From Joyce...
Is Your Discipline
Policy
Working For You?
If discipline does
not teach a skill, it is not discipline. If a school discipline policy
is not designed to teach students the skills they needs to avoid
further confrontation with authority, then it is not a discipline
policy. To discipline is to teach. Unfortunately, many so called
‘school-wide discipline policies” are improperly named because they
have little to do with teaching and have everything to do with
punishing. They would better be called a school wide punishment
policy. Punishment is an important tool of discipline but it should
not be mistaken for discipline itself; most often it is.
For example, most
schools use some form of a time out system as punishment for behavior
infractions. In kindergarten, it may be the time out chair. In
elementary school, it may be a seat outside the principal’s office and
by middle school and high school most schools have some form of
in-school suspension. When a student is sent to one of these time out
places, it is with the hope that a) they will reflect on the error of
their ways b) feel the pain of being removed from the group and c)
resolve not to get in trouble again.
How often, in your
experience does this happen?If punishment was working this would
happen frequently. Most often it does not. Yet we continue to use
time out as a primary behavior management tool. Time out, in whatever
form it takes, is often effective with children and adolescents who
have been well trained at home and been taught that school is
important and that they must behave while there. These students do
not like being in trouble and will usually correct themselves after
having been punished.
If, however, a
student has been inadequately trained at home, has some form of
serious behavior difficulty or is living in a stressful situation,
then a time out does nothing to encourage them to act properly or keep
their behavior under control. In fact, many times these students are
so unable to handle themselves in a regular classroom situation, much
less in the halls, commons areas or the cafeteria that getting into a
time out situation is a relief for them. In-school suspension is less
stressful for them. They prefer it. It relieves them of the necessity
to get along with their teachers or peers. It certainly doesn’t teach
them how to handle frustration or control their temper. Time out
doesn’t teach students how to get along with a difficult teacher,
handle pressure from their peers or walk away from a bully with their
dignity in tact. These are learned skills. In fact, they are behavior
skills that must be taught. Who is teaching these skills to students
with chronic behavior problems? The hope, of course, is that parents
will be willing and able to teach their children these skills. Has
this been your experience? Sadly, more and more frequently parents
cannot or do not teach them.
An effective and
efficient school discipline program could and should teach these
skills. There are excellent curriculums available for doing so. Most
schools have accredited teachers or even administrators supervising
the in-school suspension program. Students could be taught coping
skills, self-discipline and behavior skills by these educators while
serving their time out. At the very least, they could be helped to
reflect on the circumstances and decisions that got them into trouble
and then plan for how they can avoid the same problem all over again.
They can be taught
all manner of skills while being suspended from normal school
activities. For the price of a well developed curriculum and a little
training for one or two teachers, a punishment policy can become a
true discipline policy. It can be cost effective. I have been in many
schools all over this nation that allow one full time administrator to
stay busy all day every day doing nothing but so-called discipline
with the same students over and over. The failure to effectively
discipline students is costly to school systems everywhere.
With a commitment to
a different approach to both discipline and punishment, this can
change dramatically. Students can be taught how to take care of
themselves in tough situations. They can learn to control their
temper and get along with difficult people. These are some of the
most important things they will ever learn. A student with a
brilliant mind and a superior GPA but no self-discipline or ability to
get along within the parameters of normal society will not become a
good citizen and productive member of society which, after all, is the
goal of public education.
Often, when I am
asked to review a school’s discipline or consult with administrators
about their school’s discipline policy, I am handed a long list,
sometimes pages and pages, of infractions with a corresponding list of
punishment for each infraction. Parents and students are expected to
read this list and beware. My first question after reviewing the list
is “Is this working for you?” This question is sometimes met with a
blank stare, in which case, I explain what my definition of policy
that is working.
Discipline policies
are working when students, after having been disciplined, are able to
return to their normal school routine and not make the same conduct
error again. It is working when a student does not have to be
disciplined over and over for the same infraction. If a student has
to be reprimanded and punished repeatedly for the same behavior then
clearly they have not been taught how to handle themselves or a
particular situation in an acceptable manner. An adult in the school
system may feel some degree of satisfaction because this student has
been punished again. Sometimes that is the driving force in keeping an
ineffective system of punishment in place. Adults feel better when
kids are punished when they do things wrong whether or not it is
effective.
Continuing to punish
them for doing the wrong thing is not going to teach them whatever
they need to know to do the right thing next time. While teaching a
child to handle his or her frustrations, keep control of his or her
temper and respect authority, is a parent’s responsibility, the
reality is that many children and adolescents come to public school
never having been taught these essential skills. Schools systems can
continue to punish students for lacking these skills or they can teach
them.
A school discipline
policy is working when students are taught what they need to know to
be successful including self-control. Students may be punished when
they are not able to exercise self-control but it will not teach them
how to behave differently the next time. A discipline policy that
works will.
|
January 26, 2006
