The Tricky Issue of Discipline

At my daughter's birthday party this past weekend, I found myself in charge of entertaining and controlling the behavior of 11 adorable, but energetic first graders. As an educator who has spent her entire career working at high schools, I was at a loss when it came to maintaining a positive party environment for a group of six and seven year olds. At one point, I found myself using the old "1-2-3-Eyes-on-me!" trick and was delighted when 11 tiny voices chorused back at me, "1-2-Eyes-on-you!" followed by expectant silence. Their reward for listening was an epic ice cream sundae bar. In the end, I survived the party, and so did all the kids, but it got me thinking about the ways we, as educators, reward or punish student behavior and conformation to expectations.

My high school is just beginning the process of developing a functional Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports system and it's been eye opening. While PBIS seems to be a given in elementary and middle schools, high school teachers and administrators seem to struggle more with it. There's a prevailing thought in my high school that students need to be taught about the "real world" by being given deadlines and harsh consequences. The relationship with the student is sacrificed in favor of the teacher feeling in control of any given situation. An administrator who responds to student misbehavior with suspension and other negative consequences, seems to be seen as a stronger disciplinarian and an asset to teachers dealing with unruly students.

Functionally though, teenagers aren't that much different from their elementary and secondary counterparts. They need a positive environment, constant reassurance, and the security of routines. As I've dealt with a wide range of discipline issues in the first month of school, I've found that backing teenage students into a corner only amplifies the discipline problems. Suspending a kid needs to be a last resort after more positive steps are taken. Punishing students as opposed to teaching those students better behaviors and coping mechanisms creates an environment of fear and simmering rebellion. With my admin team, I am trying to find the balance between maintaining a positive school environment and holding kids accountable for their actions. It's a tricky issue, but if a commitment is made to positive intervention as opposed to punitive reactions, I think my school will be much better for it.

- Sara