Discipline Journal #2

Laura Vaughn

SHED Cohort – Fall 2008

October 22, 2008

Discipline Journal #2

Discipline Journal #2

I. Ten Discipline Situations:
Date/Time: October 9, 2008
Grade level/Class: On-level 10th grade English 3rd period

Description of the Incident: My first day back from maternity leave, while trying to learn students’ names, we were playing a get to know you game, and some students were giving me false names as we went around the room and sharing things about ourselves. I knew they were false names because I had a seating chart before me. I ignored it initially until the game was over. I guess they did it to make the other kids laugh because everyone knew each other but me. Though it was practically harmless, it was an act of disrespect and needed to be addressed. I could have prevented the incident by calling their names instead of leaving it up to them to introduce themselves, but it was part of the process, so I decided to take the risk.

Consequences: During class, I found a reason to call each of them by their real names, and when they saw that they were caught, they gave me a look of realization, and I asked them to stay after class. Their consequence was a warning. I told them that being truthful is always important, and that lying simply to disrupt the class was not something I was going to tolerate in my class. I think a warning was appropriate in this case because I was still trying to build a rapport with these kids and didn’t want to blow my chance.

Reflection: Though I “went easy” on these students, our relationship is still very strained. I think that my being out for the first six weeks has damaged the structure of discipline in my class, and it’s going to take a while to reinstate harmony and good behavior. I am still trying very hard with these students to help them see that a classroom with discipline is going to make things better as opposed to the total lack thereof while I was gone.

Date/Time: October 9, 2008 4th period.

Grade level/Class: English II, 4th period

Description of the Incident: I placed note cards with students’ names on the kids’ desks so that I could build my own seating chart and start from scratch learning names. When the kids came into the classroom, I could tell that they were quite a rowdy bunch. They were exchanging note cards so they could sit where they wanted to sit (with their friends) even though I asked them to please sit in the seat with their names on them when they walked in the door. I noticed, and when I addressed a group of girls in the act, one of them very rudely told me that she liked where she sat before because she could learn better and that she didn’t want to have to sit in the front of the class. I told her that for the day, she would have to sit in the seat she was assigned, and she threw her book bag down the row angrily. I don’t think that I could have prevented the situation beyond possibly being there at the beginning of the year to set my rules and expectations.

Consequences: I thanked her for letting me know how she learns best, told her to go pick up her bag, walk back to where I was standing and try it again. The class got quiet noticing that her act of defiance wasn’t going over well with me, and some of the other kids were mumbling about making a good impression and for her to act right. I ended up calling her mother that first day. He mother seemed supportive and said that she would have a word with her when she got home. The consequence was appropriate, and the student responded by not causing any more problems (so far).

Reflection: My relationship with this student now is about average. I’m still getting to know her, but I think we’ve moved beyond the incident. I didn’t have a relationship prior to the first day I met her. With the help of her mother, I think our relationship will be fine from now on.


Date/Time: October 10, 2008

Grade level/Class: Pre-AP English I, 2nd period

Description of the Incident: As we dove into our first piece of literature on my first day back, there was a student who was not joining us. He had a book out and was reading for enjoyment instead of following along with our close read. I noticed he was doing this, and asked the class as a whole to save him the embarrassment that if “anyone is working on something else, please put it away while we’re doing this assignment…” He heard me and didn’t respond. I walked over to his desk, nodded silently and his book and smiled, thinking he would take the hint. He still refused to my shock, and so silently, I took the book off of his desk and told him he could get it back at the end of the period. The class was busy working, so they didn’t notice what was happening to him. I may have been able to avoid the situation by announcing that everyone should have their desks cleared off before we began and not begin until that was done.

Consequences: His consequence was a warning. I applauded his love of reading, asked him about that particular book, then got around to telling him that if it happened again I would have to call home. I think the consequence was appropriate and so far the consequence has made a difference. I haven’t had any problems of this sort from him since.

Reflection: I hate to discourage reading, so I tried to handle it in a way which he would understand that it wasn’t the book that was the problem, it was the time he chose to read it. My relationship with the student is fine as far as I know. We’ve spoken since about books, and the consequence seems to have been what he needed.


