Part+2+10-13


 * Chapter 10**
 * Wasicko, Mark M. and Ross, Steven M. How to Create Discipline Problems**

__Becca:__ This essay talks about classroom management and effective ways to maintain order in the classroom. Many teachers struggle with classroom discipline and this article offers great suggestions for managing a classroom. To start, Wasicko and Ross suggest that holding high expectations for students behavior will lessen behavioral problems. If we as teachers expect students to behave properly and hold them to high standers, then they will live up to these standards. The article also suggests that teachers makes rules explicit. How can we expect students to follow classroom rules if they don't really know what the rules mean? Focusing more on rewards than punishments, and make sure to punish a reward behaviors properly. For example, if a child throws paper everywhere, expect him/her to clean up the paper. In addition make sure to enforce rules consistently and follow through with punishment, use cool learning opportunities as rewards, and most important treat students like human beings. Show them kindness and respect and that will lessen discipline problems.

I think this article holds a great deal of truth. While I think that all of the suggestions in this essay enrich the classroom and help eliminate poor behavior, I particularly like the emphasis on holding students to high standards and treating students with respect. As a high school teacher, I believe that my students need to take control of and responsibility for their actions. They need freedom to make good decisions, and both of these discipline tactics give them that freedom. If I hold a student to high standards and believe him/her capable, then that student will take initiative and rise to those behavioral expectations. At the same time, by treating students with respect and kindness, not only am I modeling good behavior but I am showing students that they are worthy and capable. Every student has the ability to act properly within the classroom, and I think these two tactics hold students accountable, allow for individual thinking, and motivate students to care about their behavior.

__ Deanna: __ I enjoyed this article because it’s not the typical “here’s what not to do” article. Instead, it says, “Okay, if you want discipline problems, do this…” I found this humorous and more interesting to read. I especially liked the Top Ten list at the beginning of the chapter of the “popular teacher pastime” – disciplining kids and creating their own problems in the classroom. The sarcastic tone of the first section gets my attention and then they are into what you should do instead, in order to not create discipline problems. Some suggestions they give include: Expect the best from kids; Rewards, Yes! Punishments, No!; If you must punish, remove privileges; and “Ignor”ance is bliss. I agree that “Ignor”ance is bliss because you can either waste class time trying to correct and draw attention to the behavior you are trying to eliminate (which actually just gives them the attention they are craving) or you can carry on and continue teaching. Now if the behavior is too disrupting to the entire class you have to do something so that your lesson is actually being caught. I also liked the idea of not punishing kids but rewarding them. Punishment is just a negative concept and should be avoided if possible. The book states that punishments bring attention to those who misbehave, has negative side effects such as aggression, depression, anxiety, or embarrassment, only temporarily suppresses bad behavior and disrupts the continuity of your lessons and reduces the time spent on productive learning. Like I just stated, you can either waste your time trying to discipline or you can ignore it (unless it’s a real problem) and carry on with what you are really suppose to be focusing on: teaching. __ Dustin: __ This was an interesting and very informative article about classroom management, and more specifically, about preventing discipline problems in classrooms. The article first listed the things that teachers frequently do that actually help to create discipline problems and then discusses ways to better manage the classroom. I found this article to be very helpful and to make a lot of good points. I also like how it closely related to the various things we are learning in our Classroom Management class right now. The part about consistency being the best policy really hit home with me last week after discussing how my first ever full lesson went with my Cooperating Teacher. He pointed out to me several times where I wasn't being consistent in how I handled kids, and it was really eye-opening for me. I realize that consistency is the best policy, but it definitely takes a lot of practice to successfully implement in a classroom. __Alex:__ I think that this article's sarcastic approach made its points seem much more valid than they otherwise may have. Rather than phrasing its points as "how to manage your classroom" its phraseology was "how to create discipline problems in your classroom". It has a nice layout of what not to do, followed by a awesome list of what seems to work. I really like the most of the suggestions have to do with creating an atmosphere of mutual respect in your classroom. For example, expecting the best from your kids, using rewards over punishments and treating students with love and respect. I also love how, if you find punishment necessary, you must make the punishment appropriate for the crime. Typically this entails the revoking of privileges. I really support this idea of giving our students responsibilities and privileges fully expecting that they will live up to our positive expectations. If they do not live up to our expectations our punishments simply take the form of removing those given privileges and responsibilities. This makes sense. If you can't handle it, you simply won't do it. It reminds me of my grading theory. Many teachers find it appropriate to take points off of papers and other assignments. To me, this logic is flawed. If you are taking points away from a student they must already have them all upon their turning in of the assignment. They might as well never turn it in--they would get full points. Rather, I like to award points for things well done. Rather then emphasizing the negative by taking of points, -2 here and -4 there, you are accentuating the positive--+3 here and +2 there. In the same way, we reward students with privileges. If they can't handle them, we simply take them back, like points. I also really like the point the essay makes about "knowing" your students. I feel like this may be the most important piece when it comes to discipline in the classroom. You will anticipate behaviors, know how to react, and know how to be fair and consistent when you know your students. __Luke__ I love the idea of using school work as rewards. It seems so countercultural and not practical, but if you can find out a way, it can be a great way to show your passion for your subject to the students. I love how we often see school work as punishment because it involves more work for the student and that we belive that practice makes perfect. Extra credit works as a reward, but it still seems like not the best way to do it. I want my kids to experience true joy in my classroom through working, so I wonder if instead of boring old math sheets as the article mentions, maybe it can be a project that the students really want to work on. __Lauren__ Though I believe at times ignorance can be bliss, depending on the classroom you are in, this may not be an option. For instance, in my classroom there is so much talking that it becomes impossible to ignore and carry on with the lesson. My students have to be reminded approximately every 5 minutes to stay on task and stop talking during the lesson/test. I agree that consistency is crucial, and I have noticed that my CT is not particularly consistent. She also rewards students for behavior that I would consider an expectation, which fuels the fire for them to be bad. Last week I overheard a student say “that’s why I love being bad, because you get rewarded for being good.” When students have clear expectations in the classroom (which we have highlighted) they know how to break them, and when a teacher is inconsistent, they know they will be rewarded for “being good,” (aka what is expected of them). I understand what the article is saying in terms of punishment only giving the student acting out more attention, but in my classroom right now I don’t see another way to handle the students. I think when they get called out and put on the spot they are more likely to avoid misbehaving because they don’t want to be embarrassed. I really liked this article, but I’m wondering how practical it is based on your personal classroom environment.

