3/28…Classroom Management/School Discipline and the Aims of Schooling
What was school discipline like where you went to school? Looking back, can you remember any teachers who did a particularly good job of managing their class? What did they do/not do?
In school I remember teachers had behavior charts, reward systems, another systems of managing discipline. I know we could have been written up if something was very severe. In middle school they announced detention, suspension, ISS, and even being expelled if necessary. I think most teachers try their best to implement rules into the classroom for discipline but I do think sometimes those are not always followed. I would say my middle school teachers took behavior more seriously and would hold a student accountable if needed. I think different systems are used all around in different schools and I think teachers try different ways to find what works for them and their classroom.
When I was in school I remember watching my classmates get to pick from the treasure chest of rewards for not making any mistakes in class. I would be SO sad watching because I wanted candy but even just answering a question wrong in class would take that ability away from me. As far as good management goes, nothing really sticks out to me other than the basic things such as lunch detention and having seats moved if a student couldn't stop talking to someone near them.
Growing up I feel as though it was hard to pinpoint an exact method as I was often put in classes where obedience was a joke and being obnoxious was the norm. But one method of discipline that I will never forget is when teachers would place the “bad” kids next to the quiet ones to make them more behaved. Unlike now I was a very introverted quiet kid so I was always stuck with the problem kid which led to me struggling to complete even the most basic tasks. Rather than fixing the problem themselves, my instructors decided it was my job as a fellow student to satiate the issues of the others. This seems to be a problem with many older styles of fixing behavior and it needs to be stopped as if your way of fixing a problem is handing it to a child you have some work to do. But another teacher who did something good was my 4th-grade science teacher. She implemented a treasure chest where if we (our table group) could win prizes if our group was good for the whole week. This worked phenomenally with the only exceptions being sub days as we being kids took advantage of them and took extra toys. What set this apart was that it made all of us accountable for our actions not just the ones watching the bad kids!
School discipline was different depending on the school. Elementary and middle school we got a lot of group punishments like silent lunch or no recess. I had one teacher who used exercises as punishment like crab and bear crawls and laps it was painful. In high school they were quick to iss for everything to include dress code violations and even looking at someone the wrong way. If they could even think you were gonna cause a fight or on your way to break dress code you would get iss. Honestly I can’t think of a teacher or school who was reasonable with their punishments it all felt out of control and extreme. It was really stressful as a kid in these schools.
In elementary school I remember we had a bell that would ring to get the class to be quiet and when we'd hear that bell we knew to stop talking because the teacher was trying to get our attention. We also had class jobs to encourage responsibility and unity. We also had rewards like candy or a homework pass when we showed good behavior. Discipline was either getting sent to the office, or I'd get asked to take a walk in the hallway or go sit in the hallway, we would lose recess or have to sit in the dark and put our heads down on the desk. I feel like some of these strategies were effective in the short term for dealing with minor misbehaviors or distractions but they weren't always a permanent fix.
In all my years of school I feel like I've encountered many different ways of managing classroom behavior. One that I really enjoyed was how my 3rd grade teacher, she would say that she loved that we had so many comments and questions but as we had so many comments we needed a solution to keep it orderly my teacher created a talking stick and when its out their should be no side talking and all eyes should be on the speaker. I loved this because it allowed all the students to listen to ALL the information their classmates are feeling and also was just a fun little thing we all loved!
In elementary school rewards and classmanagment was seen more from the teachers. I remember when a student acted out you were often given laps to walk at recess or sat outside in the hall with extra work to keep you busy. I do not think these are good examples of good classroom management. I think a good teacher is not always punishing students and taking them out of class. I think that classroom managment starts at the begging of the year and as the year goes on the students know the expectations. As long as you are in a consistent good mood as the teacher so will the students. I think it takes a relationship to suppourt and show your dedicarion for the students.
Classroom management and maintaining discipline were never really that big of a problem at my school due to its small size. The only times that kids ever had disciplinary action against them was when they were caught with either vapes or alcohol. If a teacher caught someone vaping, they were supposed to report it to either the principal or assistant principal, and then they would deal with it. For the most part, the teachers who treated their students well and listened to their input were typically the teachers who were able to manage the classroom better, as the students respected the teacher for respecting them.
When it comes to classroom management and school discipline, the goals are to create a positive learning environment where students feel safe and motivated to everyone to focus on learning and growing together; it helps students thrive academically and socially. In school, I remember teachers had behavior charts, reward systems, and other systems of managing discipline.
