"Go Ahead, Make Your Day"

     When I first heard about the discipline program used in the Everett School District secondary schools, I thought it sounded a bit harsh. Students sitting facing the wall for minutes, hours or even days?  I wondered how this could possibly be used in a way that doesn't result in angry students refusing to conform or even seeking revenge against teachers or staff.  What I discovered is that when it's used consistantly, it's like a magic pill.  When it's used poorly, students continue to test limits in the classroom and interrupt the flow of lessons and student learning.
     The five step program is designed to provide students with specific expectations for behavior at school.  One very important school rule sets the theme:  No one has the right to interfere with the learning, safety, or well-being of others.  This rule can be found posted in every classroom, the lunchroom,  in the hallways and in the principal's office.  Going into steps is not the choice of the teacher.  The student chooses to go to Step One by making poor behavior choices.  He or she is responsible for the consequence and it's the responsibility of the student to reflect on the behavior that led to sitting in a corner facing the wall. 
     When the teacher has a natural break in teaching, he/she goes over to the student to review what happened before releasing the student back to his/her desk.  The conversation starts with, "Why did you choose Step One?"  The student responds by relating the behaviors that were interfering with class learning.  Usually, Step One is all it takes to get the student back on track.  If the student continues to "choose" behaviors that show disrespect for classroom expectations, the result will be Step Two, Three, Four or Five.
 Step Two - student is standing facing the wall.
 Step Three - Student is standing facing the wall directly in front of the Make Your Day Rule.
 Step Four - Student is sent to the office, parents called and a conference scheduled.  Until that conference is held, student will be in Step One for the remainder of the day or days.  Kind of an "in-school" suspension.
 Step Five means the student will be suspended from school for a week. 
     The Cooperating Teacher I spent most of my DYAD time with used this classroom management tool with great efficiency.  The students knew exactly what behaviors were expected and what would happen if they didn't follow the rules.  No delay.  No special consideration. No surprises.  Blurting?  Didn't do homework?  Talking inappropriately?  Unprepared for class?  Disrespectful?  Inattentive?  These behaviors led to Step One.  Without fanfare, anyone choosing Step One is sent to a chair in the back of the room to contemplate how they fell short of expectations.
     My opinion is that following the Make Your Day program consistantly means that the teacher is providing a safe classroom where a whole bunch of learning is taking place.  Very little time is wasted on repeating instruction, getting students' attention, or intervening in student squabbles.  When students are given an assignment, they don't grumble.  When the teacher is talking, no one else is.  Students remain seated unless they're given permission to stand.  When the classroom is engaged in an activity that allows for student interaction, partnering or discussion, they conduct themselves appropriately.  There's no teasing, no bullying, no bull. 
     My daughters often complain about classrooms where the teacher has lost control.  They're frustrated with the waste of time and the difficulty of hearing what the teacher has to offer when the room is abuzz with chatter. Hillary expressed, "Hey, if I'm going to spend a year taking Spanish, I'd like to be able to speak Spanish when I'm done." Yes, that would be ideal! I've made a point of teaching them that they can have an influence on their peers by being model students and I've heard from their teachers that they are respectful and helpful (My little angels!). After all, the teacher is expected to teach and the student is expected to learn and if these things don't happen, we are failing to provide quality education. 
     The final component of the Make Your Day program is that students self-evaluate at the end of every period and award themselves "points".  Points are based on minutes in the period so if there are 45 minutes and a student spent 5 minutes in Step One, he should only give himself 40 points.  These points are entered into a spreadsheet and total points are noted on report cards.  This allows students and parents to discuss daily behaviors and relate them to marks the students are receiving for their work in class. 
     I feel like I have the tendency to be somewhat mushy in my classroom management so I see a real benefit to working in a school where all students know expectations and all teachers follow the same discipline procedures.  No one teacher is any "meaner" than any other.  There are no "teacher's pets" and no frustrated students feeling like their time and effort was wasted.  I visited many classrooms in the DYAD to see how different teachers used (or didn't use) the program effectively.  I can say without a doubt that the most productive and comfortable classrooms were the ones where the teacher took full advantage of the benefits Make Your Day can bring to a middle school.  I predict a further advantage is that we're instilling in students a sturdy sense of responsibility for themselves and consideration for others.

The Gap

     I'm lucky enough to know the complete exhaustion of Friday just after school is out.  It's a mind-numbing kind of tired but the kind where you know your efforts mattered.  I was an assistant teacher at the time so I'm assuming the classroom teacher was as tired as I was, if not more tired.  But here I am in school preparing to take on the job of teacher.  I'm here because I know that feeling, not in spite of it.
     Teachers have been in the news a lot lately due to budget cuts, contract negotiations, and statistics that make it seem like our kids are becoming less educated rather than more.  Some people want teachers to do more with less and resent that teachers get summers off and still have the nerve to complain.  A recent story in the Seattle Times discusses the high expectations people have of teachers yet still don't value them as professionals.  I think it's because every adult in the country has, at one time, had a "bad teacher", someone who probably hated their job, was burned out, or resented being scrutinized by administrators and parents. This experience causes some people to be merciless about what teachers should be capable of doing and ought to do without complaining and just be thankful they have a job.
     My favorite part of this piece is when a teacher being interviewed expresses that he's fighting an uphill battle and the reporter summarizes this viewpoint with "he knows he has two choices: throw up his hands or try like crazy". Good teachers are going to try like crazy, but let's hope they aren't completely burned out from their efforts to fill the gap.
     What can we as individual teachers do in our classrooms to connect students to enriching learning experiences when schools are operating on budgets that are stretched thin?  What resources remain untapped? How can we involve families in educational activities to a greater extent?