The value and development of routines is definitely taught in college. Where many new teachers miss the mark is in the practice of them. They are ready to get all that stuff out of the way and start teaching lessons. There are several books that tell a teacher how to handle the first three days of school but I submit that the first three weeks are equally as critical. Everybody memorized their math facts but they weren’t really learned until they were practiced. Practice lining up. Practice walking to the gym. Practice where you go for a fire drill. Practice asking for permission to go to the Media Center. Practice apologizing. Make up a million scenarios of things someone could do or say and ask the students if that is the “right thing.” Make it a game. Make it enjoyable. Praise how they have done it. Let students evaluate it themselves. Ask them how it could be better. The key to a student centered classroom is not in the development of routines but the practice of them.

For PEC students, this is extremely important. Again, many of our PEC students have a “high need for certainty”. They need to know how to line up in the classroom, where the gym is and how to walk there, what to expect during a fire drill and where to go, where to line up to leave the lunchroom, etc. Many of our PEC students are unaware of “personal space” boundaries and may get too close to another student, which could cause a problem or even a fight. Or, the exact opposite could happen….some of our students on the Autism Spectrum (ASD), do not like being too close to others, especially when in a line. I typically walked with that student in the front of the line, or at the end of the line. Acknowledge how your special needs students feel and validate it by accommodating those needs. Besides being the right thing to do, it will ultimately save you precious instructional time by eliminating the barrier that causes that one student not to be able to function. Many students on the autism spectrum are extremely bright but struggle with the inability to read non-verbal social cues or have repetitive or obsessive behaviors. To differentiate for these learners you need to modify the environment more than modify the curriculum.

Pamela Webster, M. Ed. SPED

If you are an experienced teacher with a story or routine tip to share, please add it in the comments.