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By promoting good behavior in school, not only will your students be able to focus on learning, but your teachers will be able to focus on teaching.

To promote good behavior in school, it’s important for teachers and students to have a thorough understanding of what good behavior looks like. Without clearly defined expectations, students have no way of knowing if they are on the right track. 

As an administrator, you can alleviate potential behavior incidents by providing specific examples of good behavior. 

Share the following 6 examples with your staff, so they know what kind of good behavior to encourage:

Examples of Good Behavior in Schools

1. Kindness 

Showing kindness is the most important rule on this list. Children deal with a variety of issues outside of school, so it’s important for them to feel comfortable and safe while they are at school. 

The prevalence of social media among children as young as elementary school often exposes children to negative behavior and encourages them to adopt those behaviors as well. 

Showing kindness goes beyond just being nice to others. It includes encouraging them, supporting them, helping them when needed, and using empathy when listening to them.

 If kindness is a part of the your school culture, your school will be a place where students feel physically and emotionally safe.

Students can also show kindness by Saying “please” and “thank you,” holding the door open for a classmate, encouraging a classmate who is nervous about a presentation, and helping a student who is struggling to carry their books

2. Initiative

Encourage students to display initiative at school. Explain that initiative means taking action to do something or fix something without being told to do it. 

Younger children are always determined to show that they aren’t “little kids,” so be sure to let them know that mature students show initiative.

Here are a few ways students can show initiative: throwing away trash someone else left on the table, reading a book after completing an assignment, organizing a messy bookshelf, and taking notes during a lesson

3. Respect for school property

Respect for school property is one of the most easily displayed examples of good behavior. With 1:1 technology becoming the norm at schools, students have access to more equipment than ever before. 

Respecting school property means respecting something as small as crayons by not breaking them to something as major as the walls by not sticking gum on them. 

Other examples of showing respect for school property include: cleaning up after themselves in the hallway, classroom, and bathroom; putting school supplies, books, and other supplies back where they belong; logging off computers; and making sure their seating area is nice and tidy for the next class.

4. Responsibility 

Students can show that they are responsible by being on time for school and class. This also means that they turn in assignments on time, stay on task, and refrain from distracting other students. 

No one is perfect, so one of the best examples of responsibility is when a student accepts responsibility for doing something wrong. Responsible students are honest even if they know it will lead to negative consequences. This shows they are able to self-reflect and learn from their decisions.

More examples of responsible behaviors include: being prepared for class, feeding the class pet, managing time, and staying organized 

5. Patience (not running, waiting for your turn, not talking over others)

Patience is a virtue that many adults still struggle with. When students move too quickly or rush through assignments, that’s when mistakes can be made or someone can get hurt. 

The best way to build patience is to highlight opportunities to be patient. When a situation arises where you anticipate students being impatient, tell them that this is a great opportunity for them to display patience. 

You can also teach patience using delayed gratification. If you use a token economy in your school, the students have to wait until they receive enough points to redeem them for items. 

The students can control their behavior, but they can’t control when the teacher will distribute points. This means they have to be patient and wait. 

One way to combat hearing “will I get points for this?” every time a student does something good is to tell them that they will not receive points when they ask that question because it shows that they are being impatient.

More examples of patience in school include: walking to recess instead of running, waiting in the lunch line without complaining, and waiting for others to finish talking instead of interrupting them

6. Follows rules

In order for a student to show good behavior in school, they must follow the classroom rules. Each teacher will have their own rules, so students need to understand that what’s allowed in one classroom won’t automatically be allowed in another one. 

For example, some teachers don’t mind students eating in the classroom whereas other teachers won’t even allow students to chew gum in class. Likewise, it might be acceptable to run in gym class but not in music class. 

Students must understand that in order to display good behavior, they need to follow the rules in their specific classroom regardless of the rules in other classrooms.

Students can make sure they’re following the rules by listening to instructions, asking questions when a rule is misunderstood, and reading the rules that should be displayed on the board or wall

Next Steps for Your School

Although it is important to be proactive in defining good behavior, it is just as important to acknowledge good behavior when you see it. Acknowledging and rewarding good behavior can serve as positive reinforcement, which encourages students to keep exhibiting the desirable behavior. 