When I was in elementary school I remember having behavior charts where we had to move or clip up or down. We also had a school-wide thing called think sheets where when you got in trouble you had to reflect on what you did and why you did it. I think that these could be embarrassing for kids because you get called out in front of the class most of the time. These methods can work but I don't think that they are the best option for classroom management.
In Kindergarten, we had an individual behavior chart sent home to our parents each day. Our parents had to sign that they had seen how we had behaved in class. Students with good behaviors got rewards like stickers and picked from the prize chest after a long period of good behavior. I remember a time I got a warning for talking at school, which meant a red sticker in my chart. My parents did not tolerate poor behavior and i would have privileges taken away at home as a result of this. My teachers did not recognize the severity of this chart's effect on me. The very same day I received a red sticker I was still recognized in the classroom for good behavior for a month and received a pug stuffed animal. I spent the entire afternoon crying at daycare ashamed of myself and afraid of being a disappointment to my parents. In the numbered grades recess was the primary discipline tactic. Teachers would take away time from one recess or even whole weeks of it from individuals depending on behavior. I recall a fifth-grade teacher even making students sit out of recess for anything less than an a on a few tests. Later on, discipline seemed less of a role for a teacher and more of a role for administration. The best teachers at classroom management don;t focus on taking things away from students, but by getting them interested in participating.
In elementary school, we used a card system for pre-k through fourth grade, and in fifth grade, we used a money system. The card system had four levels: green (best), yellow, blue, and red, and each time someone misbehaved or broke a rule, they would have to flip their card. There were rewards if you always stayed on green and if you got in trouble again while on a red card, you were sent to the principal. The fifth grade money system worked like real money. If you got in trouble, you were given a fine, etc. I enjoyed this money system a lot because my teacher tried to make it resemble the real world as much as possible and it was also great practice for learning how to save, invest, and spend money. I did not like the card system because it was very public, and kids would get bullied for flipping their card and teachers always made a big show of having a child flip their card, which I feel was not fair. Middle and high school were normal compared to others: getting written up, serving detention, sitting in a quiet lunch, etc.
I believe the discipline from my elementary school days seems to stay and resonate in my mind more often these days. Back then in New York especially in private schools’ corporal punishment was still allowed, it was banned in public schools but it was still active in private schools and actually I looked it up recently and it was just banned last year officially. We had the usual behavioral charts and the different color assortments to where you were whether you acted good, or bad but corporal punishment was a general go to for majority of punishments. Most were also demeaning and very public meaning that it happened generally within the classroom there was no detention or anything like that it was you were punished in front of the class, and it was humiliating. I think the only reason that teachers were good at managing their classrooms was because everybody was afraid to be punished so most of the time we acted in our best behavior. I mean without the punishment I don't know if they would be able to handle a standard classroom from my perspective.
School discipline in my schools consisted of suspension, detention, expulsion, and revoking certain opportunities like prom or walking the stage for seniors. I had a teacher who was very good at managing not only her class but other classes as well. I think this was because she tried to have good relationships with all the students. She gave the students respect and so they gave it back to her. The students wouldn’t even have her as a teacher yet she still had a relationship with them.
During my senior year of HS, my school started a new program to improve discipline where both students and teachers could call a “Curbside” if things ever got out of hand in the classroom. Basically it's a Google Form that you fill out, it gets sent straight to the administrators’ emails, and then one of them will show up as soon as possible to deescalate the situation. I think the reason they implemented this was to make both the students and the teachers feel like they were on the same level when it comes to standards for good behavior. It lets teachers know that they won't be able to get away with bad behavior, because they're students will call admin on them; it also lets students know the same. I also think this is when the administrators began to be more gentle and handle discipline in a calm, fair manner. They started to treat teachers and students with equal respect which I actually really appreciated. In the past there were definitely times where mean teachers got away with their disrespectful behavior and the students were disciplined unfairly. There were only a few of those mean teachers though. Most of them taught their classes well. The best way teachers managed their class was by having respect for their students, and making sure we were aware of that. No student was going to listen to a teacher if it was obvious they didn't respect us or have any faith/trust in us.
In Elementary School, I remember having the color-coded behavior clip charts where everyone's name was on a clothespin, and you could see everyone's behavior. I remember wanting to be on my best behavior so that my name wouldn't be on the bad levels of behavior, but not all students had the same mindset. I feel like it just kind of embarrassed students. Some kids have bad days, and for them to be called out in school probably didn't help.
