Responding to rude kids
I love this approach. From Aces Too High: Lincoln High School in Walla Walla, WA, tries new approach to school discipline — suspensions drop 85%.
The first time that principal Jim Sporleder tried the New Approach to Student Discipline at Lincoln High School in Walla Walla, WA, he was blown away. Because it worked. In fact, it worked so well that he never went back to the Old Approach to Student Discipline. This is how it went down:
A student blows up at a teacher, drops the F-bomb. The usual approach at Lincoln – and, safe to say, at most high schools in this country – is automatic suspension. Instead, Sporleder sits the kid down and says quietly:
Wow. Are you OK? This doesn’t sound like you. What’s going on?He gets even more specific:You really looked stressed. On a scale of 1-10, where are you with your anger?[continue]
Does Gabriola Elementary School use approaches like this? Do the schools in Nanaimo?
Filed in assorted 3 Comments so far
3 Responses to “Responding to rude kids”
Pam Hodgkins on 01 May 2012 at 5:06 pm #
An innovative and brilliant school principal, Peter Hastings, in Leamington Spa UK applied similar techniques and skills to school management some 40 years ago. Everyone in the school from Peter to the youngest new student was known by their first name. It was a Roman Catholic High School and Peter believed that as everyone had a Christian name that is the name that should be used. He did not think a school needed to be governed by rules but rather by the principle that as each person is made in the image of God each one deserves respect. He did not require pupils to wear uniform – most unusual for a UK school – but rather that students should dress in an ‘appropriate manner’ for the activities they will undertake in the day. Any pupil who chose to wear something outrageous or a potential safety hazard such as stiletto heels would not be told ‘You can’t wear those’, but rather be asked to explain why she thought it necessary/appropriate to wear such shoes. If the answer did not satisfy the form teacher the student would be asked to go and discuss the matter with the Head of year at morning break, and maybe with the Principal himself during the lunch break. He may suggest that if she felt it necessary to wear the same shoes tomorrow would she come and discuss it with him before class tomorrow? Most teenage girls it seemed did not want to waste all their free time waiting for teachers and having circular discussions, and would decide that flatter shoes may be the best choice next day.
Other Principals questioned his technique but as he pointed out his pupils called him Peter to his face …….and behind his back; whilst others may be addressed as ‘Sir’ in their presence but probably ‘Old Farty pants’ in their absence. Peter believed that building relationships were the key to achieving a good school, that everything hung on respect, respect of the students for the staff, for the buildings and for each other and likewise the staff respected the students. Peter’s approach of building a caring and respectful community worked, the school was oversubscribed and achieved better results than most others in the area.
Sadly when Peter retired the new Principal was a little wary of this different approach and imposed some top down rules, he only stayed in post a couple of years and when the next one arrived she thought the shool undisciplined and now it is just another high school with uniform, rules, detention, suspension and students who see the staff as authority figures to be endured, placated or circumvented. What a waste!
Gabriolan on 01 May 2012 at 7:22 pm #
That’s an inspiring account, Pam. Thank you. What a pity that the principals who came after Peter felt it necessary to change to a more authoritarian structure.
crow on 06 May 2012 at 12:19 pm #
What a pity kids don’t behave like mature adults and behave in a responsible manner, as they would if they were – ah – mature and responsible adults.
The end result, so far, is – as an example – mindless riots in the UK, and a total lack of respect, for authority, other people, their lives, and their property.
Liberalism was old-hat twenty years ago, but now it’s really showing its entirely predictable results. Goodbye western civilization.
Still, while we all sink into the abyss, it’s good to know we will all still be referring to each other by our Christian names.
I mean: who needs civilization anyway, right?
It’s a good thing I was always a caveman at heart. Cavecrow, rather.
I’ll probably do better than most, when it all goes pear-shaped.