District takes new direction with student discipline
By REX WATSON
Superintendent, Peabody-Burns USD 398
As I mentioned last month, I want to share the new direction that the district has taken with regard to student discipline and I also will share some of the philosophical rationale behind the creation of the Peabody-Burns Success Center.
School-related discipline issues are certainly not a new problem. Since the beginning of time, creative youngsters have found new and exciting ways to get into trouble. What is relatively new, however, is an increased understanding of child psychology and brain research that helps us to better deal with discipline issues when they arise.
At the September board of education meeting, the board voted to provide training for all district staff members in the Boys Town Well Managed Classroom Model. The training will take place Oct. 8 and 9.
This model was developed for use in the K-12 schools located at Boys Town just west of Omaha, Neb.
The basic premise of the model is that students typically get into trouble as a result of a lack of one or more social skills. By pre-teaching the social skills and modeling them to students, incidents of misbehavior can be drastically reduced. Additionally, when students do find themselves in a disciplinary situation, the teacher and the student can focus their conversation on how to successfully use the skill rather than on the student who is in trouble. In other words, the focus is on the crime and not the criminal.
Following is a list of the 16 basic social skills that are taught in the Boys Town Model: following instructions; accepting criticism, feedback, or a consequence; accepting "no" for an answer; getting the teacher's attention; disagreeing appropriately; making an apology; accepting compliments; having a conversation; asking for help; asking permission; staying on task; sharing something; working with others; listening; and appropriate voice tone.
Imagine our world if everyone could consistently apply these skills, regardless of the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Each skill involves three or four basic steps that students learn and practice implementing. Some of the skills seem very basic but, depending upon the circumstances, may be difficult for students to apply.
Almost always, the source of a student's discipline issue can be traced back to a failure to implement one or more skill. Following instructions seems to be the most deadly snare followed closely by accepting criticism, feedback, or a consequence.
In addition to the social skills training, another component to the Well Managed Classroom Model involves de-escalating agitated students so they can rationally apply logic to their situation rather than reacting from an emotional and impulsive state of mind.
Most office referrals are the result of a student failing to follow a specific instruction and then exhibiting inappropriate behavior when confronted with criticism or feedback about their lack of compliance.
This model equips teachers with the necessary tools to pre-teach the skills, de-escalate agitated students, and issue appropriate consequences that are related to the problem behavior while preserving the dignity of the student.
Most of the adults in and around schools are or were trained to be professional teachers. None of us, to my knowledge, were trained to be professional punishers. We prefer to leave that task to law enforcement.
By approaching disciplinary issues from an educational perspective and turning poor behavior choices into learning opportunities, we are using our skills and training to help students become better prepared for life after school.
The old model, of punishing all those who step out of line, breeds resentment and does very little to actually change an individual's behavior over time.
Success center
Finally, as promised, I would like to share some of the thinking that went into the development of the Peabody-Burns Success Center.
Our district is not unique in the fact that we have many students that do not neatly fit into the cookie-cutter mold that we commonly refer to as high school. Some students come to us behind in credits, and lacking the skills necessary to be successful in a traditional classroom setting.
The Peabody-Burns Success Center is geared toward the task of meeting the needs of students through the use of an individual learning plan (ILP).
Recent advances in technology have allowed us to individualize learning opportunities for students to meet their academic needs through virtual prescriptive learning programs such as the PLATO program that we use in Peabody-Burns.
The process begins when struggling students, or students that are lacking credits for graduation, are referred to the school's Student Intervention Team (SIT Team). The SIT Team, comprised of teachers, school counselor, and administrators devise a list of strategies (interventions) for helping the student to be successful at school.
All of the information gathered in this process, along with the list of interventions, is then formulated into an individual learning plan (ILP). Because of the flexibility inherent to the design, the Success Center is a valuable resource used to implement many individual learning plans.
Pep buses
On a completely separate note, I am happy to announce that the district has begun offering a pep bus to students and patrons wanting to attend Friday evening varsity away games. Ten students must sign up in the high school office and pay their gate entry fees by noon Thursday prior to the away game. When 10 students have signed up, we will arrange for a driver and assign a bus to transport them. Patrons wishing to ride with the students on the bus are encouraged to contact the high school office at 620-983-2196 after noon Thursdays to check seat availability.
Go Warriors!