I feel like my schools discipline was extremly chaotic, looking back i know they meant well but went about everything completly wrong when handeling students. The respect that everyone had for my school plummeted after covid as the administration was trying to reset boundaries, they often had "tardy sweeps" where they would give kids detention for a week if they were tardy, but this caused a lot of issues because teachers wouldnt allow their students to use the bathroom the first and last 10 minutes of class and with only 5 minutes to get to and from class the bathroom lines would be far too long with little room to get to a class. I had a few good teachers my senior year who managed their class well and really helped their students prepare for college life without going against the rules set by administration
Where I went to school, school discipline was like getting lunch detention, then a referral, after school detention, a referral are the main ones that tended to happen during my high school. The teachers I remember doing a good job managing their class room was my 1st grade teacher Mrs. Seccia because I was in her classroom again during my teacher for tomorrow class last year and she did an amazing job in class management in her classroom. Something she did that was good was the saying “Out, clap, down, zip” a saying in her classroom when the class was getting loud. Overall she did an amazing job when I was there. She had a good control over the classroom and students would listen to her, but I think a reason she did such a good job was because of her years of teaching, of learning things that work in her classroom and things that don’t work.
Peyton roberts: I remember being in elementary school and having a teacher who used the stoplight method. I think it worked because there was an option for reward and an option for discipline. Using a reward and discipline system is a good thing to do for balance in the classroom.
In school I would say the discipline was always the same it was just if you did something bad you'd get either after school or in school detention. Sometimes it would be a situation where we'd have to stay in one room or like a classroom whereas everyone else was switching or was able to leave and do something else. I remember a time in middle school where the teacher would make students sit in the classroom during lunch instead of in the cafeteria with their friends. I have had a couple teachers who were good with managing their class just by simple things like keeping everyone busy and engaged.
I went to a middle school that was viewed by the administrators as a behaviorally challenged school. This meant we were on silent lunch many days a week and our "privilege" of recess was often taken away. Looking back with adult eyes I think the main problem was a mismanagement of students. We would have exceedingly large lunch groups which were bound to get loud, and the same went for recesses. Had they broken down students in a more organized way, maybe the management of students wouldn't have been placed on the students responsibility.
I don't remember much about what my teachers did discipline wise in their classrooms but the one thing I remember being consistent throughout all of my school years is that they would use assigned seats as a form of "discipline". They would usually allow us to sit wherever we wanted to begin with and if we were talking too much then they would make an assigned seating chart. Almost every time they used this as a policy we would end up with assigned seats eventually and I think the reason they did this is so that they could say that they gave us the opportunity to sit where we wanted but we showed that we couldn't without talking too much, this was we couldn't argue with them about our seats.
I've noticed that my experiences with discipline varied greatly depending on the teacher I had. Some teachers used positive reinforcement, while others were sterner, and some struggled with discipline altogether. In middle school especially, I found that many teachers lacked effective classroom management skills. However, in elementary school, most of my teachers exuded confidence and commanded respect in a less authoritarian manner, which seemed to earn them more respect from students. I believe that teachers who strike a balance between being cool and vibrant while also maintaining authority tend to be the most effective at managing their classes.
School discipline was the same in every grade with every teacher we had a behavior chart and it had different colors if we got to blue or purple we got treasure box and it seemed to work pretty well. I think in middle school I had a really strict teacher and at the end of the year she looked at all of us and told us how proud she was of us which was the most rewarding. It wasn't anything crazy but she pushed us in reading and writing but cared a lot and that was my favorite "classroom management". My least favorite was the teachers that favored the "good" kids over the "bad" kids. I had a teacher who was very public about how he felt about certain kids and it was difficult to learn because it was validating to be one of the "good" kids who made "good" grades.
To be honest, 20 years ago high school felt like a play ground. There was maybe one security guard who rode around in a golf cart, no police whatsoever. No metal detectors, no bullet proof anything or weird sign in process...you could just walk in really. I literally never got punished, except for maybe a few glares here and there when I'd lose focus on an assignment. I never got detention, never got sent to the principal, and nothing was ever my fault. My experience was so unfair to other students who I know were treated with a different approach. ISS felt like a death sentence to your career, and there was no jury or way for students to advocate for themselves. I think the best teachers disciplined students fairly across the board and openly discusses the situation and why it's being dealt with instead of blame placing and punishment. I wish I got in more trouble, or at least I wish I had teachers who cared about my attitude and just because I didn't break any 'rules' doesn't mean that I didn't misbehave. I felt neglected by my school because I was a pretty, wealthy, white cheerleader and looking back I received preferential treatment and thus missed out on fundamental understanding of how to treat others and coping with conflicts. The best teachers are fair and honest and use problem solving and logic as a response instead of shaming.
