Discipline

One of the most important comments received about the discipline approach is the following:

“We especially liked the fact that the teachers were no longer punishing students but guiding them to self-analyze. We have begun using authority in a non-adversarial manner in order to establish and maintain a caring classroom environment.”

Pamela Marton, Principal
Community School, Los Angeles Unified School District, CA

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More information on this topic is available at http://marvinmarshall.com.… >>>

QUESTION:Some of my youngsters are struggling with the word, “anarchy.” How can I explain what it means in a simple way?

RESPONSE:

Remember that young people’s brains are like sponges. They can absorb anything. The trick is to make meaning of what is absorbed to enhance learning and memory.

For older children:

Break “an/archy” up by teaching that the prefix “an” means “not,” “without,” or “lacking”—in this case, “without rule.” Compare this with other prefixes such as “mono,” which means “one,” and “olig” which means “a few.”

Explain that:
–Monarchy is rule by one person (like a king).
–Oligarchy means rule by a few people.
–Anarchy means that there is no leadership, so people do anything they want—often without any … >>>

I share a communication I received from Mary Lou Cebula, a principal in Warren, New Jersey:

Subject: The Perfect Gift

Hi Marv,

I just had to share this experience with you.

A second grade class invited me to their room. When I arrived, there was a special chair placed on the edge of the carpet. The students were seated on the carpet with their teacher, Mrs. Buckley. They asked me to sit in the chair. Mrs. Buckley explained that the children had participated in a writing activity called, "The Perfect Gift." They had to select a member of their family and decide what would be the perfect gift for that person. The student then wrote a letter to … >>>

I recently attended your seminar in Omaha, Nebraska.

Thanks for a great day and a philosophy that will change the way that I teach and handle the difficult students that we have here.

Today I implemented the program for the first time. The students were very receptive to the idea of acting on Level C, the Cooperation level. It’s something they believe they can accomplish.

They also asked if they could hold me accountable. When I talked to them on the bossing level, they said I was “breaking” my own expectation by TELLING them what to do. We had a great conversation.

Thanks again,
Mat

Mat Daniels, wrestling coach
PACT School
Council Bluffs, Iowa

More information on this topic is … >>>

The following is from a recent post at DisciplineWithoutStress@yahoogroups.com/

“Wow! These discussions are so very informative and helpful.

“This is my first year using Dr. Marshall’s program and thirty-second year of teaching. There is so much more to all this than I had ever anticipated.

“Overall, I have less stress. I see growth in responsibility every day. As I work with my 5th grade students to empower them, I see them taking control of their behavior and choices. Is it perfect? No, far from it. But little by little it gets better and better.

“No one really wants to be on Level B. (See The Hiearchy of Social Development.) Our students deserve our guidance. I suspect the … >>>

We can never judge another person’s motivation with complete accuracy. Within a classroom where all the students look as if they are doing the same thing—perhaps quietly and cooperatively completing their assignments—some will be operating to receive a good grade or please the teacher and some will be putting forth effort to learn because they understand that success comes with effort. The teacher may have guesses about the motivation of each student but they are only guesses.

A person’s motivation can be accurately determined ONLY by the person him/herself. That is why it is important that teachers ask questions to promote self-reflection in students. With this approach, we are not TELLING the student what WE think of their actions and … >>>

Kerry Weisner has cataloged many questions and answers about discipline on her Discipline Answers blog. Her comments below answer a pressing question from many adults who would like to acknowledge appropriate and acceptable behaviors—Level C and D of the hierarchy from the Raise Responsibility System.

Reflection and self-evaluation are key attributes of the system. By referring to the hierarchy, adults can encourage reflection on the higher, desirable levels. After explaining/teaching the hierarchy, the procedure is for the adult to ask the young person to identify the chosen level.

It is unnecessary and even counterproductive to attempt to evaluate the motivation levels of C (external) or D (internal). However, it can be very empowering for young people themselves to assess … >>>

One of the things to emphasize in working in the area of discipline is to make heavy use of positive images to influence behavior. This technique is powerful and especially useful for young people who have neurological-based behavior (NBB) challenges.

The body, mind, and emotions are fully integrated. Feelings, learning, and physical behavior all work in conjunction with each other and are inseparable. A change in behavior is as much emotion based as it is cognition based—that is, it has as much to do with feelings as with knowledge. The human mind thinks not so much through the use of simple language but through the heavy use of pictures, images, and visions.

One of the best ways to influence … >>>

Rules are meant to control, not to inspire.

Rules are necessary in games.

Between people, however, rules result in adversarial relationships because rules require enforcement. In addition, rules are often stated in negative terms and imply an imposed consequence if not followed.

With young people, rules place the adult in the position of an enforcer—a cop wearing a blue uniform with copper buttons, rather than of a teacher, coach, mentor, facilitator of learning, or educator.

Enforcing rules can result in power struggles that rarely result in win-win situations or good relationships.

Upon analysis, you will see that rules are either procedures or expectations. Rather than relying on rules, therefore, you will be much more effective if you teach procedures, … >>>

An article in the January 11, 2008 issue of the Los Angeles Times indicates that research suggests long days and heavy workloads can affect an instructor’s ability to discipline and manage a classroom. The headline of the article is, “Teachers’ stress linked to preschool expulsions.”

The article was well written. However, the research suggests only the obvious. It does not deal with the prime reason for the expulsions and stress of teachers or the stress of the youngsters.

Anyone, and that includes very young people, behave for a purpose. That purpose is either related to something the person wants or something the person wants to avoid. Simply stated, the young people who were expelled were operating in a … >>>

Practitioners of the Raise Responsibility System (Roman Numeral III of the Discipline Without Stress Teaching Model) understand that the only part of the system students need to understand are the four levels of personal and social development. Lower levels A and B are unacceptable, whereas the higher levels C and D are both acceptable. Also, the significant difference between level C and level D is in the motivation. The motivation for level C is “EXternal,” whereas the motivation for level D is “INternal.”

Two examples I use in my seminars are (1) asking a teenager at home to make the bed before going to school and (2) asking a student in a classroom to pick up … >>>

I will be in Johannesburg and Cape Town South Africa with a delegation of California School Administrators sponsored by the People to People Ambassador Program until October 22, 2007.

During my presentation, I will share my teaching model.

My aim is to help implement their goal of “developing socially responsible citizens of South Africa.”… >>>

Discipline without Stress focuses on motivation and procedures. This is in contrast to approaches that focus on finding the root cause of a problem or determining needs.

Older programs emphasized that, in order to solve discipline problems, either the cause of the behavior needed to be known and/or the person’s “needs” had to be met.

Alfred Adler and his disciple, Rudolf Dreikurs, were leaders in the school that understanding cause is essential for solution. Related to this was their belief that misbehavior is the result of not having needs met.

William Glasser’s Reality Therapy and Choice Theory do not rely on the past “causes” but believe that “meeting needs” is essential. Albert Ellis’ Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy labels … >>>

My October 30 seminar in Omaha sponsored by the University of Nebraska is now online.

Information can be downloaded from here. Look in the upper righthand corner under the “Upcoming Conferences” sidebar.… >>>

I will be presenting public seminars, listed below:

October 30, 2007 – Omaha, Nebraska

November 27 – Long Beach, California

November 29 – Los Angeles, California

December 3 – Covina, California

December 5 – Anaheim, California

December 7 – Pasadena, California
… >>>