** Chapter 11 ** ** Cates, Dennis L., Markell, Marc A. and Bettenhausen, Sherrie. At Risk for Abuse: A Teacher’s Guide for Recognizing and Reporting Child Neglect and Abuse ** __Deanna:__ Teachers are responsible for recognizing and reporting signs of child neglect and abuse. This is a very difficult and touchy responsibility because there are so many things that you have to consider and so many things that can go wrong and be detrimental for the child, family, school, yourself, and the administration if wrong. Wrong accusations could severely damage your reputation and have long-lasting effects for the family. On the other hand, not reporting child abuse that is, in fact, being committed, hurts the child and your job because you are responsible for reporting it. Teachers have to be aware of the signs of all kinds of abuse: physical, mental, and sexual. Also, they have to know who they need to report it to. Reporting it to another teacher and even the administration is simply not enough to ensure something is going to be done about the allegations. You have to report it to a local social service agency so that they can take the necessary actions. This is a very tricky area and has to be dealt with carefully and seriously. __Becca:__ With a career in teaching come several responsibilities that extend beyond classroom duties. Amongst these responsibilities is understanding ones students and recognizing if their needs are being met. As teachers, we are responsible for speaking up if we believe that a student lives in an abusive household. Unfortunately many of these cases are not so black and white. With each case comes different variables, different conditions, and different forms of resistance. At the same time, teachers often fail to report child abuse out of fear of being wrong. If teachers falsely accuse someone of child abuse they are opening up a huge can of worms and a great deal of anger. At the same time, teachers must report abuse if they suspect it. Even if only one time out of ten of the accusations are right, that is one child's life. Perhaps, schools could provide teachers with extensive training to help them recognize cases of child abuse. This might reduce false accusations and increase undetected cases. Overall, child abuse is a very serious issue and teachers and school officials need to recognize when this abuse happens.

__Dustin:__

I'm sure most people can agree with me when I say that reading articles about child abuse just breaks my heart. It's a hard subject, especially for teachers who obviously care so much about kids. I think this is also part of the reason why teachers so often fail to notice the signs of child abuse - because it's just so hard for a teacher to fathom that it goes on. And then when teachers do recognize the signs, as previously said, it sometimes is just so grey that it is hard to take the necessary action. However, a lot of schools today have social workers, and teachers need to utilize those resources when necessary. And even if a school doesn't have social workers, it seems to me as if somebody in the administration would know who to contact about a situation like child abuse. So I feel as if teachers need to take more initiative when they suspect child abuse.