Some schools create acronyms as a simple way to help students remember the behavior expectations. Display these good behavior examples in the hallways and other common areas, so students will have constant reminders of what is expected of them. 

Make sure the adults in the building are also aware of the expectations, so they can be applied consistently throughout the school.

Let’s take this to your inbox
We’ll send you our monthly newsletter which is fully stocked with free resources like articles, videos, podcasts, reward ideas, and anything else we can think of to help you make your school awesome.
As an administrator, you know that your teachers thrive when their students exhibit positive behavior. Teachers are unable to teach effectively when they have to deal with behavior issues, and unfortunately, student behavior is one of the leading reasons that educators are leaving the classroom.

By promoting good behavior in school, not only will your students be able to focus on learning, but your teachers will be able to focus on teaching.

To promote good behavior in school, it’s important for teachers and students to have a thorough understanding of what good behavior looks like. Without clearly defined expectations, students have no way of knowing if they are on the right track. 

As an administrator, you can alleviate potential behavior incidents by providing specific examples of good behavior. 

Share the following 6 examples with your staff, so they know what kind of good behavior to encourage:

Examples of Good Behavior in Schools

1. Kindness 

Showing kindness is the most important rule on this list. Children deal with a variety of issues outside of school, so it’s important for them to feel comfortable and safe while they are at school. 

The prevalence of social media among children as young as elementary school often exposes children to negative behavior and encourages them to adopt those behaviors as well. 

Showing kindness goes beyond just being nice to others. It includes encouraging them, supporting them, helping them when needed, and using empathy when listening to them.

 If kindness is a part of the your school culture, your school will be a place where students feel physically and emotionally safe.

Students can also show kindness by Saying “please” and “thank you,” holding the door open for a classmate, encouraging a classmate who is nervous about a presentation, and helping a student who is struggling to carry their books

2. Initiative

Encourage students to display initiative at school. Explain that initiative means taking action to do something or fix something without being told to do it. 

Younger children are always determined to show that they aren’t “little kids,” so be sure to let them know that mature students show initiative.

Here are a few ways students can show initiative: throwing away trash someone else left on the table, reading a book after completing an assignment, organizing a messy bookshelf, and taking notes during a lesson

3. Respect for school property

Respect for school property is one of the most easily displayed examples of good behavior. With 1:1 technology becoming the norm at schools, students have access to more equipment than ever before. 

Respecting school property means respecting something as small as crayons by not breaking them to something as major as the walls by not sticking gum on them. 

Other examples of showing respect for school property include: cleaning up after themselves in the hallway, classroom, and bathroom; putting school supplies, books, and other supplies back where they belong; logging off computers; and making sure their seating area is nice and tidy for the next class.

4. Responsibility 

Students can show that they are responsible by being on time for school and class. This also means that they turn in assignments on time, stay on task, and refrain from distracting other students. 

No one is perfect, so one of the best examples of responsibility is when a student accepts responsibility for doing something wrong. Responsible students are honest even if they know it will lead to negative consequences. This shows they are able to self-reflect and learn from their decisions.

More examples of responsible behaviors include: being prepared for class, feeding the class pet, managing time, and staying organized 

5. Patience (not running, waiting for your turn, not talking over others)

Patience is a virtue that many adults still struggle with. When students move too quickly or rush through assignments, that’s when mistakes can be made or someone can get hurt. 

The best way to build patience is to highlight opportunities to be patient. When a situation arises where you anticipate students being impatient, tell them that this is a great opportunity for them to display patience. 

You can also teach patience using delayed gratification. If you use a token economy in your school, the students have to wait until they receive enough points to redeem them for items. 

The students can control their behavior, but they can’t control when the teacher will distribute points. This means they have to be patient and wait. 

One way to combat hearing “will I get points for this?” every time a student does something good is to tell them that they will not receive points when they ask that question because it shows that they are being impatient.

More examples of patience in school include: walking to recess instead of running, waiting in the lunch line without complaining, and waiting for others to finish talking instead of interrupting them

6. Follows rules

In order for a student to show good behavior in school, they must follow the classroom rules. Each teacher will have their own rules, so students need to understand that what’s allowed in one classroom won’t automatically be allowed in another one. 

