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Classroom Discipline Essay, Research Paper

Classroom Discipline

At least 180 days a year, children of this country attend school to receive the quality of education our Constitution says that they deserve. These schools are institutions, responsible for organizing and instilling into our children the knowledge and skills necessary to survive in our society. As do all institutions, schools need rules to accomplish their goals (Ban, 258). Similar to the hierarchical structure of our contemporary society, school rules are enforced by all offices, from boards of education to superintendents to principals to teachers (McDaniel, 254), to ensure orderly processes, promote common good, protect the rights of everyone, and assign the responsibilities of all parties (Ban, 258). Each office must exercise its power and authority to reflect the values of the larger society. An orderly society is dependent upon students who have learned the rule of law, one of the major values of a democratic society (McDaniel, 254).

By necessity and definition, teachers are the authoritarians in their classrooms. The term itself, authoritarian , has a negative connotation implying the manipulation of people as objects for power. However, teachers are expected to be mature responsible leaders. They need to develop values of respect, order, and discipline if they are to effectively educate their children. There are standards of behavior and performance that need to be enforced if students are to benefit from instruction (McDaniel, 254).

Today, more than ever, students are coming to school unprepared to learn. There is an increase in family instability, poverty and misfortune. Perhaps in correlation, there is also a decrease in moral and ethical values (Lewis, 62). With such dysfunction in their home and private lives, it is more difficult for children to focus on scholastics. Yet, all children require a variety of basic internal needs, including love, acceptance, security, belonging, and control. Effective educators recognize these needs and can identify children who are lacking any of them. It is these students, who do not have their basic needs fulfilled, that have a tendency to misbehave. They are missing something in their lives and they will do whatever it takes to fill that void (Lewis, 62), even if they know they are behaving improperly. And it only takes one or two students involved in a discipline problem to ruin an entire day s worth of instruction (Varner, 18). Once teachers are accepted by their students as leaders who establish clear rules and reasonable structure then a basis for learning exists. (McDaniel, 257).

There seems to be a cyclic relationship between classroom management and effective instruction. Poor behavior of the students can destroy any chance of a successful lesson but good instruction deters mischievous behavior. In the article Make Discipline Problems Improve Instruction , Edna Varner claims that [discipline] is merely a symptom of problems teachers have with instruction (18). She further suggests that improving instruction will dramatically decrease what they [faculty] consider students chronic misbehavior (18). Other researchers imply that it is the ability to predict and prevent such problems that is a major difference between novice and experienced educators (Noland, 521). The biggest weakness of beginning teachers is their failure to design discipline strategies prior to the occurrence of behavioral distractions (Ban, 259).

Frederic H. Jones, author of Positive Classroom Discipline and Positive Classroom Instruction, defines classroom discipline as the business of enforcing classroom standards and building patterns of cooperation to maximize learning and minimize distractions (Chemlynski, 42). He is among many researchers who study when, how, and why children misbehave and the most effective means of correction. There are two types of discipline: reactive and proactive (Ban, 257). Reactive discipline occurs spontaneously, when the teacher does not anticipate misbehavior and, therefore, does not plan a response. When using this improvisational method, the teacher is in survival mode. He/she simply shifts from one problem to the next, reacting along the way (Petterle, 28). This results in inconsistent structure and it undermines the teacher s authority and credibility (Ban, 257).

Proactive discipline, which as far more effective and favorable, involves, forethought, anticipation, preparation, and consistency (Ban, 257). Professor John R. Ban, of Indiana University, recommends a lesson plan approach to this type of discipline. Since all educators should be familiar with lesson plans, Ban suggests making behavior the object of study during the first week of school, focusing on conduct and consequences in the lesson. The school s student conduct manual could be used as a resource, allowing the students to study the rules, explore the reasons, and express their opinions. Students should understand the role of rules in the school and society. Then they could be involved in designing the code of conduct for the classroom. Substantial research indicates that people are more inclined to obey rules when they have had a significant part in determining them (Ban, 260). The class input will also ensure compliance via the power of peer pressure. A lesson on temper management can be include in the week s unit on conduct, allowing the children opportunities to explore aspects of themselves and learn methods of control (Ban, 261).

Whether the instructor uses Ban s method of involving the class or not, rules need to be established. When a teacher designs classroom rules, he/she should first understand the difference between rules and procedures. While rules should be created to control the breach of expected behavior, basic classroom management procedures will suffice for minor distractions. The educator needs to also weigh

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