Date/Time: October 9, 2008

Grade level/Class: Pre-AP English I, 2nd period

Description of the Incident: After the announcements, we say the Pledge of Allegiance together as a school. My first day, I noticed that only half of the class was standing and only half of those standing were actually saying it. Also, during the moment of silence, most of the kids were talking despite my glares of disapproval. I could have avoided this situation by stating my expectations about the Pledge and moment of silence. My substitute for maternity leave apparently had little annoyance at this behavior.

Consequences: After the moment of silence, I engaged the class in a discussion about what they think the Pledge is for, about sacrifice, appreciation, and respect. I told them that unless they had a religious opposition to saying the pledge, they were to stand, recite, and remain quiet for the moment of silence. I think the class as a whole appreciated the fact that it bothered me and that we say it as a class now. The more structure we have, the more they respond.

Reflection: If I had just ordered them to recite the Pledge without the open class discussion, I don’t think it would have had the same positive response. My relationship with the class is miles better than it was


Date/Time: October 10, 2008

Grade level/Class: Pre-AP English I, 2nd period

Description of the Incident: On my first day back the students had a lot to say about my maternity leave sub. I was willing to hear any problems they might have had in private, but an entire class free-for-all bashing of my sub’s character was unacceptable. I might have prevented the incident by telling them this beforehand, but I honestly didn’t see it coming.

Consequences: The class got a “talking-to” from me about respect and we discussed what it was like to be a substitute, the difficulties, the sacrifices, and how much my sub gave it his all – whether they were friends with him or not, they could see it. At the end of class, we had some extra time, so I took that opportunity to have the students write about how they wish to be treated and what lack of mutual respect in any situation can do to the atmosphere of a classroom. Looking at the papers, I could tell that some students seemed genuinely sorry for saying what they said before thinking about what they were doing.

Reflection: My relationship with this class is very good. This is the same class I had problems with regarding the Pledge of Allegiance, and I think our open discussions helped a lot. I think this type of relationship with students can build a sturdy foundation with which to continue a healthy relationship throughout the school year.


Date/Time: October 9th, 2008

Grade level/Class: Pre-AP English I, 3rd period

Description of the Incident: When the students walked into the classroom, a girl handed me a grade sheet for volleyball. I asked her to hold on to it for a minute because I had an announcement to make about athletics grade sheets. She looked at me like I had slapped her in the face, and she said, “I know you haven’t been her, but if you’re in athletics, you HAVE to have these things signed or we get in trouble with our coaches.” I told her again to please hang on to it until I make the announcement, and she rolled her eyes at me. I don’t know how I could have prevented this one, her reaction caught me completely off guard.

Consequences: After I got the chance to make the announcement I needed to make about grades sheets, I think she understood, but I still needed to handle the way she interacted with me, so I couldn’t just let it go. As they left for lunch, I asked if she would come see me. Before I could get words out of my mouth, she apologized for the way she spoke to me. I accepted her apology, but asked her to work on her listening skills, even a moment before, she wouldn’t wait to let me speak before she had her say. I told her if it became a problem, I would have to write about it in the comments section of her grade sheet. She seemed to understand.

Reflection: I think with this type of student, who wants everything when she wants it, how she wants it, it’s important to make listening a priority for both parties. I think our relationship is fine now, though not much time has passed. Relationships can only strengthen when listening is a priority.


Date/Time: October 14, 2008

Grade level/Class: Pre – AP English I

Description of the Incident: It became very clear to me that my classes had become very clique-ish in my absence. To try to break the cycle, I put them in groups, which were not of their choosing. They HATED IT!! The complaints and whining were abundant. I could have prevented this by asking if they had any negative comments that they keep them to themselves. I needed to address the problem because I try to keep the environment in my classroom positive, and it was being very bogged down by all of the negativity.

Consequences: We had to talk about the expectations of friendliness and the willingness to try new things. I told them that the more open-minded they were, the more privileges they would have, and that the converse would be true at the same time. This consequence was appropriate because a classroom with a negative feel in it is not a classroom, which is comfortable for learning.

Reflection: I’m not quite sure about my relationship with this class, yet. I think it is a work in progress. They are going to require many discussions about being positive and the possibility of losing privileges for whining. I hope that our relationship will grow during the year. It’s only been two weeks, so I have hope yet.


Date/Time: October 13, 2008

Grade level/Class: - 10th grade on-level English

Description of the Incident: I gave my on-level class time to work with each other on annotations over a short story. They took the time that I gave them and worked quite well. When their time was over, they were to go back to their assigned seats and write a response to the reading assignment based on their annotations by themselves and quietly. They didn’t. After redirecting them a multitude of times, I could see that it just wasn’t going to work out.