For example, some teachers don’t mind students eating in the classroom whereas other teachers won’t even allow students to chew gum in class. Likewise, it might be acceptable to run in gym class but not in music class. 

Students must understand that in order to display good behavior, they need to follow the rules in their specific classroom regardless of the rules in other classrooms.

Students can make sure they’re following the rules by listening to instructions, asking questions when a rule is misunderstood, and reading the rules that should be displayed on the board or wall

Next Steps for Your School

Although it is important to be proactive in defining good behavior, it is just as important to acknowledge good behavior when you see it. Acknowledging and rewarding good behavior can serve as positive reinforcement, which encourages students to keep exhibiting the desirable behavior. 

Some schools create acronyms as a simple way to help students remember the behavior expectations. Display these good behavior examples in the hallways and other common areas, so students will have constant reminders of what is expected of them. 

Make sure the adults in the building are also aware of the expectations, so they can be applied consistently throughout the school.

Let’s take this to your inbox
We’ll send you our monthly newsletter which is fully stocked with free resources like articles, videos, podcasts, reward ideas, and anything else we can think of to help you make your school awesome.

By promoting good behavior in school, not only will your students be able to focus on learning, but your teachers will be able to focus on teaching.

To promote good behavior in school, it’s important for teachers and students to have a thorough understanding of what good behavior looks like. Without clearly defined expectations, students have no way of knowing if they are on the right track. 

As an administrator, you can alleviate potential behavior incidents by providing specific examples of good behavior. 

Share the following 6 examples with your staff, so they know what kind of good behavior to encourage:

Examples of Good Behavior in Schools

1. Kindness 

Showing kindness is the most important rule on this list. Children deal with a variety of issues outside of school, so it’s important for them to feel comfortable and safe while they are at school. 

The prevalence of social media among children as young as elementary school often exposes children to negative behavior and encourages them to adopt those behaviors as well. 

Showing kindness goes beyond just being nice to others. It includes encouraging them, supporting them, helping them when needed, and using empathy when listening to them.

 If kindness is a part of the your school culture, your school will be a place where students feel physically and emotionally safe.

Students can also show kindness by Saying “please” and “thank you,” holding the door open for a classmate, encouraging a classmate who is nervous about a presentation, and helping a student who is struggling to carry their books

2. Initiative

Encourage students to display initiative at school. Explain that initiative means taking action to do something or fix something without being told to do it. 

Younger children are always determined to show that they aren’t “little kids,” so be sure to let them know that mature students show initiative.

Here are a few ways students can show initiative: throwing away trash someone else left on the table, reading a book after completing an assignment, organizing a messy bookshelf, and taking notes during a lesson

3. Respect for school property

Respect for school property is one of the most easily displayed examples of good behavior. With 1:1 technology becoming the norm at schools, students have access to more equipment than ever before. 

Respecting school property means respecting something as small as crayons by not breaking them to something as major as the walls by not sticking gum on them. 

Other examples of showing respect for school property include: cleaning up after themselves in the hallway, classroom, and bathroom; putting school supplies, books, and other supplies back where they belong; logging off computers; and making sure their seating area is nice and tidy for the next class.

4. Responsibility 

Students can show that they are responsible by being on time for school and class. This also means that they turn in assignments on time, stay on task, and refrain from distracting other students. 

No one is perfect, so one of the best examples of responsibility is when a student accepts responsibility for doing something wrong. Responsible students are honest even if they know it will lead to negative consequences. This shows they are able to self-reflect and learn from their decisions.

More examples of responsible behaviors include: being prepared for class, feeding the class pet, managing time, and staying organized 

5. Patience (not running, waiting for your turn, not talking over others)

Patience is a virtue that many adults still struggle with. When students move too quickly or rush through assignments, that’s when mistakes can be made or someone can get hurt. 

The best way to build patience is to highlight opportunities to be patient. When a situation arises where you anticipate students being impatient, tell them that this is a great opportunity for them to display patience. 