Honestly, when I was in elementary school, most of my teachers used behavioral charts. Some of my teachers actually drop these behavioral charts due to the class being really good. Few teachers began to use the erase or adding letter methods to help them to be more engaged of what we learned and this helped us as a whole to be more involved what we learned.
I felt like classroom management in school was always done very well by my teachers growing up. I was a troublemaker when I was in the younger grades and I never felt like my teachers were treating me unkind or unfair. I felt like my teachers established a good line of authority, but also understanding that I am a child and still learning how the world works and how to behave in school. Some of the strategies they used was to take things like recess away from me, which they knew I liked and it taught me that I needed to behave if I wanted to do the things that I enjoy, while still being able to be in the classroom and learning. I was happy that I never really had teachers who resorted straight to detention or suspension because I think they probably knew that it wasn't going to be an effective way to discipline their classroom.
I remember my school had a reward system for good behavior/work. In elementary we had these things called blue notes. We earned a blue slip and a prize for something good we had done. They were completely random something little that we may not recognize as being helpful we got recognized. Same thing in middle school except it was tokens that we put in a box and at the end of the month, one was chosen for a prize. I remember a teacher I had who was very outgoing. I remember my specific class being filled with groups of friends. It was easy for us to be distracted. She was able to do a good job of containing us by creating assignments that we engage with our peers. I feel that was one of the best things she could do since we got pretty distracted. These group assignments allowed us to work with our friends while having a purpose. Anytime we did get off topic she would redirect us. She was a "chill" teacher but she set those boundaries with us.
In school I remember teachers had behavior charts, reward systems, another systems of managing discipline. I know we could have been written up if something was very severe. In middle school they announced detention, suspension, ISS, and even being expelled if necessary. I think most teachers try their best to implement rules into the classroom for discipline but I do think sometimes those are not always followed. I would say my middle school teachers took behavior more seriously and would hold a student accountable if needed. I think different systems are used all around in different schools and I think teachers try different ways to find what works for them and their classroom.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in school I remember watching my classmates get to pick from the treasure chest of rewards for not making any mistakes in class. I would be SO sad watching because I wanted candy but even just answering a question wrong in class would take that ability away from me. As far as good management goes, nothing really sticks out to me other than the basic things such as lunch detention and having seats moved if a student couldn't stop talking to someone near them.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up I feel as though it was hard to pinpoint an exact method as I was often put in classes where obedience was a joke and being obnoxious was the norm. But one method of discipline that I will never forget is when teachers would place the “bad” kids next to the quiet ones to make them more behaved. Unlike now I was a very introverted quiet kid so I was always stuck with the problem kid which led to me struggling to complete even the most basic tasks. Rather than fixing the problem themselves, my instructors decided it was my job as a fellow student to satiate the issues of the others. This seems to be a problem with many older styles of fixing behavior and it needs to be stopped as if your way of fixing a problem is handing it to a child you have some work to do. But another teacher who did something good was my 4th-grade science teacher. She implemented a treasure chest where if we (our table group) could win prizes if our group was good for the whole week. This worked phenomenally with the only exceptions being sub days as we being kids took advantage of them and took extra toys. What set this apart was that it made all of us accountable for our actions not just the ones watching the bad kids!
ReplyDeleteSchool discipline was different depending on the school. Elementary and middle school we got a lot of group punishments like silent lunch or no recess. I had one teacher who used exercises as punishment like crab and bear crawls and laps it was painful. In high school they were quick to iss for everything to include dress code violations and even looking at someone the wrong way. If they could even think you were gonna cause a fight or on your way to break dress code you would get iss. Honestly I can’t think of a teacher or school who was reasonable with their punishments it all felt out of control and extreme. It was really stressful as a kid in these schools.