Consequences: I told them that we had to make a deal. When they work together, they should expect that there is going to be individual work not far behind it, and that if that they could not work silently when the time came, they would lose the privilege all together. They lost the privilege for the rest of the day, but they could earn it back based on their behavior. The consequence was appropriate because it directly related to the problem at hand.

Reflection: Our relationship is a bit strained. They are not quite “getting it” yet. I will continue to work on our relationship while making sure they have the opportunity to learn and follow directions. I think our relationship will improve. We don’t quite know each other well enough yet.


Date/Time: October 14, 2008

Grade level/Class: Pre-AP English 2nd period

Description of the Incident: Because of the PSAT, I was booted out of my classroom for 2nd period so that they could use it for testing. We had to meet in the theater classroom, which is quite large and unstructured. As the students came it, they went nuts! There were a group of kids who went to some props that belong to the theater teacher and helped themselves to the swords, a group of kids who were sitting on the tables, and some who were writing on the theater teacher’s board. I was standing at the door, and might have prevented it by instead being in the classroom.

Consequences: We didn’t get a great deal on our agenda done that day. We had to rehash all we had already discussed about expectations and respect for property. Some argued that they knew the theater teacher and that she wouldn’t mind. We then had to discuss the error in that logic, and I had a difficult time getting through to them. Their consequence was a loss of privilege of working together. They were quite upset.

Reflection: I’m amazed that I’m having so many problems with respect this year. I’ve really missed out on setting my own rules at the beginning of the year. It seems like the more we have to discuss respect and expectations, the more they balk and the more strained the relationships become. I hope to stick to my guns and build a relationship eventually.


Date/Time: October 15, 2008

Grade level/Class: Pre-AP English I

Description of the Incident: I had a student who fell asleep in class as we were discussing a close-read. I walked over to him and gently nudged him, whispering please stay with us. I told him which page we were on and stayed in close proximity to him. I asked him if he felt well, and he said yes, he was just bored. He continued to sleep. I told him to see me after class.

Consequences: I told him that if he continued to show as little effort in my class that he could potentially be exited from the AP program and that I would contact his mom that evening. I did. She was not very supportive. She told me that for him to do really well, he would have to be “into” whatever we were doing. I tried to explain that some things we do in class, which may not seem “fun” are extremely necessary for skill building, such as annotating a text as we read. She said she would speak with him, but so far the relationship has remained the same. I told her that if he became defiant in his sleep, I would have to remove him from class. She said she understood, but I doubt it.

Reflection: Since the incident, our relationship has not improved unfortunately. I will continue to try to find common interests and encourage his efforts when I see evidence of them, but for now, he is not willing to have a positive relationship.

II. Model to Implement: Love and Logic
The model for Love and Logic is correct students’ behavior using non-sarcastic catch phrases and methods to redirect behavior. The idea is to take away the opportunity to argue and build a mutually respectful relationship with students.


Description of incident:
Band students were released to go to a competition last week, and when one student got up to leave, another student made a very rude comment to her about being in band. The band student left. I walked up to the student who made the comment, and I whispered to him to see me after class. He said, “Man- that’s not fair! I have to catch the bus; I can’t stay after school with you!” He was very agitated and angry and I could tell that this was a situation that would require some finesse. Any feelings of anger on my part would simply fuel his anger. Though I was very angry about what he told the young lady, I tried to remain very even-tempered as the model suggests. He asked, “What’s my punishment? Just tell me now.” I told him that I didn’t know yet – that he would have to wait to find out. He said, “That’s not fair!” I told him that I’m sure he felt that way.
The bell rang, and he rushed to my desk. I reinforced the fact that I knew he was in a hurry, but that what happened was inappropriate, and that he had a choice: He could apologize to the girl in a written letter or, in my presence, he could tell her he was sorry next class period. He didn’t argue, he said he’d just tell her, and he left.

Specific steps:
The next class period, he came up to me and asked me when I wanted him to apologize. I told him he could do it whenever he was ready. The bell hadn’t rung yet, but the girl was already there at her desk. He said he was going to do it then, and he gave her a quick, half-way genuine apology. She told him not to worry about it, and the crisis was over. In this situation, I was happy to see the Love and Logic model work almost like a textbook script. It worked in every way it was supposed to work. The only thing I wish hadn’t happened is that I never addressed his tone of voice when he was trying to argue with me the day of the incident. I hope that it didn’t come across like I accept that behavior.