__Alex:__

This essay focuses on one of my biggest fears of being a teacher. How do we notice when someone is being hurt? How do we know when we are overreacting, underreacting etc.? I think this essay is helpful because it lays out our responsibilities as mandatory reporters, but emphasizes the point that we must work together to tackle this issue of abuse. This is not simply the responsibility of one teacher. Teachers must collaborate with each other, the administration and the authorities to make sure our students are safe. It is so sad to read about the prominence of this issue, though it doesn’t really surprise me. I think that there is much more of it that happens then is ever reported, which makes these statistics even more disturbing. I think that the table of physical and behavioral indicators of abuse and very helpful. This drives home the point even more powerfully that it is so important to know our students. To be involved as much as is appropriate in their lives and understand as much as we can. We may be the only bit of affection, attention, kindness or care that a student gets in a day. We never know what they could be going through. This is why it is important to treat students fairly, always asking questions, and never assume that you know what is going on. Be observant and sensitive to your students. I also appreciate this essay’s step by step advice on who to report to, what exactly to report and how to deal with the parents.

__Luke__ Like Deanna said, I think that it is difficult for teachers to call out abuse because of the possibility of being wrong. I think that it is a particularly difficult thing for teachers because A- some of the veteran teachers want to remain as outside of the student’s life as possible- and B- some of the novice teachers just are no good at being mature and not being the “cool teacher.” I really hope that I become more alert with students and have the wisdom combined with the maturity to mention it whenever I think there is a problem.

__Lauren__ Obviously, abuse is a touchy subject everyone would prefer to avoid talking about. However, in our professions, we have to face the facts: we are going to encounter many students who are living in abusive childhoods. The signs of physical abuse will be more apparent to us, so how will we determine when a student is living in an emotionally/psychologically abusive home? I agree with my classmates that teachers need training and need to learn how to delicately handle these scenarios, and I am already facing these issues in my classroom. Everyone has been writing “we need to know our students” which is true, and we need to be very aware that students who are in abusive situations may not want to be known, so that is a huge way to determine whether or not a child is in need. The second we think we know what’s happening, we become ignorant, because every person has different relationships in their life that are constantly changing. We need to stay in communication with our students, teachers, and school counselors to be able to pick up on any warning signs and act on them quickly.

** Chapter 12 ** ** Lipsitz, Joan and West, Teri. What Makes a Good School? ** __Deanna:__ This article focused on middle schools and what makes a “good” school. I enjoyed this chapter because, being in a middle school currently, I could really compare the listed criteria to my school. They did not just focus on the academic side of schools, they also focused on developmental responsiveness, social equity and organizational structures and processes. Often when people are talking about the “good” schools, they are simply referring to the schools with high test scores on the mandated tests. This focus is especially true today in our society that relies and teaches to the tests. They instead focused on family involvement which is necessary and often times lacking, even in the “good” schools. Family involvement really helps the kids be accountable and not only are they hearing the importance of being responsible from us, as teachers, but they are hearing it at home from their parents. They also focused on school improvement. School improvement should be constant because there is always something you can do to improve. Staying at the same level actually makes you go backwards because there are other schools out there that are constantly improving and if you are just standing still, they will eventually pass you. All these factors are important in determining what a good school is and all should play a vital role and be considered when doing so. __Becca:__ I really enjoyed this article and the respect it gave to academic success and equal opportunity. In particular, the section on social equity stood out to me. In my placement, the school focuses heavily on social equity and proving resources to special needs students. The school offers a team taught classroom for students who need more one-on-one time, a mentoring program for struggling students, and three different "schools" on the freshmen campus that accommodate to various types of learners. Therefore, when I read through the social equity portion of this article, I couldn't help but think, Yes, This article is right on! Unfortunately, not all schools make the education opportunities available, thus hindering the education of some students. A quality school offers programs like these, giving students the tools they need for success. The key word is helping //each// student succeed, that's what makes a quality school.

__Dustin:__

I found the different angles that this article took in determining the qualities that make a good school to be quite interesting. Besides being challenging academically, the article also insisted that being aware of and sensitive to students’ development and being democratic are essential qualities for a good school. The article was focused on middle schools, but I think the concepts can easily apply to a high school setting as well – and probably an elementary school. The following quote really caught my attention: “In high-performing schools

, the adults work together to provide a web of emotional and social support for the students, not just in the services the school provides but in the attitudes and relationships the adults establish with students,” (77). I think that it is interesting because I also believe that it is important to maintain good relationships with students in order see better results in schools.

