Polly Bath: I have three rules in my classroom. I tell kids right from the beginning of the school year what they are.

Number one: if it’s a building rule, then it’s a classroom rule. If you can’t wear a hat in the hallway, you can’t wear a hat in the classroom. I make sure to never break a building rule in my classroom.

Number two: if it’s illegal, the kids can’t do it.

Number three: I reserve the bottom line. When I say no, negotiation’s over. Everything else the kids can come to me and ask, but if I say no, we’re done discussing it.

As the adult, that is why I’m here. To teach the kids what they can and cannot do. It’s our job to say no.