SOAR

One thing I've learned in my teaching career is that students need taught what is expected of them.  They need to know what it means to be a good citizen and what a good citizen looks like not only in the classroom but in life as well.  A friend of mine helped me to come up with the acronym SOAR which stands for

SAFE BEHAVIOR

ON TASK

ACT RESPONSIBLY

RESPECT SELF/OTHERS.

At the beginning of the year, my students and I work together to determine what each of those things looks like in the classroom, on the playground, at lunch, in the hallways, and even in the restroom.  Then as the year progresses we discuss how SOAR helps us outside of the classroom in our community.  I use this for behavior management because it puts the responsibility back on the students.  If someone is not "soaring" he/she fills out a reflection sheet in which he/she must answer the question "In which area(s) were you not "soaring"?  I have found it to be a great asset to my classroom and my students.  Visit my teacher shop on Teacher's Notebook if you would like a poster for your room.  Click the picture below.