You can also teach patience using delayed gratification. If you use a token economy in your school, the students have to wait until they receive enough points to redeem them for items. 

The students can control their behavior, but they can’t control when the teacher will distribute points. This means they have to be patient and wait. 

One way to combat hearing “will I get points for this?” every time a student does something good is to tell them that they will not receive points when they ask that question because it shows that they are being impatient.

More examples of patience in school include: walking to recess instead of running, waiting in the lunch line without complaining, and waiting for others to finish talking instead of interrupting them

6. Follows rules

In order for a student to show good behavior in school, they must follow the classroom rules. Each teacher will have their own rules, so students need to understand that what’s allowed in one classroom won’t automatically be allowed in another one. 

For example, some teachers don’t mind students eating in the classroom whereas other teachers won’t even allow students to chew gum in class. Likewise, it might be acceptable to run in gym class but not in music class. 

Students must understand that in order to display good behavior, they need to follow the rules in their specific classroom regardless of the rules in other classrooms.

Students can make sure they’re following the rules by listening to instructions, asking questions when a rule is misunderstood, and reading the rules that should be displayed on the board or wall

Next Steps for Your School

Although it is important to be proactive in defining good behavior, it is just as important to acknowledge good behavior when you see it. Acknowledging and rewarding good behavior can serve as positive reinforcement, which encourages students to keep exhibiting the desirable behavior. 

Some schools create acronyms as a simple way to help students remember the behavior expectations. Display these good behavior examples in the hallways and other common areas, so students will have constant reminders of what is expected of them. 

Make sure the adults in the building are also aware of the expectations, so they can be applied consistently throughout the school.

Let’s take this to your inbox
We’ll send you our monthly newsletter which is fully stocked with free resources like articles, videos, podcasts, reward ideas, and anything else we can think of to help you make your school awesome.

About the Event

By promoting good behavior in school, not only will your students be able to focus on learning, but your teachers will be able to focus on teaching.

To promote good behavior in school, it’s important for teachers and students to have a thorough understanding of what good behavior looks like. Without clearly defined expectations, students have no way of knowing if they are on the right track. 

As an administrator, you can alleviate potential behavior incidents by providing specific examples of good behavior. 

Share the following 6 examples with your staff, so they know what kind of good behavior to encourage:

Examples of Good Behavior in Schools

1. Kindness 

Showing kindness is the most important rule on this list. Children deal with a variety of issues outside of school, so it’s important for them to feel comfortable and safe while they are at school. 

The prevalence of social media among children as young as elementary school often exposes children to negative behavior and encourages them to adopt those behaviors as well. 

Showing kindness goes beyond just being nice to others. It includes encouraging them, supporting them, helping them when needed, and using empathy when listening to them.

 If kindness is a part of the your school culture, your school will be a place where students feel physically and emotionally safe.

Students can also show kindness by Saying “please” and “thank you,” holding the door open for a classmate, encouraging a classmate who is nervous about a presentation, and helping a student who is struggling to carry their books

2. Initiative

Encourage students to display initiative at school. Explain that initiative means taking action to do something or fix something without being told to do it. 

Younger children are always determined to show that they aren’t “little kids,” so be sure to let them know that mature students show initiative.

Here are a few ways students can show initiative: throwing away trash someone else left on the table, reading a book after completing an assignment, organizing a messy bookshelf, and taking notes during a lesson

3. Respect for school property

Respect for school property is one of the most easily displayed examples of good behavior. With 1:1 technology becoming the norm at schools, students have access to more equipment than ever before. 

Respecting school property means respecting something as small as crayons by not breaking them to something as major as the walls by not sticking gum on them. 

Other examples of showing respect for school property include: cleaning up after themselves in the hallway, classroom, and bathroom; putting school supplies, books, and other supplies back where they belong; logging off computers; and making sure their seating area is nice and tidy for the next class.

4. Responsibility 

Students can show that they are responsible by being on time for school and class. This also means that they turn in assignments on time, stay on task, and refrain from distracting other students. 

No one is perfect, so one of the best examples of responsibility is when a student accepts responsibility for doing something wrong. Responsible students are honest even if they know it will lead to negative consequences. This shows they are able to self-reflect and learn from their decisions.

