Establishing and Maintaining Healthy Boundaries
There are many ways to establish and maintain healthy boundaries with students. Below is a list of helpful suggestions based
on interviews with experienced teachers. Do consult teachers, counselors and administrators at your own school for more ways to establish and maintain healthy boundaries. Always keep in mind that each student and situation are unique; what works for one may not necessarily work for another.
1. Establish and enforce clear classroom rules at the very beginning of the school year. Take immediate disciplinary action with students who break the rules.
2. Address any discipline and/or behavioral issues immediately; don't let them continue for days or weeks before taking steps to correct it.
3. Document, document, document: keep documentation for any discipline related issues and actions that have been taken.
4. Avoid becoming visibly emotional or upset during any sort of conflict or confrontation.
5. Avoid the use of sarcasm in the classroom; you never know for sure how the students will interpret it.
6. Keep in mind that when a student is experiencing an issue(s), and as a result acts out in your classroom, it is probably not about you.
7. Seek out counseling staff when students are in need of extra support.
8. Many teachers and administrators advise against engaging in "email wars" with parents who are upset. For discussions about sensitive topics such as behavioral or academic issues, it is better to call parents directly.
9. Treat all students with equal respect; avoid obvious displays of preferential/inferior treatment of one student over another.
10. Be conscious of what you say to individual students in front of others when dealing with behavioral issues and/or critiquing student work.
11. Be conscious of comments written on student work; make sure constructive criticism is specific to what you looking for. i.e., avoid general phrases like "needs more effort."
12. Limit conversations about your personal life including (but not limited to) religion, politics and lifestyle. Sharing age and content appropriate anecdotes as they relate to your subject area is generally permissible.
13. If sensitive topics are going to be discussed in your classroom as part of a lesson or unit, preface it with the disclaimer that you will not be sharing your personal opinions about it.
14. If at any time you feel that you have crossed the line or made a mistake with your own behavior, apologize when appropriate.
15. Find out your school's policy on communication with students via the internet and social networking sites and follow it. If your school doesn't have a policy regarding use of internet and social networking sites, consider setting your own. Declining friendship requests from students on social networking sites is generally considered the safest action to take.
16. Even if you are not 'friends' with students on such sites, make sure your page is set to the highest level of privacy, so that students cannot access information about you. Also be conscious of your main profile picture, as it is usually visible regardless of privacy settings.
17. Keep in mind that in the profession of teaching, teachers are there to teach and not to be the students' friend.
18. Be conscious of touching. Do not engage in excessive touching of any sort. Do not initiate hugs with students. If a student tries to hug you, try to stick to sideways hugs (hip to hip), avoiding chest to chest. Avoid touching their legs or waist area. Lap sitting should always be avoided. If needed, tapping students on their shoulder to get their attention is generally permissible.
19. Avoid giving out personal phone numbers to students. Likewise, avoid text messaging students. Please consult your school's policy if you are a sports coach for exceptions to this guideline.
20. Attending students' school-sanctioned sporting events, concerts and extracurricular activities to show support is fine; attending non-school sponsored extracurricular activities should generally be avoided.
2. Address any discipline and/or behavioral issues immediately; don't let them continue for days or weeks before taking steps to correct it.
3. Document, document, document: keep documentation for any discipline related issues and actions that have been taken.
4. Avoid becoming visibly emotional or upset during any sort of conflict or confrontation.
5. Avoid the use of sarcasm in the classroom; you never know for sure how the students will interpret it.
6. Keep in mind that when a student is experiencing an issue(s), and as a result acts out in your classroom, it is probably not about you.
7. Seek out counseling staff when students are in need of extra support.
8. Many teachers and administrators advise against engaging in "email wars" with parents who are upset. For discussions about sensitive topics such as behavioral or academic issues, it is better to call parents directly.
9. Treat all students with equal respect; avoid obvious displays of preferential/inferior treatment of one student over another.
10. Be conscious of what you say to individual students in front of others when dealing with behavioral issues and/or critiquing student work.
11. Be conscious of comments written on student work; make sure constructive criticism is specific to what you looking for. i.e., avoid general phrases like "needs more effort."
12. Limit conversations about your personal life including (but not limited to) religion, politics and lifestyle. Sharing age and content appropriate anecdotes as they relate to your subject area is generally permissible.
13. If sensitive topics are going to be discussed in your classroom as part of a lesson or unit, preface it with the disclaimer that you will not be sharing your personal opinions about it.
14. If at any time you feel that you have crossed the line or made a mistake with your own behavior, apologize when appropriate.
15. Find out your school's policy on communication with students via the internet and social networking sites and follow it. If your school doesn't have a policy regarding use of internet and social networking sites, consider setting your own. Declining friendship requests from students on social networking sites is generally considered the safest action to take.
16. Even if you are not 'friends' with students on such sites, make sure your page is set to the highest level of privacy, so that students cannot access information about you. Also be conscious of your main profile picture, as it is usually visible regardless of privacy settings.
17. Keep in mind that in the profession of teaching, teachers are there to teach and not to be the students' friend.
18. Be conscious of touching. Do not engage in excessive touching of any sort. Do not initiate hugs with students. If a student tries to hug you, try to stick to sideways hugs (hip to hip), avoiding chest to chest. Avoid touching their legs or waist area. Lap sitting should always be avoided. If needed, tapping students on their shoulder to get their attention is generally permissible.
19. Avoid giving out personal phone numbers to students. Likewise, avoid text messaging students. Please consult your school's policy if you are a sports coach for exceptions to this guideline.
20. Attending students' school-sanctioned sporting events, concerts and extracurricular activities to show support is fine; attending non-school sponsored extracurricular activities should generally be avoided.
