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I received the following in a recent e-mail:

“I heard about your newsletter from a teacher in my district. She began using your system and enthusiastically shared it with everybody she could. I am using it and love the ‘stress free’ aspect of the kids knowing they are responsible for their choices—rather than me!”

Thanks,

Janet Gibney
Summit, New Jersey

More testimonials are available at http://marvinmarshall.com.… >>>

QUESTION:

What sort of consequence would a student with level “A” behavior receive? I’ve been down the rewards and punishment route but as we know, it is not effective.

I repeat instructions until the student complies or a more serious consequence seems inevitable. It is very important that the child know that insubordination will not be tolerated.

RESPONSE:

The answer to this is in a prime difference between Discipline Without Stress and other approaches. Whether the consequence is referred to as logical or natural, as long as it is IMPOSED it will prompt a negative feeling and, therefore, one of resistance.

Rather than imposing a consequence, ELICIT it. The conversation goes something like, “This behavior is on a level that … >>>

Jim Collins' book, "GOOD TO GREAT: WHY SOME COMPANIES MAKE THE LEAP AND OTHERS DON'T," is a very popular book on leadership. I heard him interviewed, and I quote his final thought regarding leadership as applied to schools.

"You can take away blackboards, you can take away the computers, you can take away the administration, and you can take away the building. You can take away everything. It all happens in that magical intersection of a wonderful teacher and a student. And when you get that happening SYSTEMATICALLY, that is ultimately what really turns the wheel."

With this in mind, I share a letter I received:

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Dear Dr. Marshall:

This letter is a follow-up to your presentation for our … >>>

The following is from a post on the mailring:

“I am always working on thinking about, ‘What can I do to change a procedure to make it work better, and what did I do/not do that led to things not running smoothly?

“Monday my principal stopped me in the hall on my way out the door and said, ‘I never see your kids.’

“At first I didn’t know what he meant. Then he said, ‘I never see any of your kids in my office. I just want to know what you do, and what your philosophy is because I know you have to be doing something different.’ (He knows I definitely didn’t get the ‘easy class,’ either!)

“I was … >>>

A researcher working on a large study of discipline and classroom management programs in America contacted me. She mentioned that her report would be presented to the American Educational Research Association.

She asked whether her reference should be to the "Raise Responsibility System" or to "Discipline without Stress."

I chose "Discipline Without Stress" for the following reasons:

–"Discipline without Stress" is in the title of the book, whereas the "Raise Responsibility System" is a chapter in the book (Chapter 3),

–Teaching procedures—the key to effective classroom management—precedes the introduction of the "Raise Responsibility System,"

–The three principles to practice for becoming more effective and improving relationships (Chapter 1 of the book) is not part of the "Raise Responsibility System,"

–The … >>>

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 … >>>