More examples of responsible behaviors include: being prepared for class, feeding the class pet, managing time, and staying organized 

5. Patience (not running, waiting for your turn, not talking over others)

Patience is a virtue that many adults still struggle with. When students move too quickly or rush through assignments, that’s when mistakes can be made or someone can get hurt. 

The best way to build patience is to highlight opportunities to be patient. When a situation arises where you anticipate students being impatient, tell them that this is a great opportunity for them to display patience. 

You can also teach patience using delayed gratification. If you use a token economy in your school, the students have to wait until they receive enough points to redeem them for items. 

The students can control their behavior, but they can’t control when the teacher will distribute points. This means they have to be patient and wait. 

One way to combat hearing “will I get points for this?” every time a student does something good is to tell them that they will not receive points when they ask that question because it shows that they are being impatient.

More examples of patience in school include: walking to recess instead of running, waiting in the lunch line without complaining, and waiting for others to finish talking instead of interrupting them

6. Follows rules

In order for a student to show good behavior in school, they must follow the classroom rules. Each teacher will have their own rules, so students need to understand that what’s allowed in one classroom won’t automatically be allowed in another one. 

For example, some teachers don’t mind students eating in the classroom whereas other teachers won’t even allow students to chew gum in class. Likewise, it might be acceptable to run in gym class but not in music class. 

Students must understand that in order to display good behavior, they need to follow the rules in their specific classroom regardless of the rules in other classrooms.

Students can make sure they’re following the rules by listening to instructions, asking questions when a rule is misunderstood, and reading the rules that should be displayed on the board or wall

Next Steps for Your School

Although it is important to be proactive in defining good behavior, it is just as important to acknowledge good behavior when you see it. Acknowledging and rewarding good behavior can serve as positive reinforcement, which encourages students to keep exhibiting the desirable behavior. 

Some schools create acronyms as a simple way to help students remember the behavior expectations. Display these good behavior examples in the hallways and other common areas, so students will have constant reminders of what is expected of them. 

Make sure the adults in the building are also aware of the expectations, so they can be applied consistently throughout the school.

Register Now

About the Event

By promoting good behavior in school, not only will your students be able to focus on learning, but your teachers will be able to focus on teaching.

To promote good behavior in school, it’s important for teachers and students to have a thorough understanding of what good behavior looks like. Without clearly defined expectations, students have no way of knowing if they are on the right track. 

As an administrator, you can alleviate potential behavior incidents by providing specific examples of good behavior. 

Share the following 6 examples with your staff, so they know what kind of good behavior to encourage:

Examples of Good Behavior in Schools

1. Kindness 

Showing kindness is the most important rule on this list. Children deal with a variety of issues outside of school, so it’s important for them to feel comfortable and safe while they are at school. 

The prevalence of social media among children as young as elementary school often exposes children to negative behavior and encourages them to adopt those behaviors as well. 

Showing kindness goes beyond just being nice to others. It includes encouraging them, supporting them, helping them when needed, and using empathy when listening to them.

 If kindness is a part of the your school culture, your school will be a place where students feel physically and emotionally safe.

Students can also show kindness by Saying “please” and “thank you,” holding the door open for a classmate, encouraging a classmate who is nervous about a presentation, and helping a student who is struggling to carry their books

2. Initiative

Encourage students to display initiative at school. Explain that initiative means taking action to do something or fix something without being told to do it. 

Younger children are always determined to show that they aren’t “little kids,” so be sure to let them know that mature students show initiative.

Here are a few ways students can show initiative: throwing away trash someone else left on the table, reading a book after completing an assignment, organizing a messy bookshelf, and taking notes during a lesson

3. Respect for school property

Respect for school property is one of the most easily displayed examples of good behavior. With 1:1 technology becoming the norm at schools, students have access to more equipment than ever before. 

Respecting school property means respecting something as small as crayons by not breaking them to something as major as the walls by not sticking gum on them. 

Other examples of showing respect for school property include: cleaning up after themselves in the hallway, classroom, and bathroom; putting school supplies, books, and other supplies back where they belong; logging off computers; and making sure their seating area is nice and tidy for the next class.

