3 Strikes you're out!
When I arrived at Audubon I was informed of the classroom management procedure that was already in place as far as disciplinary issues. They used detentions and office referrals to combat poor behavior and punish the students. Clearly, I wanted to go along with what the school already had in place, however I am a firm believer in reform. Having a student simply sit in the classroom and eat their lunch for lunch detention is not teaching them anything and as I suspected, these behaviors were repeated. The classroom managment plan I developed was based on the one already in existence, only it has a "reform" base.
Ms. Heiar's 3 Strike System:
On the board each day is a space that says PLAYER, FOUL, STRIKE 1, STRIKE 2, OUT.
In the Player spot, if a student is misbehaving I write their name. Their first verbal warning is a foul. The consequence for a verbal warning is a verbal apology after class. If their name is on the board with a check mark in the foul box, they know to stay after and see me.
A Strike 1 is given on the second warning. Strike 1 is a lunch/recess detention in which they write apology letters to both Ms. Ryan and I for their poor behavior.
A Strike 2 is given as a third warning. Strike 2 is a morning detention. This requires them to get a note signed by their parents and brought back to me. They also must write me, Ms. Ryan and their parents an apology letter.
An Out is an office referral. For this, I must fill out an online report discussing the student's behavior in class and the student is sent to spend the rest of the school day in the office. They must then write me, Ms. Ryan, their parents, and the principal an apology letter.
The reason this has been pretty successful for me is because students like the fact that it seems like a game. It's not just rules and consequences. Also, it helps me stay on track when at the end of the day, my patience is not as high. Each student is able to get a fair chance everyday when their slate is wiped clean. Most importantly I see this being successful because it has an actual consequence. They have to write, which most of them hate. Not only is this a consequence, but it is also improving their writing abilities for my class.
I chose the baseball theme because I love baseball and Audubon is basically located in Wrigleyville, so baseball is naturally a part of these students environments.
Ms. Heiar's 3 Strike System:
On the board each day is a space that says PLAYER, FOUL, STRIKE 1, STRIKE 2, OUT.
In the Player spot, if a student is misbehaving I write their name. Their first verbal warning is a foul. The consequence for a verbal warning is a verbal apology after class. If their name is on the board with a check mark in the foul box, they know to stay after and see me.
A Strike 1 is given on the second warning. Strike 1 is a lunch/recess detention in which they write apology letters to both Ms. Ryan and I for their poor behavior.
A Strike 2 is given as a third warning. Strike 2 is a morning detention. This requires them to get a note signed by their parents and brought back to me. They also must write me, Ms. Ryan and their parents an apology letter.
An Out is an office referral. For this, I must fill out an online report discussing the student's behavior in class and the student is sent to spend the rest of the school day in the office. They must then write me, Ms. Ryan, their parents, and the principal an apology letter.
The reason this has been pretty successful for me is because students like the fact that it seems like a game. It's not just rules and consequences. Also, it helps me stay on track when at the end of the day, my patience is not as high. Each student is able to get a fair chance everyday when their slate is wiped clean. Most importantly I see this being successful because it has an actual consequence. They have to write, which most of them hate. Not only is this a consequence, but it is also improving their writing abilities for my class.
I chose the baseball theme because I love baseball and Audubon is basically located in Wrigleyville, so baseball is naturally a part of these students environments.