ReplyDeleteIn elementary school I remember we had a bell that would ring to get the class to be quiet and when we'd hear that bell we knew to stop talking because the teacher was trying to get our attention. We also had class jobs to encourage responsibility and unity. We also had rewards like candy or a homework pass when we showed good behavior. Discipline was either getting sent to the office, or I'd get asked to take a walk in the hallway or go sit in the hallway, we would lose recess or have to sit in the dark and put our heads down on the desk. I feel like some of these strategies were effective in the short term for dealing with minor misbehaviors or distractions but they weren't always a permanent fix.
ReplyDeleteIn all my years of school I feel like I've encountered many different ways of managing classroom behavior. One that I really enjoyed was how my 3rd grade teacher, she would say that she loved that we had so many comments and questions but as we had so many comments we needed a solution to keep it orderly my teacher created a talking stick and when its out their should be no side talking and all eyes should be on the speaker. I loved this because it allowed all the students to listen to ALL the information their classmates are feeling and also was just a fun little thing we all loved!
ReplyDeleteIn elementary school rewards and classmanagment was seen more from the teachers. I remember when a student acted out you were often given laps to walk at recess or sat outside in the hall with extra work to keep you busy. I do not think these are good examples of good classroom management. I think a good teacher is not always punishing students and taking them out of class. I think that classroom managment starts at the begging of the year and as the year goes on the students know the expectations. As long as you are in a consistent good mood as the teacher so will the students. I think it takes a relationship to suppourt and show your dedicarion for the students.
ReplyDeleteMary-beth Previs^
DeleteClassroom management and maintaining discipline were never really that big of a problem at my school due to its small size. The only times that kids ever had disciplinary action against them was when they were caught with either vapes or alcohol. If a teacher caught someone vaping, they were supposed to report it to either the principal or assistant principal, and then they would deal with it. For the most part, the teachers who treated their students well and listened to their input were typically the teachers who were able to manage the classroom better, as the students respected the teacher for respecting them.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to classroom management and school discipline, the goals are to create a positive learning environment where students feel safe and motivated to everyone to focus on learning and growing together; it helps students thrive academically and socially. In school, I remember teachers had behavior charts, reward systems, and other systems of managing discipline.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in elementary school I remember having behavior charts where we had to move or clip up or down. We also had a school-wide thing called think sheets where when you got in trouble you had to reflect on what you did and why you did it. I think that these could be embarrassing for kids because you get called out in front of the class most of the time. These methods can work but I don't think that they are the best option for classroom management.
ReplyDeleteIn Kindergarten, we had an individual behavior chart sent home to our parents each day. Our parents had to sign that they had seen how we had behaved in class. Students with good behaviors got rewards like stickers and picked from the prize chest after a long period of good behavior. I remember a time I got a warning for talking at school, which meant a red sticker in my chart. My parents did not tolerate poor behavior and i would have privileges taken away at home as a result of this. My teachers did not recognize the severity of this chart's effect on me. The very same day I received a red sticker I was still recognized in the classroom for good behavior for a month and received a pug stuffed animal. I spent the entire afternoon crying at daycare ashamed of myself and afraid of being a disappointment to my parents. In the numbered grades recess was the primary discipline tactic. Teachers would take away time from one recess or even whole weeks of it from individuals depending on behavior. I recall a fifth-grade teacher even making students sit out of recess for anything less than an a on a few tests. Later on, discipline seemed less of a role for a teacher and more of a role for administration. The best teachers at classroom management don;t focus on taking things away from students, but by getting them interested in participating.
ReplyDeleteHannah Falls
ReplyDeleteIn elementary school, we used a card system for pre-k through fourth grade, and in fifth grade, we used a money system. The card system had four levels: green (best), yellow, blue, and red, and each time someone misbehaved or broke a rule, they would have to flip their card. There were rewards if you always stayed on green and if you got in trouble again while on a red card, you were sent to the principal. The fifth grade money system worked like real money. If you got in trouble, you were given a fine, etc. I enjoyed this money system a lot because my teacher tried to make it resemble the real world as much as possible and it was also great practice for learning how to save, invest, and spend money. I did not like the card system because it was very public, and kids would get bullied for flipping their card and teachers always made a big show of having a child flip their card, which I feel was not fair. Middle and high school were normal compared to others: getting written up, serving detention, sitting in a quiet lunch, etc.