Reflection:
The Love and Logic model is great in most situations. Avoiding arguments allows me as a teacher to do my job and not lose much time. The catch phrases are easy to remember, and the students don’t feel like they’ve been yelled at by the end of it, which allows me to continue building a relationship after a bad situation. Other models may make the student feel intimidated and belittled. In this situation, he was able to have his say, make a choice, and follow through with his consequence without it ruining our potential relationship.

In the Classroom - Discipline Journal 1

Discipline Journal #1

Because I have been on maternity leave since the beginning of the new school year, I will use discipline situations I remember distinctly from last year using approximate dates. I will try to remember what was said to the best of my ability.

I. Ten Discipline Situations:
Date/Time: First day of school, in the fall of ’07, First period, A-Day

Grade level/Class: On-level 10th grade English

Description of the Incident: At one minute to the bell, a young lady, Adrienne, stopped by my classroom door with her boyfriend, mumbled something like, “This is my class.” As I stood at my door, she hugged him goodbye and continued to talk to him as the tardy bell became more imminent. I remember struggling with how I should handle the situation. I didn’t want to come across too harsh because it could have ruined the opportunity to build a rapport with this young lady, but at the same time, I didn’t want to ruin my chance to set my expectations as a teacher. It is a difficult balance, deciding which should take precedence. I said, “Alright, it’s time to get started. Please come in and find the seat with your name on it.” She looked back over her shoulder at me and snapped, “THE BELL AIN’T EVEN RUNG YET!” I don’t know if it was just the stress of the first day of school or the cutting harshness of the way she responded to me, but remember pointing to her boyfriend and half-yelling, “Go to class before you’re late,” and moving closer to her and pointing inside the room and sternly saying, “Go.” If I had kept a calm air about me, I could have built a rapport and shown my expectations. Instead, I came off looking like a jerk to her and everyone else who heard me.

Consequences: I asked her to stay after class with me so that we could talk about what happened. She mostly stared at the floor while I tried to explain how we both could have started our morning better. She didn’t receive any real consequences and by her future discipline issues, it obviously had little effect.

Reflection: Because we had no prior relationship before this encounter, our relationship was pretty strained all year. Despite my efforts to smooth things over, she pretty much remained cold. I’ve wondered if our first encounter was the cause and if I missed an opportunity to reach a student because I lost my temper.


Date/Time: October 07 – 3rd period

Grade level/Class: Pre-AP English I

Description of the Incident: Students were assigned annotations and a summary of the chapters they were to have read the night before. When I graded their annotations and summaries, it was clear by their phraseology and word choice that at least 8 people out of the class of 30 had cheated by using Internet resources and/or each other. I had begun to grade while the class was at lunch and my ears became redder and my face hotter with each duplication of annotation or wording of their summaries. When they returned from lunch I lectured them for the rest of the class period about the evils of cheating and my expectations for them in an “honors” class.

Consequences: As the students listened to my lecture, there was a lot of eye-rolling, sighing, and denial. I knew the consequences that would follow would involve parents, principals, and coming up with solid proof that they had cheated. The students involved received 2 zeros for the 2 assignments and I called each of their parents.

Reflection: Some students ended up admitting their guilt and writing apology letters – probably prompted by their parents. There was a lot of blaming and finger-pointing, but in the end, the relationship with this group of students changed for the better. I saw no obvious signs of cheating and I think they realized that I was watching them more closely than they thought, which translated into evidence of how I cared for them and their reputations as honorable students.



Date/Time: December ‘07

Grade level/Class: Pre-AP English I student (in JHHS Writer’s Club)

Description of the Incident: Each student was asked to share a personal essay with the rest of the writers in the group, and Ashley decided to share one about her dangerous drug use and suicidal thoughts. She came to me after the meeting was over and begged me not to tell anyone about what she’d written. She is a 14 year old high school student, and I knew I had a responsibility to make sure she got some help and spoke with someone. I knew I had to show her some tough love and told her that I wanted her to speak with her counselor about what was going on with her life. She hated me for it, told me she couldn’t trust me, and quit the Writing Club. I could have prevented the incident by making strict guidelines about what they could and could not write about, but then she may not have spoken with anyone.

