ABSTRACT
Flexibility is equally as important as the rules, routines and boundaries that exist in all teaching and learning environments. Every management team, whether in the public sector or in commerce, is encouraged to show some flexibility in how they apply their policies. However, the most difficult of behaviour management skills to master is the ability to make the right judgement about applying flexibility to the overall approach. A flexible approach should be clearly and carefully thought through. The flexibility should be in the teacher's thought processes rather than in their normal, everyday practice. Over-flexibility in management style might be misinterpreted simply as weakness and encourage some students to test and push the boundaries. In tricky situations, therefore, it is often best to take a flexible or alternative approach. Individual teachers should determine their own appropriate style of approach or flexibility.