__Lauren__ I appreciated that this article was focused on developing strong middle schools! I have been feeling (lately) that middle schools are the red-headed step children of the school system (and I’m not just saying that because I’m a redhead!). Taking time to focus on developmental responsiveness, social equity, and organizational structures and processes is absolutely crucial, as I have observed in the past month at my placement. Relying on test scores to determine whether or not a school is “good” is unfair, and when schools tackle bigger developmental issues, they will increase a student’s success in school, not just academically. Offering students options is key, because as we know not everyone learns in the same way, and no one has the same needs. Offering things like team teaching, mentoring programs, and evaluating what kind of support and extra-curriculars are open to students are things that should be noted when determining whether or not a school is “good.” __Deanna:__ This article was all about the difference between progressive and traditional schools. This article interested me because the two philosophies are very different but I think that both have great qualities and don’t really have an opinion about which type is better than the other. In fact, I believe that a mixture of the two would be a great idea and plan to use qualities from both in my teaching style. I also think that whether or not it is a good school or not depends on the student. Some students have learning styles and needs that would best fit in at a traditional school while some have styles and needs that would fit best at a progressive school. Therefore, parents need to have a choice on where they send their child that would set the student up for the most success. And, as a teacher, when you are teaching in a school that has both kinds of students, I think it is important that you recognize that and make sure that you balance your teaching styles in order to benefit both kinds of students and give them options when assigning projects so that they can excel based on their skills. It is, after all, about the students and their success. __Becca:__ "But the core duty of schools, teachers, and administration-- past and present-- has been to turn students into citizens who can independently reason through difficulty decisions, defend what they have decided, and honor the rule of law." This singe quote from the essay sums up the purpose of what all schools should stand for. I agree with Cuban that both of the schools presented in the article are "good" schools. While externally they appear very different, when looked at closely both progressive and traditional schools hold the same objectives and values. Instead of contrasting the two types of schools, people need to recognize which learning style fits them best and attend that school. Both types of schools strive for the same outcome, they just take different avenues to get there. Therefore, to say that one school is "better" then the other is to say chocolate ice cream is better then vanilla. Both taste great and satisfy that sweet craving but people typically prefer one flavor of the other. And that is the difference between progressive and traditional schools, they are simply different flavors of ice cream. __Luke__ Yea Becca with the ice cream! I think that we, as a country, are so polarized that there has to be a best and a worst school. There cannot be two good types of schools. Everything that we like is the best and any other options must be evil, right? I think results should be the ultimate determiner, and some schools work better for other students and yada yada. We have lost our democracy, and by that I mean what Cuban calls open-mindedness. __Dustin:__ As others have pointed out, there doesn’t necessarily have to be a right philosophy when it comes to progressive versus traditional schools. This article really hammers away at that point – both types of school can be effective as long as they are run well and have staffs who are devoted to the curriculum and to the students. Also, it needs to be considered that the different types of school probably work better for different students. Traditional schools may be good for how some students learn, while progressive schools may be better for how other students learn. I really see no reason why the two types of schools can’t coexist. __Alex:__ This essay makes the point that the definition of “good” is not necessarily the same in every context. There are, perhaps, many models for good education. These models might even be very different. For example, the differences between School A and B that are described throughout this piece are vast, but both schools are successful. What the author does here is, I think, very important. While the schools may be very different in their approaches and theories on how students best learn, they have a number of basic pieces of framework in common. The essay identifies these pieces as an ability to be open-minded, respect the values of others, reason, debate, “deliberate and struggle toward openly arrived-at compromises”. Basically, we want students to become responsible citizens of a democratic society. However we get there isn’t the issue as long as it works. I think that the point is not fighting with each other, but rather, collaborating to see what works, building upon it and always learning from what others do. The conflict among educators is unproductive. We already have enough to do. __Lauren__ Ideally, parents would have a choice about the school they are sending their kids to based on that school’s ideology and teaching methods. However, many parents are not afforded this option based on school proximity, transportation, and financial issues. Teachers do need to recognize the needs of their students and adapt their lessons to aid every type of student to benefit everyone. It is impossible to say which school is better, because as my classmates have said, “good” is subjective, and what is good for one person may not be good for the next. The fact that both schools focus on creating responsible citizens who are respectful and able to challenge the status quo are qualities I think should be the underlying current in every school.
 * Chapter 13**
 * Cuban, Larry. The Tale of Two Schools**