Student achievement does not depend solely on teacher competence. Students' own behavior, their motivation to achieve, and their attitudes toward others around them all contribute. These variables create conditions--an environment--that either favors or disfavors achievement. They can dictate the amount of time a teacher has to devote to "non-learning" behavior. That amount is the amount taken away from teaching and learning. The author proposes teaching students, from an early grade on, how to observe the guidelines that make for a well-run business meeting. It is hypothesized that, when translated into guidelines appropriate for a classroom, it can transform classrooms. It can make them orderly and purposeful. It can create an environment that will favor achievement.