Bon Secours EAP
757-398-2374
or
1-800-EAP-3257

Information provided within this website should not be used during any emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any condition. A professional should be consulted in order to provide a full assessment. Call 911 or your local emergency response for all medical/psychiatric emergencies. EAP counselors are available 24 hours per day in crisis situations. Links to other sites are provided for information only and do not constitute endorsements of other sites or their information. For full disclosure please see Use Agreement at the bottom of this page.

Suzanne G. Houff, PhD
Associate Professor of Education
College of Graduate and Professional Studies
University of Mary Washington

Sane Discipline
If there were one perfect way to maintain discipline, every teacher would immediately employ that strategy in their classroom. If we look to the theorists and the management models the issue can become very confusing. Even as we post our rules and consequences, we have great educational thinkers like Alfie Kohn (1996) suggesting that reward and punishment strategies do not work. Jane Nelson (1996) tells us that kindness, respect, and firmness are the ingredients needed for positive discipline. If we look to William Glasser (1986), he recommends empowering the students by making them responsible for their own behavior. And, while the thinkers are thinking, we deal with little Johnny that won't bring in his homework for anything less than a Jolly Rancher.

In our current society of steps, principles, and strategies to numerically lead us through life, I offer the following theoretical mishmash of guidelines to sane discipline.

1. Empower the child: No one wants to feel completely powerless over any situation. Start the year by letting students help establish the rules and consequences. (Even though Kohn suggest they do not work) Of course, some will be outlandish and that is when we steer them back in the right direction. When given ownership of the situation, students are more likely to follow the established guidelines.
2. Use humor frequently: I'll never forget a lesson on homophones. I was prepared to begin this lesson with an introduction to homophones using a picture book. I was feeling very good about this particular plan since I was sure the students would be highly motivated and engaged. I used the picture book, The King That Rained by Fred Gwyne as an introduction. This is a fun book that provides illustrations of homophones so that students can visually interpret the double meaning. On the front cover, a king is high in the clouds with rain coming from his body, thus illustrating his reign. As I held up the book to introduce the concept and begin my wonderfully planned lesson, one of my middle school students yelled from the back, "Oh my God, his water broke." I had two choices. I could reprimand the student while reminding him of how inappropriate his comments were or I could laugh along with the students. Fortunately, my inner teacher was in sync and I was able to laugh and use this moment to move into the lesson. Without even knowing it, the student provided me with an excellent anticipatory set that got everyone engaged.
3. Throw away blame: Nothing is accomplished by trying to alter behavior through guilt, blame, or shame. Remember, it didn't work for our mothers. We all deserve to be treated with dignity. (Curwin & Mendler, 1988)
4. Practice good teaching: Plan, plan, plan. Use variety. Offer quality. Engage the students in purposeful learning.
5. Know your students: What kind of mental garbage are they bringing to the classroom? Are their basic needs (Glasser, 1986) being met? Are they hungry? Scared? Rejected? You might be the only person to offer them a kind word all day.
6. Model what you expect: The old saying, "do as I say and not as I do" isn't going to cut the mustard anymore. We need to show our students how to give respect in order to earn it.
7. Strive to develop the good rather than crush the bad: Develop a classroom climate that enhances character (Charles, 2002) and safety.
8. Stay consistent yet fair: Students have a very strong sense of fairness. It is best to use this idea to the advantage.
9. Stay proactive rather than reactive: Stay one step ahead of the students at all times. Plan, plan, plan and let them know what the plans and procedures are.
10. Reflect on what works and what doesn't. If the horse is dead, get off of it. If the students have reached their satiation point (Kounin, 1977), it is best to move on.
11. Assume your students are wonderful. Students will always meet the expectations that we established for them - low or high.
12. Maintain sanity. Listen to what you are saying. Remember that usually when we back a child in a corner they will come out fighting. Anytime that we engage in a verbal battle with a child, we will loose regardless of who has the last word or who gets their way. Would you rather prove yourself right or would you rather have a well managed classroom that facilitates learning though an environment that meets the basic needs of students?

In any education question, the correct answer is, "It depends". This is especially true when dealing with classroom management. It depends on the situation, the students, the factors, etc. There is no silver bullet. We just strive to maintain sanity.

Charles, C.M. (2002). Essential Elements of Effective Discipline. Boston, MA: Pearson

Curwin, R., & Mendler, A. (1988). Discipline with dignity. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Glasser, W. (1986). Control theory in the classroom. New York: Harper & Row

Kohn, A. (1996). Beyond discipline: from compliance to community. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Kounin, J. (1977). Discipline and group management in classrooms. (rev.ed.). New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston. (Original work published 1971)