Consequences: She spoke with her counselor, I met with her parents and we tried to get across to Ashley that we all cared for her and that she wasn’t “in trouble”. She was forced to speak with a counselor on a regular basis, and I think the consequence was appropriate.

Reflection: I may have never regained Ashley’s trust after this episode, but I think something more important transpired because of the impact of the relationship I had with her. I think she was able to get the help she needed, to talk to her mom about events in her life that were bothering her, and that years from now she may look back on the incident with some understanding of why I had to betray her trust. Our relationship changed after this. She was more guarded than she had been, and I was not able to relate with her in Writer’s Club.


Date/Time: May 08

Grade level/Class: 10th grade on-level English

Description of the Incident: During my conference period, I was walking down the hallway when I noticed that Parker, a student in my 4A was coming down the hall towards me. I said hello, he said hello back and we both kept walking. The next A day, during my conference, I saw him again in the same place at almost the same time. He had a hall pass, so I let him continue on his way down the hall. Something didn’t feel quite right about the situation, so I looked up his schedule and found out that during that period, he had P.E., and he wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near where he was during the times I saw him. Instead of talking to Parker about it and writing him up, I spoke to his P.E. coach about his skipping, and she handled it. It began to bother me that I went “around” him and threw it to another teacher to deal with. I could have prevented the incident by stopping to talk to him the first time and asking him where he should have been. If I had, he may not have skipped more than once, getting himself into further trouble in the office.

Consequences: Parker ended up in ISS for a week, missing my class and others. He never spoke to me about it, but I’m sure he assumed I was the one who turned him in, since his coach didn’t seem to realize he was even gone until I pointed it out. I think the consequences were appropriate for skipping, though unfortunate because he missed so much of real class time.

Reflection: I wish I had spoken with him face to face about what had happened. It wasn’t very professional of me to ignore my involvement in his punishment. The discipline never really affected our relationship. I don’t feel like he ever held it against me. I think I regretted how I handled it more than he did.


Date/Time: May ‘08

Grade level/Class: 10th grade on-level English, 1st period

Description of the Incident: Every morning, Taylor would come to first period in his huge diamond studded earrings. As he walked through the door, I would say, “Taylor- earrings,” and he would take them out on the way in the door. After the 5th time or so, it began to bother me that he wasn’t respecting the expectations of the school or my class. I asked him to stay after class one day and I asked him why he perpetually disregarded the dress code. He said it wasn’t personal, that he “forgot” to take them out every morning. I told him that from that point on, I would have to go through the motions of dress code violations even though it was a violation that could be fixed at the door and not one that was encouraged to be sent down to the office. He told me he understood, but the next day, there he was with his studs in. I told him that was his warning and that I was documenting it. The next time I had him – there they were again. I was getting frustrated because I didn’t WANT to send him down and miss class for something so harmless, but I issued his teacher detention anyway. He skipped his detention, which is an automatic office referral. So, now, I had major discipline issues with a student whom I had never had issues with before.

Consequences: He ended up in ISS for insubordination and missed a week of class. I called his parents to discuss what had happened, and they were somewhat supportive, though they made no attempt to hide their feelings about our dress code in Mesquite. By the book, the punishment was fair. He got in trouble and received consequences. Personally, it left a little bit of a sick feeling in me as a teacher to have to punish him so harshly for non-disrespectful behavior.

Reflection: I sometimes wonder if I had followed the district policy hard and fast to begin with and not given him so many breaks if he would have had to go to the office. Yet, it was his choice to decide to continue disobeying the rules. To me, these are the most frustrating issues to deal with (regarding dress code).


Date/Time: April ‘08

Grade level/Class: Pre-AP English I

Description of the Incident: The students were in groups, and I noticed that one group was ostracizing and bullying two of their members. The dynamics of the group were a bit uncomfortable. There were three very tightly knit friends, all cheerleaders and the other two were a little nerdy, poorly dressed and not as socially confident as their counterparts. I knew the three cheerleaders to be very friendly and knew them to work well with others. Not so in this case. It began with a snide remark about how one of the “nerds” was over-thinking a question. I intervened and noticed some sideways glances and didn’t get a real sense that the issue had been resolved. Class was nearly over, so I asked the two group members who were being targeted if they would come see me after class. They told me that their issues went beyond the assignment, and that the other girls were making fun of the way they were dressed. I wanted to get their side of it, so I pulled them out of their classes individually the next day to speak with the girls. Two of them denied it and one confessed and apologized. I asked her to apologize to her group members, and I believe she did. The others never admitted to teasing their group members, and I ended up breaking up the group and having them work separately. I asked the two students who were being picked on first if they didn’t mind, and they did not. They preferred it. The three who were picking on them, however, were taken out of a situation that they enjoyed being in, which I felt was punishment enough.

