Discipline

As a leader, teacher, or parent, one never knows how far one's influence extends.

Susan Taylor stopped me at a national conference and thanked me. She is principal at Franklin School of the Newark Public Schools in New Jersey. I had presented at her school. Ten days later the twin World Trade Towers in New York City across the river from New Jersey were destroyed. Susan told me that by the end of that school day only 50 of her 500 students were left in school. It was understandable that panic reigned on the east coast of the United States that dreadful morning.

She then told me that having the Raise Responsibility System in the school's knowledge bank assisted the … >>>

The following are some questions and responses about the Raise Responsibility System (RRSystem), Part III of the DISCIPLINE WITHOUT STRESS TEACHING MODEL:

QUESTION:
I am a 9th grade science teacher and I recently read your book, “Discipline without Stress, Punishments or Rewards.” It sounds like a great approach and I would like to implement it in my classroom, but I have four questions that I was hoping you could answer.

1. If an incident occurs in your classroom and you did not see who did it (for example, someone throws a paper airplane), how do you handle that?

RESPONSE:
Just announce that someone is operating on level B—that no one will be punished—that your only goal is for the … >>>

When I presented at the National Catholic Educators Association conference and walked by one of the booths in the exhibit hall, Dr. Patricia McCormack stopped me. We had never met, but she recognized me from the picture on my website. She told me that she knows about the RAISE RESPONSIBILITY SYSTEM from my website and saw the program at work in a California school.

To quote from her book, "Student Self-Discipline in the Classroom & Beyond" (National Catholic Educational Association, 2003):

"The faculty in-serviced themselves through discussion and
consideration of Marshall's book. Before the program was
implemented, the teachers provided an in-service for
parents, staff members, and students.

"It was necessary for us to keep in mind that … >>>

I gave a keynote In Alberta, Canada, entitled, “Four Practices of Superior Teachers,” followed by a “Discipline without Stress, Punishments, or Rewards” workshop to the Calgary Teachers Association. I think I also had the most humbling experience of my life.

I have been honored to speak in various locations around the world. Certainly presenting in Kuala Lumpur at the behest of the Minister of Education of Malaysia was an honor and a very gratifying experience. And I truly enjoyed speaking in Beijing where I presentied with a Chinese translation of the book. But what I witnessed in Alberta was overwhelming. Fifty members of the Calgary Teachers Association had formed a Marvin Marshall Book Club, and I was the invited speaker … >>>

QUESTION:

I have a student who cut up confetti and placed it inside a folded, stapled paper. I warned him that not one piece had better be found on school property. Otherwise, I would have him him write an essay. I want to do what you would do at this point.

RESPONSE:

I would have a personal conversation letting him know that when he acts on LEVEL B he is making his own standards and acting in a way that is not acceptable.

I would then say, "You have my full confidence that none of the confetti will leave the room, that it will be disposed of, and that you know how to do it."

Then let him know that … >>>

Dear Marv,

I had the opportunity to know about your book Discipline without Stress, Punishments or Rewards through some of your articles and your interesting monthly newsletter.

What I really want is to purchase a copy of your book so that I can read it thoroughly and understand your approach more practically. But due to the current difficult situation in Iraq, we still have some complicated procedures in sending money abroad, and that's why I would like to ask you a favor, which is kindly inform me of a bookshop address in Jordan or Syria where your book is carried.

I have been in teaching for 35 years. Your approach is a big wide step forward in the field of … >>>

An understanding of mind-body connection is essential for reducing stress and influencing others. Thoughts have direct and powerful connections to all sorts of physiological functions. Think hard enough about jumping out of an airplane, and your heart will start to race and your palms to sweat.

Perhaps the most dramatic and best-known case was described by Norman Cousins in his "Anatomy of an Illness As Perceived by the Patient." While I was re-organizing my library, I came across his description of his experience in the May 28, 1977 issue of The Saturday Review (pp. 4-6, 48-51).

