1. Promoting Respect in the
Classroom
By
Melissa Winfield

2. Be Consistent
Respect in the classroom can be elicited from
students by being consistent in your language
and actions, especially in the application of
consequences for violation of rules. Students
like predictability in their day and when the
routine of the classroom is consistent, there is
predictability. Predictability helps to maintain a
structured environment and promotes the
development of self-control in students.

3. Be Fair
It is often human nature for people to show favoritism--
intentionally or unintentionally -- and it is a practice that
is unfair and fosters resentment in the students who do
not receive preferential treatment. Teachers are human,
so it is possible that a teacher might actually have
favorites. However, working hard to not hold past
indiscretions against students, allowing them to start
each day with a clean slate and treating each student
equally will go a long way to foster respect in your
students. Treat all of them the same, all the time.

4. Respect As an Expectation
Students need to recognize respect as being an
expectation and anything else will not be tolerated in the
classroom. Actually viewing that respectful exchange will
help them to understand the expectation and serve as a
model of acceptable behavior. Also, students need to
learn to show respect to their peers and expect that
same respect in exchange. The teacher is key in the
development of peer respect. The teacher must mandate
mutual peer respect as a routine class expectation.
Anything less, is unacceptable.

5. Be Confident and Competent
Exude confidence. In order to gain the
confidence and respect of students, teachers
must exude a high level of confidence and back
up that confidence with confident body language
and tone. Respect is earned, but more easily
earned if the teacher is confidence in their
command of the classroom. It is essential that
students see the teacher as a confident and
competent commander of the classroom and
worthy of respect.

6. The Role of Character Education

7. What is character education?
• Character education is a learning process that
enables students and adults in a school
community to understand, care about and act on
core ethical values such as respect, justice, civic
virtue and citizenship, and responsibility for self
and others. Upon such core values, we form the
attitudes and actions that are at the heart of
safe, healthy and informed communities that
serve as the foundation of our society.

8. Why is character education
important?
• 1. Students Might Not Be Getting It at Home. Despite the idea that teaching character is really
the parent’s job, to be played out in the confines of the home, the reality is that many children do
not have parents that are intentionally challenging them to live lives of kindness and integrity.
With work schedules and after school activities, sometimes the time spent with a teacher is
longer during the weekdays than the time spent with a parent, anyway, and so the importance of
using those hours to teach things that really matter increases.
• 2. Character Education Builds Relationships. When students have the space to engage with
each other and with a teacher about things of real life beyond math facts and grammar rules,
relationships are built within the classroom. Students hear each other’s stories, think about their
lives and grow more connected to the others in the learning environment. This not only has
benefits socially and personally for students, but it also increases the effectiveness of classroom
management.
• 3. Character Education Creates Positive School Environments. When classrooms are
intentionally engaged in discussions and activities about a person’s character, the entire school
begins to have a more positive atmosphere. Students feel more connected with each other, and
teacher-student relationships are strengthened. Character education allows teachers to share life
experience, rather than only book experience.

9. • 4. Character Education Can Easily Be Integrated Into the Curriculum. Character
education doesn’t mean hours of research of lesson plans. It can be as simple as 5
minutes at the beginning of class to discuss a meaningful quote or a half an hour on
Fridays to share an inspirational video.
• 5. Teaching Character Can Help Prepare Students for Adulthood. The students in
your classroom will be the adults who shape our society in future years. While it is
important that they graduate intellectually educated, the value of your students
becoming citizens who interact in the world with kindness, respect, integrity, and
moral behavior is also an important factor in their development.