Classroom Rules and ideas to adapt

When I have a classroom I would really like to create an environment where students feel comfortable and empowered to learn. I believe one of the ways this can be achieved is through creating a common ground together as a team. The way I'd execute this is by having the class on the first few weeks come together as a whole and to create rules together. There of course would already be a few rules like no cellphones in class, respect, tolerance, no bullying, etc.etc. Besides that I'd really like to encourage the students to practice democracy by opening the floor up to the students to allow them to self motivate a comfortable environment for learning.

A topic I'd really like to scaffold during this rule making process would be the idea of failure and finding comfort within it, as a tool of education. I would really like to have a sculpture class, and a large factor in sculpture is experimenting and exploring what a material can do for you and how it will help you convey your voice. With this in mind I find that this kind of medium and environment can really create a great base for finding comfort in failure and learning from it.

I also would like to make a rule of not turning anything down, like advice wise. This I believe will help the student practice adaptation, open-mindedness, and for the students are going to art school, the idea of acknowledging that they don't know everything and should listen to others. This was something I found typically challenging when I went to art school at first, thinking that being an artist was all about artistic expression, and how could anyone else educate me on myself better then myself... but that's not the reality of art all the time, theres a bigger challenge for artists to step outside of themselves, experiment and allow control to be lost.

Something else I'd really like to practice within my classroom is the idea of research and concept behind art. Learning about the world is important to survival and adaptation and art can be a great tool and buffer for this to be practiced. I'd really like to include a small research aspect to all of my lessons. This would coexist with the common core issues schools are having as well as a great practice into the hard, tedious, torturous world of college. I feel a big part of my job as a art educator within a high school environment is to prepare these students for college and how serious it can be if you commit, allow and respect the mentality and philosophy one gains in college.

Finally I'd really like to add appropriate and constructive feed back on others art work during critiques. I don't believe that enough art educators teach students the importance of giving and receiving criticism on their art, as well as practice an environment where this is possible. This I believe can expose students to how they can adapt others ideas to this, how they can vocalize and communicate what they are thinking in a constructive, honest manner. This I believe can be practiced if the environment is appropriate and the students feel safe.