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Three Levels of Effective Classroom Management

By  Nicholas Provenzano

7/8/11

Nick Provenzano

Nick Provenzano (@thenerdyteacher on Twitter) teaches high school English at Grosse Pointe South High School in Grosse Pointe, MI.

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To Send or Not to Send (To The Office)

Over the past 5 years, I have sent about 2- to 3-students to office during class for discipline issues. I would like to tell you it is because my students are perfect angels or that every student respects me the moment they walk in (ha!). The truth is, I have students that cause trouble and goof around like 99 percent of all classrooms. But save for the most egregious behaviors, I refuse to send them to the principal, and this has created a better classroom environment.

Dealing with discipline in the classroom is no small task. The easy solution is to send the student to administration and let them punish the student. But what does that really accomplish? It shows the student that you do not want to deal with them and it tends to validate their behavior which is usually about getting attention. If you deal with the student yourself, you can not only avoid rewarding bad behavior, but it can help prevent long-term problems in the classroom as well.

Level One: Let Them Know You're Paying Attention

If a student is causing problems, small re-directs can be helpful during the class. Stand by the desk and tap on the shoulder to let them know you know what is going on. Sometimes eye contact can go a long way in managing a disruptive student. The main objective is to the let the student know that you are aware that they are acting up and that you have your eye on them. Sometimes, of course, this is not enough for certain students.

Level Two: Discipline in Private

If a student is undaunted, you may need to use some kind of discipline.

One thing I learned early as a teacher is to never engage in discipline in front of the class. It is a losing battle for everyone involved. The student cannot back down in front of his peers, and the teacher cannot back down in front of other students.

Instead of issuing punishment or calling more attention to a disruptive student, address them quietly. Tell the student you need to talk to them after class. It should be short and discreet while class is going on. Never make a big deal out of the behavior with the student, as that would give them exactly what they wanted.

Level Three: Time to Call in the Administrators

There are some student behaviors that absolutely warrant a trip to the principal's office. One is disrupting the learning environment for all students in class after multiple attempts by the teacher for re-direction. Any aggressive or violent behavior is also grounds for removal from a classroom. Students that choose to act this way in class need to be removed for their safety and the safety of others.

That said, simply removing the student from your classroom will not solve the problem.

If you have to send a student to the administrators, make sure to follow up with him or her before see each other in class. Reach out and try to find out why they were acting out. Sometimes communication breaks down between counselors, administrators and teachers on what is going on with students, so teachers need to engage students directly to find out what is at the root of their behavior. When you reach out with genuine concern, the student will be more likely to share important details about their life that can help explain their behavior. Like most things, communication can solve many problems.

In the next post, I'll show how clear classroom rules can be established to make the school year run smoothly.

If you like this, you might also like...

• How to Develop Positive Classroom Management by Evantheia Schibsted
• Middle School Edutopia Discussion Group
• Classroom Management Edutopia Discussion Group
• Classroom Management Strategies for Elementary Teachers by Gaetan Pappalardo
• What's the Secret to Effective Classroom Management? by Maurice Elias
• Classroom-Management Tips for Teachers

Should Parents Drug-test Their Teens?

By RICHARD ZWOLINSKI, LMHC, CASAC

Edited by  I, Praetorian, MA, PPS, WTF

Most drug use begins with experimentation and recreational use during the teen years sometimes as early as 11 or 12 years-old; from there it often graduates into habituation, abuse, and dependence, that is, addiction. Not to mention all the negative and life impacting  social problems that accompany. Each day, thousands of people enter addiction treatment programs and many of them are teens (most with compounding emotional problems).For the author and most addiction professionals (and many mental health professionals), the answer is unequivocally yes. The information gleaned from testing individuals of all ages for drug abuse is essential.

Obviously, prevention–before any substance use begins–is all important. But, since drug use is a part of our culture (not a good part) and it isn’t all that hard for teens to get a hold of drugs, sometimes prevention isn’t a realistic option. Public Schools do their best but often lack the trained staff (counselors) and suffer from dwindling funds to try and accomplish lofty but imperative task with. Now here's the caveat where parents come in. Ideally parents should create a supportive family/home culture where pre-teens and teens are comfortable talking with them about their lives. But society is complicated and today many parents face many issues that previous generations really didn’t have to face. Many simply don’t know their kids are doing drugs (or drinking) until there is already a problem. (Some parents are also abusing drugs or alcohol and can’t themselves model healthy behaviors). However, parents should not use testing to demean or show control over a child that shows no symptoms or signs of usage. Sometimes a functioning addict will feel so hypocritical about their own using that they won't try and intervene with their child even when things become obvious.

