Teacher Disipline

[Chipmonker]

One of the most formidable problems that teachers need to deal with is unruly and disruptive children. However, for most of us, the teacher is only given rights for "reasonable force" to discipline in the classroom. Most of the time, a teacher that lays a hand on a child will be fired in an instant.

 

This is quite unlike most of the world's schools where a teacher can use any force necessary to control the students. And it probably demonstrates how effective corporal punishment (whipping, hitting) is with students.

 

Anyway, how do you feel about teacher discipline? Should teachers be given the right to use the less-forceful ways of discipline (rapping knuckles, forced to stand during class) or should teachers be forced to find other ways of keeping the class productive?

 

British innercity/slum school problems

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/6320011.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/6321861.stm

 

-------------------------------

 

My view to launch the debate off of;

 

I firmly believe that teachers should be able to use force when necessary. Teachers do not have enough leverage to keep a class under control when the don't have that right.

 

Of course, I don't believe that using those kinds of forces are effective or needed in non-extreme situations. A teacher shouldn't be able to be using force willy nilly - it needs to be a extreme situation, and the teacher needs to use his/her judgment. And if that judgment it wrong, the school needs to decide what the actions against the teacher should be.

 

Basically, I think the teacher need a little more disciplinary rights than they have now (not the all teachers are subordinate to students, because the teacher's head is on the chopping block). However, I don't believe that teacher should be able to use corporal punishment.

 

PS - This is the brain child of MSN. o_O Danke Hannah

[Awesome_Paul]

prolem is though, if teh teacher does use more punishment rather than standing up etc, then teh emount of kids hitting back would also be high, in the old days teachers were more feared by kids because they knew they would get hurt if they misbehaved,

 

but now you get these idiots that think as soon as they turn 13 they can beat anyone up <_< so they would obvioulsy take offense,

 

but when they used the rular on teh hand discipline, scores were much higher, so maybe they should try to get teh teachers fearer to see if that would help

[Superfly]

I would have to disagree.

 

If a teacher cannot get the respect of the students, so the students know that the teacher is the boss, there is something wrong with the teacher. All of the teachers at my school do this extremely well, yes they are fun and games, but you know when they are serious, and when you can goof off in class.

 

I do go to a private school, so that could be part of it, but all teachers shouldn't have to physically hurt/threaten people just to make them listen to them in the classroom.

 

Also, if teachers start to "use force" then students probabily wouldn't trust them as much. Most parents and stuff say, if you have a problem at school talk to a teacher, well if they are scared of what the teacher might do or think about them.

 

So, yea.

[.Dan.]

In China, kids still get belted in the rural schools, and even in some around Beijing.

[Ellie_Penguin]

"don't fight violence with more violence". Seriously this world is full of hypocrisy, no one should slap or kick anyone to make them listen, and that goes to teachers also. Teachers who punish their students like that are not giving a good example on finding healthy solutions to problems. Talk to the student, send them to the principal, give them detention or expell them, but never injure them.

[Pancreatic dragon]

Oh god... They dont NEED to injure us, one glance from Ms. Stymiest and she sends kids scurrying.(Math) But on the other hand some teachers are just mega tolerant(SP?) and will let you do ANYTHING- From singing Pancreas in the middle of class, to having the most thought provoking discussions. (Whether having Wonderbra in a game of Taboo was family friendly or not)(English) and they couldnt pick up a belt to hit some one if they tried.

[Chipmonker]

I would like to point out again, that there are schools where force is necessary.

 

I know teachers who work at inner city schools. Schools where there are bars on the windows, metal detectors at the entrances and violence in the classroom is the norm. And teachers can't respond? That is a problem.

 

It seems that the UK has the exact same problem http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/6320011.stm

 

I'd like to stress that I'm not just talking about hitting, slapping and belting. There are outlawed non-violent ways of punishment that teachers do. Things such as

• Having to stick your chewing gum on your forehead
  
• Keeping your nose in a circle just above your height
  
• Standing in class with your hand streched out
  

They are non-violent. And these things do work. So why can't the be used?

[.Dan.]

Well, those are some that I've never heard of before. Chinese ones I know of is people are made to do squats in freezing weather for hours, apparently.

[Guest Eagle]

I'm usually am not very present in this forum, but I have decided to express my views on this, seeing as here in Portugal teachers have this problem too (and all over the world, generally).