Cousins came down with a serious collagen illness, a disease of the body's connective tissues. One result of the disease is the … >>>

Dear Dr. Marshall,

I am the mother of 7 children working on my counseling degree. I spent the last school year as an intern at both an elementary and middle school. It opened my eyes as to why children become disruptive. Punitive teachers ratchet up the anxiety and hostility. Reading your book has shed further light on what does works and why.

Thank you for writing such an inspirational book.

Susan Reeve
Tabernacle, NJ… >>>

QUESTION:
I am a kindergarten teacher in Spokane Valley, Washington. My colleagues and I have adopted your Raise Responsibility behavior plan. We are having some difficulties getting kindergartners to value the importance of intrinsic motivation. They’ll tell me they are showing level A or B behavior, and they’ll even do a reflection to focus on better choices and better behavior; then before I know it, they have repeated showing A or B behavior.

Can we really expect ALL children (kindergartners) to understand and abide by these 4 levels without ANY rewards?

RESPONSE:
The answer is, YES, but you start by differentiating between ACCEPTABLE levels and UNACCEPTABLE levels. See the posters and cards at impulse management.

Also, and—this is critical—be … >>>

A post was made at the Discipline Support mailring wherein the teacher oftentimes used the word “discipline” with students.

Clarification is necessary because the term, DISCIPLINE” should BE USED ONLY with ADULTS—not with students or children.

The ONLY part of the approach young people need to understand is the levels of social development, the first phase of the Raise Responsibility System—which is only a small but foundational part of the teaching and learning model model outlined at the Discipline Without Stress Teaching Model.

I – CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT vs. DISCIPLINE
TEACHING PROCEDURES (the essence of classroom management) is the responsibility of the ADULT.

II – THREE PRINCIPLES TO PRACTICE
A) Communicating with people in POSITIVE ways STARTS as the responsibility … >>>

At one of my British Columbia presentations, I had the pleasure of visiting Kerry Weisner and Darlene Collinson. While visiting Darlene’s classroom, I saw some reflective questions she had posted on the wall just below the ceiling to which she could easily refer.

Darlene told me that she rarely looks at the questions now, but having reflective questions in easy view helped her when she first started using the Discipline Without Stress Teaching Model. The following are the questions she had posted for her easy viewing and reference.

For commitment:
1. Could you have kept your commitment?
2. What are you going to do to make it happen?
3. On a scale of 1 – 10, how would you … >>>

Dear Dr. Marshall,

About a week before school started, I went online looking for a way to provide a suitable reward system to make sure that my classes were positive and motivated. I knew that rewards were more effective than punishments, or so I thought.

I did a search for “Discipline Rewards” and your site popped up. I started reading your website and I was immediately on-board. After spending about an hour on your site, I decided to try your system this year.

I spent the second day of school talking to my classes about the hierarchy. Their homework was for them to go online and research the Raise Responsibility System.

We discussed their viewpoints the 3rd day of … >>>

In persuasion and influence, emotion takes precedence over cognition.

————

Young people misbehave because it has them feel good; otherwise, they would not misbehave. People don’t voluntarily do things that feel bad.

Punishment prompts bad feelings and, therefore, is counterproductive to changing irresponsible behavior in any lasting way.

A more effective approach is to help the young person find a response that will engender better feelings than the feelings that comes with the misbehavior—or the imposed punishment.… >>>

QUESTION: I came across your system while browsing the Internet and I really like the way it is set up. The only problem I have is determining consequences. My district wants a set list of rules and consequences.

RESPONSE: Rules are necessary in games, but rules between people automatically set up an adversarial relationship because, when a rule is broken, the person in authority (teacher) becomes a cop—an enforcer of a broken rule. This is a counterproductive position for good teaching.

QUESTION: My special education students really need the consistency of knowing what happens if they misbehave.

RESPONSE: I have a different take. These students need a different procedure when one procedure loses its effectiveness. Therefore, the superior teacher is … >>>