Parents should be educated on the signs of drug and alcohol abuse, and there are many parenting resources available. They should know that once they think they might have identified a problem, confrontation (especially when done incorrectly), doesn’t always work—teens might be embarrassed or too scared to tell their parents what they’ve been up to or they simply don’t want to stop abusing substances and prefer to rebel against their parents.

Therefore, home drug testing for children and teens, has become more and more popular. In fact, I see parents and their pre-teen and teenage children who’ve been abusing substances,  in the course of my work and many times the parents have found out because of home drug tests.

The Pattern was established long before I was born. But For kids today,  experimenting with alcohol and marijuana starts at a young age.    That’s the “trap.”  Starting perhaps with hanging out with older kids that were part of the wrong crowd.  Their use went much broader than alcohol and marijuana.  Eventually drug usage broadens, ultimately becoming a daily habit.  Young addicts may repeatedly deny drug use to family, blowing off accusations such as changed behavior as growing pains.   

But with all classes of street drugs there is a common pattern with the adolescents and young adults. The earlier children get help, the more successful the treatment rate. Most parents share with me that they wish they could have recognized the signs earlier, or a way to test their children.

How have parents responded to your products? How have teens responded?

While some parents approach home drug testing with skepticism, most show overwhelming support. Once they over come the fear and stigma.

What are the ethical issues involved in parents testing their children?

Asking your child to take a home drug test may be uncomfortable, but there’s nothing unethical about it.  Parents are exercising good ethical, moral, and family Judgement by making sure their children are drug-free. Parents are reinforcing that they care about their child’s development and transition to adulthood.

Parents also need to know that they are allowed by law to test their children.

Right. Legally, there are no issues involved with drug testing your under-age child.

Are addiction treatment professionals supportive of the idea?

Yes. In my experience, most agree that early detection and treatment can keep a child out of treatment facilities for the rest of their life.  Substance abuse is a potentially life-threatening problem so prevention and early detection are extremely important. On the other side of that coin, the younger a child is when they first begin to use mind altering substances; without treatment, the more less likely they are to seek and be successful in treatment as adults .Of course they are also more likely to be imprisoned and often involved in violent crime as well.

Signs of an Overdose! What if No One Called for Help? Would You?

Signs of overdose

• Snoring deeply

  This is often and understandably mistaken for sleeping

• Turning blue

• Not breathing

• No initial signs at all

   the effects can kick-in hours after the initial hit

What not to do

Things you should never do if you think someone has overdosed. 

        * Never put people under a cold shower or in a cold bath .

        * Never pick someone up to walk them around.

        * Never smack, hit or hurt to try and bring them round.

        * Never inject someone with salt water

The only affects any of these things might have, is to cause more damage, increase the likelihood of the person dying and/or delay the time it takes to call an ambulance.

What to do

Call 911
If you are searching to find out if someone you are with is Overdosing you should call 911 right now because you are worried that they are overdosing and you are looking for information on signs of overdosing and what to do. It is simple. Don't take a chance with that person's life.                                                                   
 Call 911 

YOU MAY SAVE A LIFE BY SHOWING THE COURAGE YOUR FRIENDS DON'T

Signs of an Overdose! What if No One Called for Help? Would You?

Signs of overdose

• Snoring deeply

  This is often and understandably mistaken for sleeping

• Turning blue

• Not breathing

• No initial signs at all

   the effects can kick-in hours after the initial hit

What not to do

Things you should never do if you think someone has overdosed. 

        * Never put people under a cold shower or in a cold bath .

        * Never pick someone up to walk them around.

        * Never smack, hit or hurt to try and bring them round.

        * Never inject someone with salt water

The only affects any of these things might have, is to cause more damage, increase the likelihood of the person dying and/or delay the time it takes to call an ambulance.

What to do

Call 911
If you are searching to find out if someone you are with is Overdosing you should call 911 right now because you are worried that they are overdosing and you are looking for information on signs of overdosing and what to do. It is simple. Don't take a chance with that person's life.                                                                   
 Call 911 

YOU MAY SAVE A LIFE BY SHOWING THE COURAGE YOUR FRIENDS DON'T