Consistency, The Ultimate
Victor In Discipline
Throughout my four years at Manchester College I have seen a variety of
discipline strategies used successfully, with many drastically diverse
elementary and preschools that have had significantly dissimilar students who
vary from socioeconomic status, culture, and ability level. Each classroom with
a successful discipline policy has two pertinent items in common: first the
students know what is expected of them and second the teacher remains consistent
while disciplining. My dream job is to teach at a special needs preschool, so my
discipline plan will be based on preschool children with special needs. Through
implementing my discipline plan I will provide preventive, supportive, and
corrective management strategies which will not only deal with behavior in a
respectful, positive way but will also allow the children to feel a sense of
community and security in our classroom.
The tone and atmosphere I set for my classroom is my first preventive
management strategy because it will allow all children in the room to feel
relaxed and eager to learn. First and foremost, as my students walk into my room
each day I want them to feel relaxed, safe, comfortable, but most of all excited
about learning. Each morning, as the students enter the class, I will have
different music playing softly, whether it be lullabies from Africa or common
nursery rhymes that are familiar to the children. A tone will be set as the
students walk in each day. My classroom will be filled with various books, that
vary from different developmental levels, cultures, and subjects. An area in my
room will be set up for reading whether it be with bean bags, a reading tub, or
even magic carpets. As suggested by Carol Horn, expert on elementary mediation,
another corner of my room will be set aside as a peace corner. Even though
preschoolers may be a little young to mediate with each other, I feel it is
important for them to have an area where they can go to calm down and express
their feelings. While at the peace corner with me, students will learn to use
I-messages when having intense feelings. As Thomas Gordon states in Building
Classroom Discipline, “I-messages are statements in which people tell how they
personally think or feel about another’s behavior and its consequences” (33) .
Because language skills, and expressing ones self, are huge focuses of the
preschool special needs program, I-messages will allow children to discover how
they feel and then use their words to express their feelings.
Another way of incorporating preventive management strategies is making
sure the students are aware and understand the rules and expectations of our
classroom. The golden rule for the classroom will be treat others as you would
like to be treated. That will be posted at the front of the classroom and also
in the peace corner. There are certain rules that I will have in the classroom
that are nonnegotiable. By discussing the rules with my students, I hope they
will understand why I feel the rules I have set for our classroom as a community
are important. Our classroom community will be built on respect. The main rules
of the classroom will be to respect themselves, respect others, and respect
property. These three basic rules can be applied to almost any conflict that may
occur in or out of the classroom. By explaining the rules in terms the children
will understand on the first day, the students will be certain of what I expect
of them. By having the rules posted in the room, with pictures illustrating each
rule, the students will always be able to refer to the principle that guides the
classroom, which is respect.
I will be incorporating supportive management strategies through
continually reminding, explaining, and modeling the rules and expectations of
every member of our classroom. I feel a preschooler can begin to be taught how
to show respect and also how to discuss their feelings. Because I know these
ideas will be new concepts for the children, I plan on reading books about the
issues, putting on short skits, and modeling what I expect them to learn about
how to treat others and about appropriate behavior. Through this, I will be
reminding them of how they are expected to act in the classroom and explaining,
showing, and modeling to them the appropriate behaviors in a variety of ways.
Having incentives in the classroom is a technique that can integrate
supportive management strategies. By using positive reinforcement, encouraging
students who are struggling, or congratulating those students who have excelled
or improved I will be reinforcing a sense of classroom community and respect. As
Fred Jones states in Building Classroom Discipline, “Students will work hard and
behave well when given incentives to do so” (57) . Through providing a balance
of occasional material incentives such as stickers, and class celebrations for
wonderful classroom behavior from all students; and nonmaterial incentives such
as encouragement, smiles, and offering reading time throughout the day, the
class will be enticed and motivated to keep up the good work and behavior.
Although it would be ideal that every student will always follow the
rules, I realize there will be many times when students will not; therefore I
have incorporated corrective management strategies. Like Lee and Marlene Canter
state in Building Classroom Discipline, I believe in a discipline hierarchy
which means, “each consequence in the hierarchy is a bit more unpleasant than
its predecessor” (43). I prefer to integrate this policy into a stoplight. Every
child begins each day on the green part of the stoplight. As illustrated through
Kathe Klopfenstein at Fairfield Preschool, I will take every opportunity to
allow the children to recognize and familiarize themselves with their names. So
the green part of each stop light will contain clothespins with each student’s
name written on a clothespin. When a student misbehaves they must recognize
their name on the clothes pin in order to move it from the green to the yellow
or red. The first time a student misbehaves I will give them a verbal warning,
and state to them what behavior they should be doing. The second time the
student misbehaves they will move their clip to yellow and go to the peace
corner. After given a few minutes of cool down time the student will use
I-messages to express how they are feeling. I will discuss with them why their
behavior was inappropriate. Then the student will brainstorm on better actions
they could choose if the situation were to occur in the future. If the student
misbehaves a third time he or she moves their clip to red and their parent will
be receiving a letter home from me. The letter will explain their child’s
inappropriate behavior and discuss ways to further resolve the behavior.
I feel it is important that everyone in the school is aware of my
discipline plan, because I feel every adult in the school provides guidance to
the students. By knowing my discipline strategies, they can reinforce what I am
reinforcing. Not only is important for the students, staff, and administrators
to know my discipline plan, but it is extremely necessary for the parents to
know what I expect of their child, and what the consequences will be if their
child acts inappropriately. By writing a parent letter explaining my discipline
plan, the parents will be aware of the expectations I will have for their child
throughout the school year. This will then help address any problems that may
occur in the future.
Through including preventative, supportive, and corrective management
strategies throughout my discipline plan, I will be better prepared to deal with
any misbehavior that may occur in the classroom. By sharing my expectations and
rules on the first day, continually practicing and modeling the given
expectations, and being consistent with consequences, I feel I can create a
wonderful classroom environment in which each student will thrive. With a sense
of respect, community, and security the classroom will be filled with laughter,
excitement, but most of all enthusiastic learners.
Works Cited Page
Charles, C. M. Building Classroom Discipline. 8th ed. Boston: Pearson Education
Inc., 2005. 33.
Horn, Carol. Elementary Mediation Process. 10 Oct. 2005.
Klopfenstein, Kathe. Fairfield Elementary. November 2005.