she has during the last 3 weeks? Be as specific as possible. It is common for difficult students to do a variety of things that we may find irritating. It will probably be easier to get a student to take his feet off a chair than it will be to have the student show a positive attitude throughout class. As Covey (1989) advises, “Begin with the end in mind.”
2. Is Anyone Getting Better Results?
If you want to be successful at something, it is usually prudent to find people who have already attained the success you desire and examine what they did to get the results you seek. Are there teachers who have had or now have a troubling student in class and are achieving good, or better, behavior than you are achieving? Does this student have a favorite class or teacher? Can you free up some time to observe this teacher’s style so that you can see what techniques might work for you?
I have worked with many “alternative” education teachers and students during my career. Many alternative programs have a primary goal of getting the student to perform and behave sufficiently well in the curriculum to warrant return to the “regular” program. Sadly, most students who earn their way back into the regular program fail to achieve success there. Inflexibility within the regular program is a major contributing factor to this lack of transfer of success from one program to the next. Too often success depends on the alternative student adjusting to the demands of the regular program. While this is a viable goal, it is interesting that the regular education staff virtually never reaches out to the alternative education staff to find out what was done to achieve success. Instead of attempting to adjust behavior and environment to replicate the success experienced elsewhere, many educators keep doing the same old things and then become angry or frustrated when kids fail to improve. Chances for behavioral success dramatically improve when we keep in mind the behavior we desire to achieve, look around to see what techniques have been successful, and are not afraid to mimic or apply those successful methods with our students.
3. Is the Method Working?
The most practical consideration is to ask yourself if your method is working. Clearly, an effective discipline method should lead toward better or improved behavior and less undesirable behavior. Once you develop a plan for improving behavior, implement it at least five times or for a trial period of 3 weeks. During this time, you should begin to see some evidence that better behavior is increasing, although the student may occasionally continue the undesirable behavior. Almost all change includes backsliding; as students improve their behavior, expect to see periodic returns to the old behavior. Change is a roller-coaster ride of ups and downs. When we see this roller-coaster pattern, we have evidence that the method is working, and that it is wise to continue using it. However, if there is little or no evidence of behavioral improvement during this period, be flexible and move on to another strategy. For example, if detention results in more evidence of better behavior lasting for a longer interval, continue to use detention with that student. If there is no indication of positive change, it is wise to try something else.
4. Does the Method Dignify or Humiliate?
Whether or not a method works is insufficient in deciding if it should be continued. For example, a severe threat from you to the student may achieve immediate results due to the fear the student instantly feels, but this quick result may lead to payback later. Therefore, it is equally important for us to assess how we might feel and be affected if we were on the receiving end of our method. For example, if we believe that a consequence would attack our dignity, we should consider something else. Ask yourself, “If somebody did this to me while trying to get me to behave according to his or her standards, would I feel his or her actions were an attack on my self-esteem, or would I leave with my dignity intact?” Think of all students as having tenure in your classroom, and treat them accordingly. When they misbehave, realize that your response needs to both stop the problem and keep the students motivated to learn. How we affect their dignity is perhaps the factor over which we have the greatest control in determining whether or not the problem continues.
5. Is the Method Based on Obedience, or Does It Teach Responsibility?
We need to consider whether or not the method teaches responsibility or merely elicits compliance. Although compliance is better than chaos, it is not as good as responsibility. Virtually all methods of behavior modification are about obedience, since we control all of the rewards and punishments. In the hands of caring educators, behavior modification methods can be very helpful in motivating students to change quickly. Most people will alter their behavior quickly if they know what is expected, have the ability to do what is expected, and value a promised reward for making the change. Unfortunately, these changes do not last unless they are eventually “owned” by the person for whom they are designed. In fact, it is common for students to behave in order to earn that first reward, but they will eventually resent the approach because they feel they are being controlled. Proper behavior is a worthy goal of all discipline methods, but the bigger job is to help students make choices and learn from the consequences of the choices they make. Responsibility is achieved by implementing methods of discipline that offer limits with choices. Good long-term discipline that teaches responsibility focuses on getting students to do the right thing because it is the right thing to do. Therefore, methods of behavior modification can be used to change behavior fast, but in order to make these changes last, methods that teach responsibility are necessary. Our work is not done if students comply in our presence but misbehave in our absence.
6. How Does the Method Affect the Student’s Motivation to Learn?
When a discipline method is implemented at school, it is important that the technique positively affect student motivation. A method that controls behavior but turns students off to learning is harmful. For example, a suspended student who is overloaded with worksheets to be kept busy is likely to hate learning even more than he did before the suspension.
The best learning occurs when students are aroused and awakened to ask questions and challenge themselves, their teachers, and each other. If a discipline method gets a student to behave but scares her away from asking questions because she thinks humiliation will be the result if a mistake is made, then what might be viewed as an effective method of behavior control is, in fact, destructive to the very learning process we must encourage. When exploring a method of discipline, ask how the method might affect your desire to learn. Search for, observe, and learn from fellow educators who seem to promote good discipline while keeping students motivated to learn.
Part 2
Tips for Prevention
2 Tips for Welcoming Students
I passed Mr. Waxman in the hall. I had him last year for English, and even though I said hi to him, he walked right past me as if he never met me before.
—Lucas, age 16
Mrs. Hodges is really cool. Even though I only have her for one class period a day, I feel like I can talk to her about anything!
—Myeka, age 14
SET UP YOUR CLASSROOM IN A WELCOMING WAY
A new school year typically begins for teachers at least a few days before students arrive. The main purpose of this time is for organization of the classroom, although there is often some time set aside for professional development. A motivational speaker is often brought in to help inspire the “troops” on one educational theme or another. I have often been the motivational speaker for such