4. Responsibility 

Students can show that they are responsible by being on time for school and class. This also means that they turn in assignments on time, stay on task, and refrain from distracting other students. 

No one is perfect, so one of the best examples of responsibility is when a student accepts responsibility for doing something wrong. Responsible students are honest even if they know it will lead to negative consequences. This shows they are able to self-reflect and learn from their decisions.

More examples of responsible behaviors include: being prepared for class, feeding the class pet, managing time, and staying organized 

5. Patience (not running, waiting for your turn, not talking over others)

Patience is a virtue that many adults still struggle with. When students move too quickly or rush through assignments, that’s when mistakes can be made or someone can get hurt. 

The best way to build patience is to highlight opportunities to be patient. When a situation arises where you anticipate students being impatient, tell them that this is a great opportunity for them to display patience. 

You can also teach patience using delayed gratification. If you use a token economy in your school, the students have to wait until they receive enough points to redeem them for items. 

The students can control their behavior, but they can’t control when the teacher will distribute points. This means they have to be patient and wait. 

One way to combat hearing “will I get points for this?” every time a student does something good is to tell them that they will not receive points when they ask that question because it shows that they are being impatient.

More examples of patience in school include: walking to recess instead of running, waiting in the lunch line without complaining, and waiting for others to finish talking instead of interrupting them

6. Follows rules

In order for a student to show good behavior in school, they must follow the classroom rules. Each teacher will have their own rules, so students need to understand that what’s allowed in one classroom won’t automatically be allowed in another one. 

For example, some teachers don’t mind students eating in the classroom whereas other teachers won’t even allow students to chew gum in class. Likewise, it might be acceptable to run in gym class but not in music class. 

Students must understand that in order to display good behavior, they need to follow the rules in their specific classroom regardless of the rules in other classrooms.

Students can make sure they’re following the rules by listening to instructions, asking questions when a rule is misunderstood, and reading the rules that should be displayed on the board or wall

Next Steps for Your School

Although it is important to be proactive in defining good behavior, it is just as important to acknowledge good behavior when you see it. Acknowledging and rewarding good behavior can serve as positive reinforcement, which encourages students to keep exhibiting the desirable behavior. 

Some schools create acronyms as a simple way to help students remember the behavior expectations. Display these good behavior examples in the hallways and other common areas, so students will have constant reminders of what is expected of them. 

Make sure the adults in the building are also aware of the expectations, so they can be applied consistently throughout the school.

About the Presenter

Deiera Bennett is a freelance EdTech copywriter with a background in marketing and 6 years of experience as an educator. When she’s not writing, you can find her binge-watching The Office for the 5th time, spending time with family, or looking up recipes on Pinterest.

Sign up for more ideas
We’ll send you our monthly newsletter which is fully stocked with free resources like articles, videos, podcasts, reward ideas, and anything else we can think of to help you make your school awesome.

As an administrator, you know that your teachers thrive when their students exhibit positive behavior. Teachers are unable to teach effectively when they have to deal with behavior issues, and unfortunately, student behavior is one of the leading reasons that educators are leaving the classroom.

By promoting good behavior in school, not only will your students be able to focus on learning, but your teachers will be able to focus on teaching.

To promote good behavior in school, it’s important for teachers and students to have a thorough understanding of what good behavior looks like. Without clearly defined expectations, students have no way of knowing if they are on the right track. 

As an administrator, you can alleviate potential behavior incidents by providing specific examples of good behavior. 

Share the following 6 examples with your staff, so they know what kind of good behavior to encourage:

Examples of Good Behavior in Schools

1. Kindness 

Showing kindness is the most important rule on this list. Children deal with a variety of issues outside of school, so it’s important for them to feel comfortable and safe while they are at school. 

The prevalence of social media among children as young as elementary school often exposes children to negative behavior and encourages them to adopt those behaviors as well. 

Showing kindness goes beyond just being nice to others. It includes encouraging them, supporting them, helping them when needed, and using empathy when listening to them.

 If kindness is a part of the your school culture, your school will be a place where students feel physically and emotionally safe.