Consequences: The three students who were being punished pouted and complained, but I believe the consequences were sufficient. Two of the cheerleaders were probably not phased by the punishment, and probably didn’t feel bad for their actions. One, though, seemed to regret her actions.

Reflection: It’s difficult to know what to do in group-work type situations. I wanted to be fair, and I think I did the only thing I could to make the offenders feel deprived and the offended feel more secure. I don’t think it affected the impact on the students involved in the group except maybe the two for whom I stood up. They saw me as someone who could make them feel safe if they felt threatened.


Date/Time: December ‘07

Grade level/Class: 10th grade on-level English

Description of the Incident: After asking a student to please stop talking, she whispered, “Bitch” underneath her breath. Though she denied it, I wrote her up immediately. She threw her books, and stormed out the door. I called the office to tell them she was coming and I didn’t see her for a while after that. I don’t think this is one of those situations where I could have prevented what transpired. To me this is one of those very clear cut discipline issues.

Consequences: I called her mom who said, “Yeah, that sounds like Brittany.” She ended up in ISS, then MIC for another issue. I didn’t see her much that year. I think the consequence for the offense was appropriate, but I wondered about her home life.

Reflection: After 7 years of teaching, I know not to take this kind of behavior personally. I know that students who act out in this manner are probably dealing with bigger issues than school. I made an effort to build a rapport with Brittany after her stint in ISS and MIC, but never really got inside her life. I knew she was into music and was trying to start a band, but she never felt comfortable enough with me to tell me much more than that. She was very defensive and ignored my attempts at breaking down the wall between us.


Date/Time: May ‘08

Grade level/Class: 10th grade on-level English

Description of the Incident: Two girls in my classroom began a fight – I believe over a boy they were both interested in. It was before class began and I could see that there was tension building. They began punching and grabbing, and by the scream issued by the bystanders, other teachers came to my classroom and helped to break it up. It all happened in a matter of seconds. Looking back, I could probably have prevented the fight by calling both girls into the hallway before it escalated into a physical fight. I wish I had. No one got hurt, but even though it was near the end of the school year, the dynamic in the classroom was never the same. There was always a sense of tension, and I don’t think I was as effective in that class as in others because the fight happened in my classroom.

Consequences: Both girls went to MIC for their behavior, and I believe the consequence was appropriate. I honestly don’t think their stint at MIC had much of an impact on their future behavior, but that may be something that could happen over time.

Reflection: My relationship with the girls was a bit strained after the fight. My relationship with them didn’t impact the dealings with the students or my relationship with the students.


Date/Time: May ‘08

Grade level/Class: 10th on-level English

Description of the Incident: Two boys in my 3rd period class were constantly playing and talking at inappropriate times. I had spoken with their parents and issued teacher detentions. There was nothing really to send them to the office for. They were matters that I had to handle in class. One day they were at it again. Justin threw a pair of scissors across the room to Cody without incident, but all of the “what-ifs” ran through my mind and demanded the two of them see me outside immediately. I don’t know that I could have prevented the incident. They were told constantly about my expectations, but with no effect.

Consequences: While outside, I decided to take a personal approach instead of a by the book “here’s your office referral” approach. I asked them, “What is it, guys? What is the problem here? I’ve tried everything I know how to do to communicate what’s OK and what’s not OK in my class…” I felt like I had their attention for the first time. They were making eye contact with me and they both said they didn’t know what their problem was, that they were just having fun and didn’t mean for anything bad to happen. I made a personal appeal to them to try to develop some self-control for my sake and for the safe and calm environment of our classroom. Their consequences was making a similar appeal to their parents. From the beginning of May to the end of school I rarely had any problems with either of their behavior.

Reflection: Sometimes consequences do not have to be slips of paper, which rarely do any good anyway. Depending on the student, sometimes a personal appeal of this nature can be equally if not more effective. Seeing their behaviors change so dramatically made me think that the way I decided to deal with this particular problem may have had a positive impact on Justin and Cody.


