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.