Discipline and Punishment in schools
So I was reading this little article today:
http://news.aol.com/article/suicide-prompts-school-policy-criticsm/282089?icid=100214839x1215493907x1201024475
It's about a child that commited suicide while in an isolation area used as a time-out place for difficult children.
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this article.
I know I have done something similiar myself, but not this extreme. Last year I had a child that was very unruly and easily overstimulated by other children. This kid was bouncing off the walls for 8 hours, and for the most part I could manage him easily enough. At times though he would become extremely hyperactive and VERY disruptive. Sitting him in traditional time out did not work because he would show off for the other kids. You also can't administer corporal punishment, and talking did NO good, because in the presence of other children he could not focus on you or what you were saying. At any rate there would be days when he was just so out of control I would sit him in the middle of the floor in the second classroom (next door) with the lights off until he'd settle down, and could actually focus on me and what I was trying to say to him. Though I would stand in the hallway so I could see both rooms, so he was never unattended. Sometimes this would take 5 minutes, sometimes 10, sometimes 15. It was NOT about punishment, it was a tool for him to manage his behavior. It was a way for him to learn what CALM felt like, so that he knew when he was ready to rejoin the group. I tried so hard never to make him feel like it was because there was anything wrong with him or that he was a bad little boy, because the truth was that wasn't how I felt about him at all. For the most part it was a succesful technique in his case.
That being said true isolation is not something that should be used as a punishment. The whole point of isolation and "timeouts" is for the child to STOP the inappropraite behavior (which often times is triggered by a stressor), take time to calm down, think about the behavior (with guidance from an adult after they are calm). A child isolated away from group in another location should ALWAYS have adult supervision.
Though another side of me also wishes they'd bring back corporal punishment. Though I believe it should only be used sparingly, and in the correct way.
As many of you know I am a teacher. I'm a strict teacher, but I'm also a very loving teacher. Discipline is very important to me because it helps the class run more smoothly which means more time for learning and FUN :)
http://news.aol.com/article/suicide-prompts-school-policy-criticsm/282089?icid=100214839x1215493907x1201024475
It's about a child that commited suicide while in an isolation area used as a time-out place for difficult children.
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this article.
I know I have done something similiar myself, but not this extreme. Last year I had a child that was very unruly and easily overstimulated by other children. This kid was bouncing off the walls for 8 hours, and for the most part I could manage him easily enough. At times though he would become extremely hyperactive and VERY disruptive. Sitting him in traditional time out did not work because he would show off for the other kids. You also can't administer corporal punishment, and talking did NO good, because in the presence of other children he could not focus on you or what you were saying. At any rate there would be days when he was just so out of control I would sit him in the middle of the floor in the second classroom (next door) with the lights off until he'd settle down, and could actually focus on me and what I was trying to say to him. Though I would stand in the hallway so I could see both rooms, so he was never unattended. Sometimes this would take 5 minutes, sometimes 10, sometimes 15. It was NOT about punishment, it was a tool for him to manage his behavior. It was a way for him to learn what CALM felt like, so that he knew when he was ready to rejoin the group. I tried so hard never to make him feel like it was because there was anything wrong with him or that he was a bad little boy, because the truth was that wasn't how I felt about him at all. For the most part it was a succesful technique in his case.
That being said true isolation is not something that should be used as a punishment. The whole point of isolation and "timeouts" is for the child to STOP the inappropraite behavior (which often times is triggered by a stressor), take time to calm down, think about the behavior (with guidance from an adult after they are calm). A child isolated away from group in another location should ALWAYS have adult supervision.
Though another side of me also wishes they'd bring back corporal punishment. Though I believe it should only be used sparingly, and in the correct way.
As many of you know I am a teacher. I'm a strict teacher, but I'm also a very loving teacher. Discipline is very important to me because it helps the class run more smoothly which means more time for learning and FUN :)