Students can also show kindness by Saying “please” and “thank you,” holding the door open for a classmate, encouraging a classmate who is nervous about a presentation, and helping a student who is struggling to carry their books

2. Initiative

Encourage students to display initiative at school. Explain that initiative means taking action to do something or fix something without being told to do it. 

Younger children are always determined to show that they aren’t “little kids,” so be sure to let them know that mature students show initiative.

Here are a few ways students can show initiative: throwing away trash someone else left on the table, reading a book after completing an assignment, organizing a messy bookshelf, and taking notes during a lesson

3. Respect for school property

Respect for school property is one of the most easily displayed examples of good behavior. With 1:1 technology becoming the norm at schools, students have access to more equipment than ever before. 

Respecting school property means respecting something as small as crayons by not breaking them to something as major as the walls by not sticking gum on them. 

Other examples of showing respect for school property include: cleaning up after themselves in the hallway, classroom, and bathroom; putting school supplies, books, and other supplies back where they belong; logging off computers; and making sure their seating area is nice and tidy for the next class.

4. Responsibility 

Students can show that they are responsible by being on time for school and class. This also means that they turn in assignments on time, stay on task, and refrain from distracting other students. 

No one is perfect, so one of the best examples of responsibility is when a student accepts responsibility for doing something wrong. Responsible students are honest even if they know it will lead to negative consequences. This shows they are able to self-reflect and learn from their decisions.

More examples of responsible behaviors include: being prepared for class, feeding the class pet, managing time, and staying organized 

5. Patience (not running, waiting for your turn, not talking over others)

Patience is a virtue that many adults still struggle with. When students move too quickly or rush through assignments, that’s when mistakes can be made or someone can get hurt. 

The best way to build patience is to highlight opportunities to be patient. When a situation arises where you anticipate students being impatient, tell them that this is a great opportunity for them to display patience. 

You can also teach patience using delayed gratification. If you use a token economy in your school, the students have to wait until they receive enough points to redeem them for items. 

The students can control their behavior, but they can’t control when the teacher will distribute points. This means they have to be patient and wait. 

One way to combat hearing “will I get points for this?” every time a student does something good is to tell them that they will not receive points when they ask that question because it shows that they are being impatient.

More examples of patience in school include: walking to recess instead of running, waiting in the lunch line without complaining, and waiting for others to finish talking instead of interrupting them

6. Follows rules

In order for a student to show good behavior in school, they must follow the classroom rules. Each teacher will have their own rules, so students need to understand that what’s allowed in one classroom won’t automatically be allowed in another one. 

For example, some teachers don’t mind students eating in the classroom whereas other teachers won’t even allow students to chew gum in class. Likewise, it might be acceptable to run in gym class but not in music class. 

Students must understand that in order to display good behavior, they need to follow the rules in their specific classroom regardless of the rules in other classrooms.

Students can make sure they’re following the rules by listening to instructions, asking questions when a rule is misunderstood, and reading the rules that should be displayed on the board or wall

Next Steps for Your School

Although it is important to be proactive in defining good behavior, it is just as important to acknowledge good behavior when you see it. Acknowledging and rewarding good behavior can serve as positive reinforcement, which encourages students to keep exhibiting the desirable behavior. 

Some schools create acronyms as a simple way to help students remember the behavior expectations. Display these good behavior examples in the hallways and other common areas, so students will have constant reminders of what is expected of them. 

Make sure the adults in the building are also aware of the expectations, so they can be applied consistently throughout the school.

Learn more about the author, 
Deiera Bennett
 
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As an administrator, you know that your teachers thrive when their students exhibit positive behavior. Teachers are unable to teach effectively when they have to deal with behavior issues, and unfortunately, student behavior is one of the leading reasons that educators are leaving the classroom.

By promoting good behavior in school, not only will your students be able to focus on learning, but your teachers will be able to focus on teaching.

To promote good behavior in school, it’s important for teachers and students to have a thorough understanding of what good behavior looks like. Without clearly defined expectations, students have no way of knowing if they are on the right track. 

As an administrator, you can alleviate potential behavior incidents by providing specific examples of good behavior. 

