This article came about as the outline of a training I presented on Mid-Year discipline issues. I have included a "cheat sheet" at the bottom which may be printed and referred to to insure continuity and objectivity on the classroom discipline plan.

At this point the of the year two disciplinary areas that seem to be of most concern are:

Classroom Disruptions
Physical Contact

Some suggestions for pro-actively addressing the issues at this point would be:

a) Consider temporarily re-arranging your room for more direct instruction of targeted students that are struggling with behavior. This takes the focus of student interaction and placing the focus on the teacher. This can be an excellent tool for making an immediate impact on rapidly occurring “spur of the moment” issues. It also allows for the continuation of cooperative learning for the students in the majority who are being successful.

b) Review your data. What are the offences that are getting your attention the quickest? What is “getting under your skin?”

c) Review and Tweak your discipline plan. Do you have the same needs in your plan that you had in the fall when you wrote your plan? Are there new areas which need to be addressed? Are the consequences you wrote with your plan still appropriate and effective? Do you need new consequence strategies?

d) Re-teach your discipline plan. Put it in you lesson plans. Teach it as a formal lesson. Test the class on the lesson. Re-teach the plan until every student demonstrates mastery understanding of the plan and the consequences.

e) Consistently and dispassionately implement your plan and the consequences. Always, always, always document the implementation of your plan and every single consequence implemented.

f) Assess your stress level. What are you doing for yourself? You MUST make time for recreation. You can not be effective in this high stress situation if you don’t take care of yourself first. Remember the flight attendant speech on the airline, “In case of emergency depressurization of the cabin, put the oxygen mask on yourself BEFORE you try to help anyone else.

For further resources and excellent site is www.teachers.net.

Mid-Year Classroom Management Tips

The two disciplinary areas of most concern:

1. Classroom Disruptions

2. Physical Contact

Temporarily re-arrange your student desks for targeted students who are struggling with behavioral issues

Review your data

Review and Tweak your classroom discipline plan

Re-teach your discipline plan.

Implement your plan

Make time for recreation

Reg Adkins
Educator, counselor, training, behavior intervention specialist, staff development facilitator.