 

In my class last year, they had total disrespect with the teachers, they'd call 'em names, even insult them psychologically. However, one of my teachers didn't even care what they'd call him, and didn't punish anyone. Well, we were rated "Worst Class in the School". Comes to show, eh? Only seen you'd believe. Really.

 

Next, I changed class this year, and it's much better, and for the 1st Term we were on the Honor Board for one of the best disciplined classes. Are you getting the contrast here?

 

My opinion is that the teachers' decision is to be respected. Although no teacher would ever dream of inflicting physical pain on the student (at least here), the student must respect the teacher. They are an authority. Those classes with problematic students should be treated as a special case and they should be put into a different class with supervision, as a goal to achieve discipline. Which has already happened here.

 

In spite of my country having not having those many problems with violence, etc. in schools, the number of cases tend to rise each year, and with the lack of resources in Portugal conditions learning methods e.g. We are being taught the same things our parents have, using the same methods and discipline, whereas in the UK (where I have done primary school) it's a totally different way. If the country hasn't the resources, then it's very unlikely that the level of teaching will be advanced. And with the number of students quitting school before the law permits (Year 9), it's getting worse.

[Pancreatic dragon]

Hehe, I like the chewing gum Idea, if a little... odd. Why WOULD they outlaw that? Standard American legal work for ya.

 

But there are some select teachers that should NEVER be handed the rights to hit, slap, and/or publicly humiliate (Gum, Half the school would be walking around with sticky foreheads for the rest of our lives. Not so much the punishment as having to look at it all day) students, obviously. We (My school as a collective) know from experiance.

[Chipmonker]

So how should a teacher disipline? How can he/she effecitively express their authority without the students fighting back?

[Ellie_Penguin]

just have security at the school and the teacher should give a warning, if the student refuses or tries to fight back, the teacher should call security and take the student out to the principal. Add a button under each teacher desk just like at the banks XD.

[.Dan.]

That would be rather costly, and probably easy to destroy.

[antiaircraft]

Well, my school has a merit-demerit system to manage students. Every student starts out with 100 merit points. Merit points are given out for good behaviour and deducted for bad behaviour. The following actions are taken when a student reaches a certain number of points:

85 - advised by class teacher

75 - warned by class teacher, parents informed

65 - case referred to deputy headmaster, parent-teacher interview arranged

55 - case referred to headmaster, parent-teacher interview with student present arranged, student signs letter of guarantee

45 - case referred to disciplinary board, student suspended, letter sent to parents

30 - student suspended again, parents/students interviewed, letter of agreement signed

15 - student suspended, parents/students interviewed, final warning, letter of agreement signed, school board informed

0 - student expelled, school board informed

 

This system doesn't work too well, mainly because the teachers don't demerit much. Some of them threaten to deduct marks from tests/exams, and that works very well.

[kikaown]

I don't think that force in schools is ever necessary. Our school has so many gang fights that we have police officers permenantly stationed on campus, and yet my teachers never use force.

[buzz]

We really don't have to worry about it in my school.

About 80 kids in high school.

We all pretty much know each other.

Never any fights or anything.

[.Dan.]

I saw a news article about teachers going wild in classrooms when they lose it. The videos that they showed from Youtube are pretty violent.

[buzz]

It is probably fake.

Why would they be video taping a class.

[Foxy!]

Our school has a demerit system. One demerit is a letter home and a call home, as is 2, 3, and 4 demerits. At 5, you get in-team suspension, which means you sit in a desk in the corner of your homeroom all day, and at 6 you get ISS, where you sit in the ISS room all day with the evil secretary.... And we have this reward system called Cat's Cash. We're the Woodland Wildcats, so there's this thing they introduced this year where its all

C ooperate

A ct with appropriate attitude

T ake responsibility

S how respect

 

If we exhibit one of these behaviors, we supposedly get a ccats cash, but the teachers always forget bout it. we can redeem cats cash for stuff like have lunch with a friend, be a teacher's aide, have lunch outside, etc, etc.

[.Dan.]

Cats? And what do you mean, have lunch with a friend? Don't you get to sit together?

[Awesome_Paul]

i remeber my old school, there was a school at the top of a hill and anotehrs chool at the primary, they always used to have fights because they each thought their school was the best.

 

kinda got annoying because had to walk past them on my way too college, and every so often these 13 year olds would cwalk past saying give me your phone, and i couldn't actually hit them as teachers on the field, etc

 

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