First, a teacher should never threaten, and "promising" to send students to the office is a threat.
But, what if the campus administrator sends the student back with no consequences having been leveled?
Worse, what if a teacher refers a misbehaving student to the office, only to find that the student was rewarded!
Sidebar
I remember a case where "trouble-making students" (repeat offenders) on one campus were given special hats and made partners on the Assistant Principal's Posse.
Of course, the Posse scoured the campus for papers and trash, but the students "got out of class" (a reward), and received recognition.
Besides, "Negative student behavior isn't only the student's fault, is it?"
In these cases, teachers need to exercise the caution and "wisdom" shown by (better paid) lawyers.
The rule for lawyers is, "If you don't know what the witness is going to say beforehand, don't place them on the witness stand."
The same rule holds for referring students to the office, i.e., "If you don't know what is going to happen (consequences to the student, consequences for yourself), don't sent students to the office."
Indirect Suggestion
Sending students to the office communicates the following…
- The Teacher is NOT in Charge
- The Teacher can not handle the situation, alone
- The Student is "winning"
- The Teacher doesn't have enough power to control the student or the situation
- Etc.
Perhaps the stress relief is worth removing the student from the classroom seems worth the risk of ejecting the student, but this ploy is short-lived and often self-defeating.
Reward First, Take Away Rewards, Punish Last
A rewarding, engaging, stimulating, supportive and dynamic learning environment is the first line in defense against negative student behavior.
Rewards, as long as they are not perceived as "bribes" are the first choice for teacher intervention.
And, the shorter the student's attention span, the more frequent those rewards need to be delivered.
However, for some age groups (especially Middle School, Junior High), peer pressure overpowers most of the rewards that the teacher can offer. This means that the teacher must "win over the peer group" with fairness, compassion, toughness, empathy and a "no teachers' pets favorites" approach.
Taking Away Rewards
The most rewarding part of each student's school day is inclusion in the exciting, stimulating, socially beneficial "happenings" that engaging lessons provide.
"Time out," cooling off periods and other side roads from where the action is; as long as removal is not too far away or for too long, creates an internal pressure within the child to return to the flow of classroom activities. That is, as long as the teacher didn't "burn any bridges" connecting the student with the class.
"Everyone cooperates and succeeds here, everyone is welcome" is the mantra that teachers need to repeat aloud, show by behavior and body language, share with empathy, and pound home with fairness.
Consistent, Determined, but Minimal Punishment
The military slogan applies in education, "Surety of punishment is more effective that severity of punishment."
This means that a teacher needs to choose the highest level of mild punishment that they can support, and level that punishment as a consequence, every time, no exceptions, no delay.
If the teacher's own child was visiting and broke the rule, the punishment would be leveled, at once.
But, if a harsh penalty is chosen, the teacher vacillates, delays and has to process whether this instance meets the test of "deserving" the punishment. Whenever a teacher engages in this internal debate, students lack confidence in the teacher, and become confused about the rules.
Of course, one or more students will rise to the occasion to "test the limits" and bring clarity to the classroom milieu.
Crystal clear teacher policies avoid this unnecessary limit testing, and decrease the number of behaviors that require redirecting.
Teachers who are dedicated to student learning become "ruthlessly consistent" in a kinder, gentler sort of way. And, most children appreciate and thank them for this approach because it brings stability, safety and comfort to their lives.
Boredom, Frustration and Failure Disguised as Misbehavior
Teachers alert themselves to the slightest hint of misbehavior, and teachers focus upon restoring order. But, seeing the cause of the misbehavior as the student may mean misperceiving the symptom instead the cause.
Master Teachers ensure that the classroom environment is safe and secure, that children are supported and empowered, and that everyone is valued.
Then, teachers assess whether the curriculum or the instructional delivery could be more engaging.
As long as punishments were mild, "teacher's remorse" is kept at bay when the cause for the misbehavior turns out to be…
- The lesson was boring or confusing
- The lesson was too difficult and students were floundering, feeling confused and feeling frustrated
- The lesson was irrelevant to the students, and did not connect with any portion of their lives
Punishment is like "Fly Spray." Over use extermination chemicals, and the buildup creates a toxic environment
It is better to have a strategy that keeps the screens on the doors and windows in good repair…and don't prop the screen door open for long periods of time.
Meaningful, learning activities targeted to each student's learning style (Multiple Intelligences) are the learning environment's equivalent to screens on the doors and windows, i.e., barriers that keep pesky misbehaviors out of the classroom.
Keep it in the Family
Just as families like to keep facts about the family's issues known only to the family, teachers need to keep most of the classroom family's negative information under wraps.
This means,
- Dealing with issues an a private way
- Avoiding comments about a student in the Teachers' Lounge
- and briefing supervisors about the success of classroom management efforts without a "blow-by-blow" rendition of the saga of getting a specific student to behave
"Keeping it in the Family" also means contacting each student's family ahead of time, with positive reports, and with a description of classroom rules and procedures.
The task is to win over the family's help with the classroom focus upon positive behavior.
If rewards are fair, if children are treated fairly, and if punishments are fair and mild; almost every family in the world will support their child's teacher.
Then, when a call home is necessary, the focus can be on obtaining help in keeping the child on track, obtaining help in keeping up the child's great progress, looking for a return to progress, positive behavior and cooperation.
Catch a Student Acting Nicely
Narrowed, tunnel vision is often necessary, with a lot of effort and vigilance expended in finding something that a student does that is positive. But, this strategy is worth the effort, even though the first time (or the first several times), the student may reject the social reinforcements of praise and appreciation.
But teachers who stick with this strategy are often rewarded by the cooperation of the child who was won over by the teacher's good will.
Experiment, Assess
Another approach that you can use is to keep track of the number of times that you threaten to send students to the office and compare that number of threats with…
- The number of actual office referrals
- The number of threats before an office referral is initiated
- The increase in offenses between the time of the threat and an actual referral
- The increased number of offenses following an office referral
Keeping objective, countable records should convince you to refer students to the office for discipline incidents only as a last resort.
Make Campus Administrators your Greatest Ally
On the other hand, creating all kinds of award certificates, especially ones that require the signature of a campus administrator, make sending students to the office a rewarding experience for everyone.
Pass these certificates out when they are deserved, when students vote on the most deserving recipient, when you catch a student doing "good."
Sending students to the office to be rewarded is a strategy that pays off. Try it. You'll see.