I believe the discipline from my elementary school days seems to stay and resonate in my mind more often these days. Back then in New York especially in private schools’ corporal punishment was still allowed, it was banned in public schools but it was still active in private schools and actually I looked it up recently and it was just banned last year officially. We had the usual behavioral charts and the different color assortments to where you were whether you acted good, or bad but corporal punishment was a general go to for majority of punishments. Most were also demeaning and very public meaning that it happened generally within the classroom there was no detention or anything like that it was you were punished in front of the class, and it was humiliating. I think the only reason that teachers were good at managing their classrooms was because everybody was afraid to be punished so most of the time we acted in our best behavior. I mean without the punishment I don't know if they would be able to handle a standard classroom from my perspective.
ReplyDeleteSchool discipline in my schools consisted of suspension, detention, expulsion, and revoking certain opportunities like prom or walking the stage for seniors. I had a teacher who was very good at managing not only her class but other classes as well. I think this was because she tried to have good relationships with all the students. She gave the students respect and so they gave it back to her. The students wouldn’t even have her as a teacher yet she still had a relationship with them.
ReplyDeleteDuring my senior year of HS, my school started a new program to improve discipline where both students and teachers could call a “Curbside” if things ever got out of hand in the classroom. Basically it's a Google Form that you fill out, it gets sent straight to the administrators’ emails, and then one of them will show up as soon as possible to deescalate the situation. I think the reason they implemented this was to make both the students and the teachers feel like they were on the same level when it comes to standards for good behavior. It lets teachers know that they won't be able to get away with bad behavior, because they're students will call admin on them; it also lets students know the same. I also think this is when the administrators began to be more gentle and handle discipline in a calm, fair manner. They started to treat teachers and students with equal respect which I actually really appreciated. In the past there were definitely times where mean teachers got away with their disrespectful behavior and the students were disciplined unfairly. There were only a few of those mean teachers though. Most of them taught their classes well. The best way teachers managed their class was by having respect for their students, and making sure we were aware of that. No student was going to listen to a teacher if it was obvious they didn't respect us or have any faith/trust in us.
ReplyDeleteIn Elementary School, I remember having the color-coded behavior clip charts where everyone's name was on a clothespin, and you could see everyone's behavior. I remember wanting to be on my best behavior so that my name wouldn't be on the bad levels of behavior, but not all students had the same mindset. I feel like it just kind of embarrassed students. Some kids have bad days, and for them to be called out in school probably didn't help.
ReplyDelete^ Milady Ramos-Amaya
DeleteI feel like my schools discipline was extremly chaotic, looking back i know they meant well but went about everything completly wrong when handeling students. The respect that everyone had for my school plummeted after covid as the administration was trying to reset boundaries, they often had "tardy sweeps" where they would give kids detention for a week if they were tardy, but this caused a lot of issues because teachers wouldnt allow their students to use the bathroom the first and last 10 minutes of class and with only 5 minutes to get to and from class the bathroom lines would be far too long with little room to get to a class. I had a few good teachers my senior year who managed their class well and really helped their students prepare for college life without going against the rules set by administration
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteWhere I went to school, school discipline was like getting lunch detention, then a referral, after school detention, a referral are the main ones that tended to happen during my high school. The teachers I remember doing a good job managing their class room was my 1st grade teacher Mrs. Seccia because I was in her classroom again during my teacher for tomorrow class last year and she did an amazing job in class management in her classroom. Something she did that was good was the saying “Out, clap, down, zip” a saying in her classroom when the class was getting loud. Overall she did an amazing job when I was there. She had a good control over the classroom and students would listen to her, but I think a reason she did such a good job was because of her years of teaching, of learning things that work in her classroom and things that don’t work.
Stephanie Portillo
DeletePeyton roberts: I remember being in elementary school and having a teacher who used the stoplight method. I think it worked because there was an option for reward and an option for discipline. Using a reward and discipline system is a good thing to do for balance in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteIn school I would say the discipline was always the same it was just if you did something bad you'd get either after school or in school detention. Sometimes it would be a situation where we'd have to stay in one room or like a classroom whereas everyone else was switching or was able to leave and do something else. I remember a time in middle school where the teacher would make students sit in the classroom during lunch instead of in the cafeteria with their friends. I have had a couple teachers who were good with managing their class just by simple things like keeping everyone busy and engaged.
ReplyDeleteI went to a middle school that was viewed by the administrators as a behaviorally challenged school. This meant we were on silent lunch many days a week and our "privilege" of recess was often taken away. Looking back with adult eyes I think the main problem was a mismanagement of students. We would have exceedingly large lunch groups which were bound to get loud, and the same went for recesses. Had they broken down students in a more organized way, maybe the management of students wouldn't have been placed on the students responsibility.
