A school-wide discipline and behavior management plan needs to be implemented at the classroom level and at the school building level to include all common areas of the school. Students must have their social, emotional, and behavioral needs met before they are prepared for learning. Dr. Knoff reminds us that “the single top predictor of academic achievement is a positive classroom climate that is conducive to learning—students getting five positive interactions for every negative interaction” (The Research Base Week 1). This means that the school-wide discipline plan must focus on positive behavior supports and teaching students and staff the skills that they need to ensure a positive classroom culture, positive interpersonal relationships,
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Discipline needs to be consistent. All school staff needs to be trained so that there is a common understanding of discipline processes and procedures school-wide. Staff needs to understand that effective classroom management strategies will lead to students staying in the classroom and not missing out on learning opportunities. I have worked in a school where the first week of school was spent on teaching rules, routines, and consequences. Students understood what was expected of them. If a student did need additional interventions due to behaviors, we each had a partner teacher. We could send students to each other when they needed behavioral intervention. The student would go to a quiet pre-determined location in the classroom and given a chance to regroup. The student would complete a refocus form that asked several basic questions that included: What were you doing? What should you be doing? I can make a better choice next time by _______. The partner teacher would guide the student through the refocus activity if needed. This process was effective in reducing the discipline referrals sent to the office. Students understood the routine and procedure. One downfall that I observed with this process is that some teachers overused the intervention and it started to lose effectiveness. Professional …show more content…
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools provides guidance for schools with regards to crisis planning and prevention. Their guide focuses on mitigation/prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery. According to the U.S. Department of Education’s planning guide, crisis incidents may include “bomb threats, chemical spills, fire, natural disasters, weather emergencies, pandemics, school violence, student or faculty death, terrorist attacks, and war”. A principal needs to be trained in the skills needed to be able to make decisions when a school is faced with a crisis. Unfortunately, we are reading and watching stories almost daily in the news about schools facing a crisis. A principal needs to ensure that there is a crisis plan in place and that their faculty has been properly trained. If the faculty within a school have never practiced implementing a crisis plan, then they are less likely to remember what to do when an actual crisis occurs. This is the same reason that schools ask students to practice fire drills or tornado drills on a regular basis. In my experience, when a crisis occurs, students are able to understand what is happening and what the expectations are for them in that situation because they have been able to practice. We have also taken into
Discipline needs to be consistent. All school staff needs to be trained so that there is a common understanding of discipline processes and procedures school-wide. Staff needs to understand that effective classroom management strategies will lead to students staying in the classroom and not missing out on learning opportunities. I have worked in a school where the first week of school was spent on teaching rules, routines, and consequences. Students understood what was expected of them. If a student did need additional interventions due to behaviors, we each had a partner teacher. We could send students to each other when they needed behavioral intervention. The student would go to a quiet pre-determined location in the classroom and given a chance to regroup. The student would complete a refocus form that asked several basic questions that included: What were you doing? What should you be doing? I can make a better choice next time by _______. The partner teacher would guide the student through the refocus activity if needed. This process was effective in reducing the discipline referrals sent to the office. Students understood the routine and procedure. One downfall that I observed with this process is that some teachers overused the intervention and it started to lose effectiveness. Professional …show more content…
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools provides guidance for schools with regards to crisis planning and prevention. Their guide focuses on mitigation/prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery. According to the U.S. Department of Education’s planning guide, crisis incidents may include “bomb threats, chemical spills, fire, natural disasters, weather emergencies, pandemics, school violence, student or faculty death, terrorist attacks, and war”. A principal needs to be trained in the skills needed to be able to make decisions when a school is faced with a crisis. Unfortunately, we are reading and watching stories almost daily in the news about schools facing a crisis. A principal needs to ensure that there is a crisis plan in place and that their faculty has been properly trained. If the faculty within a school have never practiced implementing a crisis plan, then they are less likely to remember what to do when an actual crisis occurs. This is the same reason that schools ask students to practice fire drills or tornado drills on a regular basis. In my experience, when a crisis occurs, students are able to understand what is happening and what the expectations are for them in that situation because they have been able to practice. We have also taken into