Share the following 6 examples with your staff, so they know what kind of good behavior to encourage:

Examples of Good Behavior in Schools

1. Kindness 

Showing kindness is the most important rule on this list. Children deal with a variety of issues outside of school, so it’s important for them to feel comfortable and safe while they are at school. 

The prevalence of social media among children as young as elementary school often exposes children to negative behavior and encourages them to adopt those behaviors as well. 

Showing kindness goes beyond just being nice to others. It includes encouraging them, supporting them, helping them when needed, and using empathy when listening to them.

 If kindness is a part of the your school culture, your school will be a place where students feel physically and emotionally safe.

Students can also show kindness by Saying “please” and “thank you,” holding the door open for a classmate, encouraging a classmate who is nervous about a presentation, and helping a student who is struggling to carry their books

2. Initiative

Encourage students to display initiative at school. Explain that initiative means taking action to do something or fix something without being told to do it. 

Younger children are always determined to show that they aren’t “little kids,” so be sure to let them know that mature students show initiative.

Here are a few ways students can show initiative: throwing away trash someone else left on the table, reading a book after completing an assignment, organizing a messy bookshelf, and taking notes during a lesson

3. Respect for school property

Respect for school property is one of the most easily displayed examples of good behavior. With 1:1 technology becoming the norm at schools, students have access to more equipment than ever before. 

Respecting school property means respecting something as small as crayons by not breaking them to something as major as the walls by not sticking gum on them. 

Other examples of showing respect for school property include: cleaning up after themselves in the hallway, classroom, and bathroom; putting school supplies, books, and other supplies back where they belong; logging off computers; and making sure their seating area is nice and tidy for the next class.

4. Responsibility 

Students can show that they are responsible by being on time for school and class. This also means that they turn in assignments on time, stay on task, and refrain from distracting other students. 

No one is perfect, so one of the best examples of responsibility is when a student accepts responsibility for doing something wrong. Responsible students are honest even if they know it will lead to negative consequences. This shows they are able to self-reflect and learn from their decisions.

More examples of responsible behaviors include: being prepared for class, feeding the class pet, managing time, and staying organized 

5. Patience (not running, waiting for your turn, not talking over others)

Patience is a virtue that many adults still struggle with. When students move too quickly or rush through assignments, that’s when mistakes can be made or someone can get hurt. 

The best way to build patience is to highlight opportunities to be patient. When a situation arises where you anticipate students being impatient, tell them that this is a great opportunity for them to display patience. 

You can also teach patience using delayed gratification. If you use a token economy in your school, the students have to wait until they receive enough points to redeem them for items. 

The students can control their behavior, but they can’t control when the teacher will distribute points. This means they have to be patient and wait. 

One way to combat hearing “will I get points for this?” every time a student does something good is to tell them that they will not receive points when they ask that question because it shows that they are being impatient.

More examples of patience in school include: walking to recess instead of running, waiting in the lunch line without complaining, and waiting for others to finish talking instead of interrupting them

6. Follows rules

In order for a student to show good behavior in school, they must follow the classroom rules. Each teacher will have their own rules, so students need to understand that what’s allowed in one classroom won’t automatically be allowed in another one. 

For example, some teachers don’t mind students eating in the classroom whereas other teachers won’t even allow students to chew gum in class. Likewise, it might be acceptable to run in gym class but not in music class. 

Students must understand that in order to display good behavior, they need to follow the rules in their specific classroom regardless of the rules in other classrooms.

Students can make sure they’re following the rules by listening to instructions, asking questions when a rule is misunderstood, and reading the rules that should be displayed on the board or wall

Next Steps for Your School

Although it is important to be proactive in defining good behavior, it is just as important to acknowledge good behavior when you see it. Acknowledging and rewarding good behavior can serve as positive reinforcement, which encourages students to keep exhibiting the desirable behavior. 

Some schools create acronyms as a simple way to help students remember the behavior expectations. Display these good behavior examples in the hallways and other common areas, so students will have constant reminders of what is expected of them. 

Make sure the adults in the building are also aware of the expectations, so they can be applied consistently throughout the school.

Learn more about the author, 
Deiera Bennett
 

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