Tagged: discipline

What Works Better than Punishment in School

We all know “that” student who arrives late, avoids homework, ignores class. School psychologist Katelyn Oellerich shares why rote punishment doesn’t solve the problem or help students learn. Instead, she recommends, apply logical consequences that students will understand.

How Classroom Circles Help Us Build Community

The life skills students learn in our classes prepare them to thrive in the real world. Middle grades teacher Laleh Ghotbi shares some lessons from her effort to use weekly community-building circles in her classroom to help students learn to respect their differences and focus on common values.

Changing School Climate: An Unexpected Recipe

Many school problems are social at their core. When teachers and counselors give students a leadership role in normalizing the problems – making them accessible and resolvable – the community culture improves for everyone, says national counseling leader Jean Peterson.

3 Tools That Improve Long-Term Behaviors

Reflective and restorative practices are not new, writes middle school administrator Sara Johnson, but the pandemic has created an even greater need to view discipline as a tool to guide and support the social-emotional learning of tweens and teens. Here’s how Sara does it.

Is Teacher Respect Just a Transaction?

Is there a price students must pay to earn a teacher’s respect? The posters in Dina Strasser’s classroom and school seem to frame “respect” as a transaction. Given the power and skill imbalance that exists between student and teacher, can that possibly be good practice?

Three Questions New Teachers Always Ask

We asked teaching consultant Annette Breaux to write about three of the most pressing questions new teachers have in the weeks (and months) before they open their classroom doors to students for the first time. Here’s her advice on discipline, classroom management, and daily procedures.

10 Ways to Sabotage Your Classroom Management

Even with all the usual basics in place, the small things novice teachers do could be wreaking havoc on your whole classroom management system. Middle school veteran Jennifer Gonzalez identifies unproductive habits, along with more effective alternatives.