ReplyDeleteI don't remember much about what my teachers did discipline wise in their classrooms but the one thing I remember being consistent throughout all of my school years is that they would use assigned seats as a form of "discipline". They would usually allow us to sit wherever we wanted to begin with and if we were talking too much then they would make an assigned seating chart. Almost every time they used this as a policy we would end up with assigned seats eventually and I think the reason they did this is so that they could say that they gave us the opportunity to sit where we wanted but we showed that we couldn't without talking too much, this was we couldn't argue with them about our seats.
ReplyDeleteI've noticed that my experiences with discipline varied greatly depending on the teacher I had. Some teachers used positive reinforcement, while others were sterner, and some struggled with discipline altogether. In middle school especially, I found that many teachers lacked effective classroom management skills. However, in elementary school, most of my teachers exuded confidence and commanded respect in a less authoritarian manner, which seemed to earn them more respect from students. I believe that teachers who strike a balance between being cool and vibrant while also maintaining authority tend to be the most effective at managing their classes.
ReplyDeleteSchool discipline was the same in every grade with every teacher we had a behavior chart and it had different colors if we got to blue or purple we got treasure box and it seemed to work pretty well. I think in middle school I had a really strict teacher and at the end of the year she looked at all of us and told us how proud she was of us which was the most rewarding. It wasn't anything crazy but she pushed us in reading and writing but cared a lot and that was my favorite "classroom management". My least favorite was the teachers that favored the "good" kids over the "bad" kids. I had a teacher who was very public about how he felt about certain kids and it was difficult to learn because it was validating to be one of the "good" kids who made "good" grades.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, 20 years ago high school felt like a play ground. There was maybe one security guard who rode around in a golf cart, no police whatsoever. No metal detectors, no bullet proof anything or weird sign in process...you could just walk in really. I literally never got punished, except for maybe a few glares here and there when I'd lose focus on an assignment. I never got detention, never got sent to the principal, and nothing was ever my fault. My experience was so unfair to other students who I know were treated with a different approach. ISS felt like a death sentence to your career, and there was no jury or way for students to advocate for themselves. I think the best teachers disciplined students fairly across the board and openly discusses the situation and why it's being dealt with instead of blame placing and punishment. I wish I got in more trouble, or at least I wish I had teachers who cared about my attitude and just because I didn't break any 'rules' doesn't mean that I didn't misbehave. I felt neglected by my school because I was a pretty, wealthy, white cheerleader and looking back I received preferential treatment and thus missed out on fundamental understanding of how to treat others and coping with conflicts. The best teachers are fair and honest and use problem solving and logic as a response instead of shaming.
ReplyDeletechels
DeleteHonestly, when I was in elementary school, most of my teachers used behavioral charts. Some of my teachers actually drop these behavioral charts due to the class being really good. Few teachers began to use the erase or adding letter methods to help them to be more engaged of what we learned and this helped us as a whole to be more involved what we learned.
ReplyDeleteI felt like classroom management in school was always done very well by my teachers growing up. I was a troublemaker when I was in the younger grades and I never felt like my teachers were treating me unkind or unfair. I felt like my teachers established a good line of authority, but also understanding that I am a child and still learning how the world works and how to behave in school. Some of the strategies they used was to take things like recess away from me, which they knew I liked and it taught me that I needed to behave if I wanted to do the things that I enjoy, while still being able to be in the classroom and learning. I was happy that I never really had teachers who resorted straight to detention or suspension because I think they probably knew that it wasn't going to be an effective way to discipline their classroom.
ReplyDeleteI remember my school had a reward system for good behavior/work. In elementary we had these things called blue notes. We earned a blue slip and a prize for something good we had done. They were completely random something little that we may not recognize as being helpful we got recognized. Same thing in middle school except it was tokens that we put in a box and at the end of the month, one was chosen for a prize. I remember a teacher I had who was very outgoing. I remember my specific class being filled with groups of friends. It was easy for us to be distracted. She was able to do a good job of containing us by creating assignments that we engage with our peers. I feel that was one of the best things she could do since we got pretty distracted. These group assignments allowed us to work with our friends while having a purpose. Anytime we did get off topic she would redirect us. She was a "chill" teacher but she set those boundaries with us.
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