Date/Time: May ‘08

Grade level/Class: Pre-AP English I

Description of the Incident: I had a planned doctor’s appointment and had to be out during my 4th period class. I told the students in advance that I had to be out, what they were going to be doing during the class and my expectations for what should be done when I came back. When I came back the next morning, I received the worst sub note I have ever received in my 8 years of teaching. The students pretended not to know what to do, told her that they had never heard of the terms they were working with, though we had gone over it the day before, lied to her about what their names were, and a list of other minor infractions. After talking all year long with my class about what honor and personal responsibility mean, I expected a easy day for the sub. I was very disappointed and a little stumped on how to handle the situation because I was not there to witness the events. I wrote and distributed a note to each of my 4th period students telling them how disappointed I was in those who tried to fool the sub and in those who didn’t stand up for the woman who was just there to help them out and pass on my instructions to them.

Consequences: Each student had to write a 1 page essay about what they had learned about honor and personal responsibility during the year so far and if what they learned matched up with the behavior they displayed while I was gone. They also were instructed to write an apology letter if they felt that what they learned and what they displayed didn’t match up. As hard as I tried to prevent the situation, it happened anyway. Sometimes when that happens, it can leave me very discouraged.

Reflection: I had a myriad of responses from students (and their parents) as I expected. You cannot force a student to be nice or honorable, and for those students, they didn’t see that there was a problem, or it was someone else’s fault and they were blameless. It’s difficult to build meaningful relationships with these students. Other students seemed to understand that treating another human like they treated the sub wasn’t fair, and that they should not have acted like they did or that they should have stood up for the sub and called out their peers if they had nothing to do with the infractions listed on the sub note. I hope that these students will remember the incident when they encounter substitute teachers in the future. My relationship with these students was eventually strengthened because of this experience.

II. Description of Incident Handled Well:
When we read To Kill a Mockingbird last year, a student in my 4th period class brought it to my attention that his book from the class set was littered with graffiti. I had assigned each student a particular book and held each student responsible for checking their book out and bringing it back to me at the end of each class period. Thinking this would prevent any problems with graffiti, I felt pretty secure about the safety of the school’s property; however, there it was – a graffiti-filled book.

Specific steps:

I referred to my list of book numbers and saw who had the book the prior class period. I asked him about it, and by looking at his face I could tell that he could tell he was busted. He simply asked, “How much is the book?” He then pulled out his wallet, gave me 15 dollars, and the issue was over. I don’t think I’ve ever had a discipline situation that went smoother than this incident. Because I was prepared for potential problems with property destruction of our class set of books, I was able to hold the student who was responsible to task and take care of the problem without much ado.

Reflection:

Through my experiences teaching I have realized that preparation and organization are my best friends when it comes to discipline. It’s only when I’m caught off guard that a behavioral problem gets the better of me. When I can anticipate problems before they happen, I end up with a more organized, successful classroom.

III. Description of incident I could have handled better:
Unfortunately, I cannot anticipate every problem that comes my way. When I can’t anticipate the discipline problems that arise, that’s when I end up regretting how I handle certain situations. During the first six weeks of last year, I had a very difficult class, my 4th period on A-day. It was a class of Pre-AP English freshman who were very close knit and very social. It is a classroom expectation for my students to remain seated until the bell rings. At the end of a class when I had to redirect their energy several times, I was in the middle of an explanation when the bell was about to ring. They began to pack up and get up out of their seats as I was talking. I got very flustered and roared, “Go back to your seats and sit down!” They continued to get up and leave my room, some laughing, others explaining how I couldn’t keep them if the bell rang. Some students left and I worked my way through a group of students to stand in the doorway and told them again to get back in their seats. The ones who were left did as I instructed. I finished my lecture and then let them leave. I tried to remember who had left and who had stayed, but I didn’t think to take that measure and it made it nearly impossible to discipline those who needed it.

Specific steps:
The next time I had that 4th period class, they got another lecture. Completely useless and laughable. My relationship with that class was not strengthened, and I came across as helpless and weak.
Reflection :
If I could do it over again, I would have announced as they were leaving that I would handle this next class period, but if they would like to stick around to finish listening to me, they could escape additional consequences for leaving without permission. I would have written down the names of the students who stuck around and dealt with the other students on an individual basis. If I could have remained calm and kept my wits about me instead of losing my temper, I could have come across as a teacher who can handle incidences such as this with a cool head and would probably have earned a measure of respect.