Teaching Your Kids to Respect School Rules

In order for your child to succeed academically and develop important social skills, they must understand how to respect school rules, as well as other people.

To help your child understand why this is so important and why they should do their best to follow school rules, here are some helpful tips from Mill Hill School…

Role model

Parents should role model good behaviour both at home and in public. You should ensure that your children understand the meaning of respect and the difference between respectful and disrespectful behaviour. Try to avoid any rule breaking (particularly whilst your children are watching!) If you are caught breaking rules your children will believe they can too.

School rules

If your child’s school has a set of rules displayed on their website, it is a good idea to print this off for your child to read before starting school. Discuss these rules with your child and ensure that they understand why each one is important. The majority of school rules are put in place to guarantee the safety and security of your child and the staff.

Respect teachers

Always encourage your children to value their own learning and success. They can demonstrate this by being respectful towards their teachers, arriving on time to school and working to the best of their ability. Point out inappropriate ways to behave, specifically within a classroom and make sure that your kids are aware of the punishments they can expect if they misbehave.

The same approach also applies to tutors who provide dedicated lessons for your child, such as if you book Year 10 tutoring courses to help them with the physics syllabus. While the tutor may not be their school teacher, they owe him or her the same respect.

Pay attention

One of the main things that your child will need to do in class is pay attention to the teacher. It is also important that they listen to their classmates when it is their turn to speak. This is something that you can practise at home. Have some ‘quiet time’ in order to teach them that when everyone in a room is quiet, they should be too. You should also point out when your child is interrupting a conversation by asking them to wait until you have finished speaking.

Take pride 

Finally, school rules often include instructions on how to respect school property and the environment. This means never causing damage to school property and always using rubbish and recycling bins, instead of littering. It is crucial that all students take pride in their school environment and want to play a part in keeping it safe and clean.