With an “academically challenged student” we don’t expect them to learn all the skills and content they are missing on the first day. We don’t teach them something and then if they can’t do it immediately give them consequences. We differentiate, review, we use all sorts of modalities to engage, and if everything we try doesn’t work we try something else. We expect to see progressive growth from day one until the end of the year.
Why don’t we take this approach with kids who are “behavior challenged?” Why do teachers expect to tell them something once and then if they don’t do it “punish” them. What if teachers approached behavior just like academics. Teach it, review it, reinforce it, opps you made a mistake lets try it this way, here’s why its important, here’s how it impacts your life, your future, and if that doesn’t work try something totally different expecting not an immediate turnaround but slow growth over the course of the year.
6 responses so far ↓
That is not how my family works, it’s more like they say something once, i forget and then when i say sorry i forgot they say no you’re lieing. It’s not the best way to discipline me but it works. For me its not saying things more then once because then i get mad because i heard it before; it’s more about saying it then a few hours later (like 3 or 4) reminding me.
[Reply]
I taught my high school seniors to stop their automatic, non stop “cursing” by using this method. It took a few months, but they did. I said it was not appropriate in a public setting. I didn’t say “Never curse” just please don’t curse in my class. I only had to “discipline” one student who combined dangerous signs of violence with his cursing. I had an epiphany when I read the book “Babe, the Gallant PIg”. Babe just politely asked the sheep to do what he needed them to do and explained why. The dogs just barked and barked. I think most teachers are like the dogs. We should strive to be like Babe instead.
[Reply]
Funny but true story
I approach behavior in the way you describe. I’m at a new school this year, and I have a math class working away in the classroom, and a boy yells out some stuff, and then fires something across the room. He sees that I’ve seen him, and I motion with my head for him to go outside so that I can speak to him privately about his behaviour. I stop to tell my support teacher that I’ll be back in a minute. Meanwhile, he goes out and starts down the hall. I have to run to catch up with him. “Where are you going?” I ask. He looks at me like I’m stupid, and says, “To the responsibility room. That’s where you’re sending me right? Just like everybody else.”
I said, “No, I just needed you to step outside, so we could have a private conversation.”
I WISH I’d had a camera to take a picture of the look on his face. It was priceless.
Haven’t had issues with that student since that first week!
[Reply]
[...] Instant Discipline? from Blogush by Paul Bogush, he states, “Why don’t we take this approach with kids who are [...]
Good discipline is often one in the same with good relationships within a school be they student:student, teacher:student, teacher:teacher, administrator:student. I marvel everyday at how our dean of students is able through the power of the relationships he’s built with the students diffuse situations and help model appropriate behavior for students. I’ve never been surprised that usually it is my teachers who are incapable of forming respectful relationships with students or peers who have the most discipline issues in their classes.
[Reply]
Well, that’s just it: Behavior issues and learning issues are *not* the same, and cannot be approached the same, especially when the behavioral issues are the result of something biochemical. I can only imagine using your approach with a kid who is prone to violence. Not sure how effective it would be.
That said, your approach may prove effective with very young children. With older kids whose behavior is not the result of a biochemical event, but who, like most kids mis-step, there need to be consequences, and critical thinking, i.e. what did I do wrong, and how can I make it right?
[Reply]
Leave a Comment