Student Contributor: M. Reynolds
This is a tool we use in my classroom to help remind students of hallway expectations. Even if the class is out of control, and some students are not in line or paying attention, when we begin to sing this song, every student turns around, faces forward, sings along, and gets ready to walk in the hall with a zero voice, this tool works as a preventative procedure for hallway expectations.
When the students are lining up in the classroom to enter the hall, we begin to sing this song, and students are reminded exactly what the expectations are of them in the hallway. This tool should be used every time before entering the hallway. I have noticed that days where I do not sing this song with my first graders, they tend to not follow directions or expectations of being in the hallway. Performing this preventative task before you leave the classroom, helps prevent future behavioral issues in the hallway. This song is a procedure we perform in our classroom every time before going into the hallway.
This hallway song is the perfect example of a preventative phase tool. It is preventative because students are being reminded of the expectations before they step into the hall or exhibit undesired behaviors. This relates to the supportive phase because it is also supporting those students who need a reminder of what the hallway expectations are. By putting it in the preventative phase, we now avoid having to use the corrective phase, because students are reminded exactly of what the expectations are of them in the hallway. In my opinion, this is a teacher centered tool. The reason I say this is because the teacher is the one who leads the song. I have noticed that when other substitutes are in the room, the students do not do this on their own. It is a teacher centered song because the teacher is expected to lead, and the students are expected to follow
More Information –
Tool Source: I do not know the original source that created this song, but my mentor teacher has been using it for a very, very long time. I have not noticed other teachers doing the same song, but I do notice they have similar procedures where students are reminded of hallway expectations before leaving the classroom. The only difference is, the song is easy to follow along with, and students most likely begin to sing along with the teacher, so they are reminding themselves as well.
