The Edtopia article "How to Make Consequences Count" really hit home with me. I think anybody who teaches today has to deal with student behavior. With my alternative kids I frequently have to deal with behavior issues while teaching. Sometimes my class can feel like one disturbance after another. I like his idea of the P.E.P. talk with a disruptive student which is talking to them in private with eye contact and position yourself close enough. I think this is a great idea but I'm not sure how practical it would be for my environment when I would have to stop my class many times to pull kids out for a private talk. I often call kids to my desk and talk to them quietly there, away from others.
Two other sections I found even more helpful. The idea that punishments in sequence (first detention, then parent meeting, then suspension etc.) is not helpful and takes the teacher out of the consequence makes a lot of sense. I also think it makes sense that not everything that is fair is equal. I think that makes so much sense and it's a lesson that is sometimes difficult to teach students (and parents) :o)
I am very thankful that I work with another teacher so one of us can deal with behavior issues (if necessary) while the other directs the rest of the class. In my case, I can do the P.E.P. talk with students without having to stop the class. I could see how this would be difficult to do when teaching alone.
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