Appropriate Punishment in Elementary School, Middle School, High School?

[RDSLOTS]

Regardless of age, the loss of a privilege, or privileges, if need be, can be most effective. To work, you must assess what is of importance to the child -- watching a favorite TV show, being able to spend time with friends, going on an outing, playing with a favorite toy, loss of the cell phone use, confiscating the car keys -- whatever.

Let the child voice his opinion to whatever degree you are willing, but do not back down. My daughter could tell me something 'stunk,' but it wasn't going to change the punishment, and I only listened to the complaint once. After that, she could take it to her room, where she was free to rant and rave all she wanted, but only if we couldn't hear it in the rest of the house. I also did not put up with sullenness, ie. no pouting at the dinner table -- she had to take her meal to her room, or sit at the table alone after we finished dinner.

That's how I approached misbehavior with my own child.


I almost think it should be a requirement that teachers, regardless of age level of the student, should be parents themselves. I never understood children so well as when I had one of my own. But, that said. . .

The same applies to working with children in a school setting, ie. a loss of some privilege, keeping in mind that any punishment must be perceived as fair and equitable, and as immediate as possible.

My HS students hated having to give up some of their precious after-school-free-time, ie. a detention -- which was less punishment as it was an opportunity for us to talk about what had happened, and to try to come up with a plan to make it better next time. This worked at the JR HS level for me (I taught in an in-school suspension program), and even at the elementary level -- keeping in mind, it, the punishment had to be age-appropriate. For example, during recess, the child might stay with me for the first five minutes or half of the free period, depending upon the problem earlier.

Almost always, whatever I did was documented in some small way, even just a note in my paper gradebook, and often (but not always) followed-up with a call, or note, to the parent(s). You have to use your own best judgment in terms of how you may choose to involve the parent(s) or not, for any number of reasons.

Not being afraid of children, and trying to remember what it was like for yourself at that age, is paramount, I think. Also, keeping in mind that you are 'disciplining' a child with the end result being he/she learns to behave acceptably, regardless, and ultimately as a reward in itself -- not punishment. Punitive does not always end in a positive result, and humiliation is never a particularly good idea. A child, or peer, can and often will humiliate another, but it should never be the one in power doing it to another -- parent, coach, teacher, or boss, even, I honestly believe.

[novanative75]

I am a firm believer in natural and logical consequences and try to impose those as often as possible. However, sadly, most public schools solve problems with detention, ISS and OSS.

[RDSLOTS]

Having taught in an in-school suspension program in a JR HS setting for ten years, I think there is a need for it -- but not if done punitively like most generally are. I was given the latitude to set my classroom up, and run it as I saw fit (unheard of today, huh?), and it wasn't comprised of study carrels facing the walls, and no interaction with me.

For lack of any other way to describe it, the class was set up along the lines of an elementary classroom. We ALL did math at the same time, science, whatever, according to a schedule. I communicated with the teachers in the school, and knew what they were covering, and had copies of every textbook used in the school/county. I got the library to give me sets of encyclopedias and reference books, and I brought in other books and materials, and subscribed to magazines.

If a student didn't have an assignment, I gave them one -- not busy work, but something focused along 'skills' lines. All of their work was graded daily, and a student didn't return to the classroom until he/she was up-to-date and in good standing (assignments completed).

They worked, as a group, for roughly an hour each day with one of the four counselors in the school, on all sorts of topics, and as often as I could, I invited speakers/visitors to the class on Friday mornings -- most often juvenile probation officers, drug enforcement officers, etc.

The kids didn't go anywhere without me. Not the cafeteria (we ate as a group between lunch periods, alone in the cafeteria), not the bathrooms. If a student had some other need, someone from the Office either came to get the student, or escorted the student to, say, the nurse or something. Suspended students had NO privileges, and a student who misbehaved went home for the day, and it didn't count. Most kids worked their way out of ISS and back into the regular classroom.

In our school system, ISS worked well, but it takes a good program with clear goals and administration to back the teacher(s). Sad thing was, some kids liked being in ISS with me, and that really wasn't too hard to understand -- the expectations were clear, and high, and discipline was fair and timely. For some students, it was an opportunity to be successful when they failed miserably in the regular classroom.

Told me something.