Positive Discipline
Positive Discipline is our school-wide approach to developing a safe, supportive environment for all learners. The program is used to teach children (and adults) valuable life lessons about responsibility, problem-solving, conflict resolution, and mutual respect in an atmosphere of caring based on kindness and firmness.
Class Meetings are used to address ‘problems’ in the classroom, giving students the opportunity to be decision-makers and work cooperatively to find resolutions. Students participate in creating rules and procedures to help our classrooms function safely and productively. We teach students the skills they will need in order to function as caring, self-responsible citizens by discussing, modeling, and practicing appropriate ways to interact.
However, we understand students sometimes test behavioral boundaries to discover what happens when they do not behave within them. When this happens, we ask the student to sit away from the group, but within the classroom, and reflect on his or her behavior. This time-out is an opportunity to regain self-awareness and self-control and to prepare to rejoin the group or activity ready to participate. If the misbehavior continues, the teacher may send the student to another classroom or the front office to regain control.
Class Meetings are held regularly in each classroom:
- Daily in grades K-2
- 3x per week in grades 3-5
- Once a week in grades 6-8
Primary Resource:
Nelsen, Jane, Lynn Lott, and H S. Glenn. Positive Discipline in the Classroom: Developing Mutual Respect, Cooperation, and Responsibility in Your Classroom. Roseville, Calif: Prima Pub, 2000.
Additional Resource:
Faber, Adele., and Elaine Mazlish. How to Talk so Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk. New York, New York: Scribner Classics, 2012.