5. Obey all school rules. As with the elementary class rules, this covers many behaviors and situations, so you do not have to repeat every school rule for your class. This reminds students that the school rules apply in your room too and gives you the chance to talk about which school rules are particularly important in your class (no cell phones, no texting . . .). It also reminds the students that you will be monitoring them inside and outside your class.

Make sure you know all the school rules. Some secondary students are very adept at convincing teachers that their misbehavior “really isn’t against the rules.”