use a Likert-scale such as 1 for “not participated at all” and 5 for “fully participated” for participation feedback. Avoid open-ended feedback that can cause students to complain unnecessarily.  
• Set small deadlines for subtasks rather than giving one final project deadline. This will ensure that you are aware of any participation issues before it is too late.
• Explain the consequences of not participating in the group activities.