What's the Best Way to Discipline a Student? Cont'd

The teacher who wrote to explain how her method of discipline “works” seems to think that having upwards of 25-30 people alter their routine, to accommodate the tender feelings of one noncooperative individual, constitutes effective policy. This is puzzling to me.

Make no mistake; that method is certainly preferable to the excessive violence that occurred in that video, but that isn’t saying much. I’m not interested in sending my children to a school where one non-cooperative individual has the power to control that many other individuals.

I don’t generally have much regard for zero-tolerance policies, but there is an exception I’ll make: A teacher should have absolute power to remove any student from the classroom, and any student who challenges that power should face automatic, immediate, and permanent expulsion. If a student refuses to leave and report to the administration office, when told to, it may well make sense to take the steps outlined by the teacher, with regard to removing the student’s peers, and summoning the assistance of other school personnel. But the first time that happens should be the last time that has a chance of happening, with that student.

Is this harsh? Absolutely. What is more harsh, however, is to allow one person’s pride to rule a couple dozen other people.

I’ve taught for 15 years so far and have encountered many instances of disruptive student behavior, including much more severe than what happened in the South Carolina instance. I agree wholeheartedly with the recommendation made to clear the room of the audience so that the child can de-escalate. This is what I have done when a child is in crisis, actively disrupting (i.e. screaming, cursing, forcibly moving furniture) and refusing to leave the room.

Since the child in question got quiet and passively refused to move, my inclination would have been to leave her there.

I would have said something like “Let’s move on—we can talk about this later” and turned my attention back to the rest of the class. I would try to waste as little time and energy as possible engaging in an off-topic conversation, which is what I would want from the rest of the class as well. If I get drawn into a power struggle with her, I’m inviting the rest of the class to offer their opinions and take sides. (As it turned out, several of them had cell phones out, openly filming, while the officer was removing their classmates—so let’s not pretend that the “no cellphones out” rule was strengthened by this little sideshow.)

After class ended, I would have approached her and asked what could have gone differently, as well as for more information about her circumstances. Hopefully I would already know if there were any family situations or other possible emergencies that might warrant her using her phone in my class, but if I didn’t, I’d want to find that out before problem solving with her about how to avoid such situations in the future.

I would want her to know that if she has a personal situation that needs attention during my class, I would like her to feel comfortable coming to me so that we can make a plan. Otherwise, if it isn’t an emergency, I’d prefer for her device to remain fully put away so that it doesn't detract from what’s happening during class.

I would also want to find out from her how she’s doing with the material. Is she checking out because she learned all this last year? Or is she having trouble with it and giving up, and that’s why the phone is out? In either case, instead of retreating into using the phone, I’d like for her to come talk to me so that we can work it out.

There is no substitute for getting to know your students personally and problem solving with them. As much as we’d like them to cooperate and get with the program, the truth is that we’re here to serve THEIR needs, not the other way around. If a student is actively learning and participating, their phone won’t be out.

Do children sometimes misbehave out of being mischievous or wanting to get a rise out of us? Sure, but that’s not what was happening here. And even then, calling in a police officer to lay down the law for minor misbehavior is like trying to put out a match by calling the Fire Department. It’s disproportionate and ridiculous. It ruins everyone’s credibility and exposes the violence underlying the school culture, making it less likely that students will feel safe enough to engage in learning.

At least three videos have surfaced of the violent arrest at Spring Valley High School. [Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott, who fired the officer, Ben Fields,] said one of the videos shows the girl attacking the officer before the arrest. “When the officer puts his hands on her initially, she reaches up and she pops the officer with her fist,” he said. Still, after watching all the footage, Lott told reporters that he “wanted to throw up.” “There’s no justification for some of his actions.” [...]

CNN law enforcement analyst Harry Houck cautioned against jumping to conclusions about Fields, even if the footage “looks really bad.” If an officer decides to make an arrest, he or she “can use whatever force is necessary,” said Houck, a retired New York police detective.

School resource officers can and should be more than a uniformed presence in schools; they should be mentors, counsellors, and role models, especially for disadvantaged youth. They should be guardians, protecting their students from unnecessary indignity and harm. An officer’s interactions with students can shape the way the students perceive and interact with officers for years to come. [...] Students who are arrested or criminally charged are less likely to graduate high school and more likely to commit future crimes, contributing to the “school-to-prison” pipeline. Research has associated an increased use of strict punishment with more school disciplinary issues and lower academic achievement, even when controlling for demographic factors.