I need ideas for effective punishment for my second grade students. discipline not working no parents involved

Question

I have several student who are spoiled at home and some not diagnosed , whom I am sure suffer with ADD or ADHD. I have exhausted my relm of options. Discipline methods have been implimented. The administration had advised the teachers that no student will be suspended as we did not make AYP the prior year. We were told we would need to handle classroom discipine problems ourselves. I need some advice on how to be strongly effective, not punishing the innocent, but making a meomorable, lasting effect on these unruly second graders. There is much apathy, lying, disregard for authority, and defiance. Some parents "respond", but do nothing to help change the behavor. One parent came to sit with her child in the classroom Friday, and allowed her daughter to cuddle with her as they talked during my teaching time. I came close to asking her to leave. Sometimes the apple doesn't fall far from the tree! Any and all suggestions are welcomed.

Answer 1

The purpose of punishment is to create anger, resentment and aggression. The purpose of discipline is to assist in the development of self-discipline. Okay, now read those last two sentences over and over again until the message has sunk in!

It's too bad that these children don't have better role models at home, or parents with better pro-education attitudes. However, these kids are only seven years old, and you have to expect the behavior of normal seven-year-old children to be pretty much immature. Their personalities are still malleable, though, and their behaviors and attitudes will gradually change with the proper guidance. It may not be easy, but it is definitely possible.

Rule #1: Let your expectations be known to everyone, and be certain that everyone understands exactly what each one means. Post the list in the classroom -- and make the list short and sweet. Make sure every child understands what TO do and HOW TO do it, not just what NOT to do. You want your classroom to be a happy, well-organized, calm place where optimal learning can take place and you want every child to feel safe and comfortable and want to do his/her best.

Rule #2: Be fair, be firm, be consistent. Discuss with your class the reasons rules are needed. Let them help you think of ways that new classroom rules and procedures might make the classroom a better place for learning. Respect their input. Remember, too, that you have to respect every child as a person, a human being, an individual -- if you want the children to respect you. (Especially true if they have not been taught anything about respect at home, or have not been treated as though they deserve respect.)

Rule #3: You have to be VERY well organized -- from the children's arrival time (no doubt they don't all arrive at the same time) to dismissal and walk-them-to-the-bus time, and every lesson plan and every transition time in between. Often children become unruly when they have "down" time and don't have a routine to follow or don't know exactly what to do next.

Rule #4: Have a discipline plan that will work well for you and for the children. It has to be easy for you to manage, easy to keep track of infractions, consequences that are sensible and easy for the children to understand. Here's an idea that many primary (and intermediate) teachers in my area use: Get some "book pockets" such as library books have; tape one to each child's desk top. Cut 3" x 5" rectangles from construction paper -- the right size to fit into the pocket. Some teachers use just red, yellow, and green. Some, especially in the younger grades, use green, blue, yellow, orange and red. Make a set for each child, and put the child's name on each of his colored cards and also on a plain white 3" x 5" index cards. Here's how it works: Every morning, the cards start out in the pocket in this order, from the top, green, blue, yellow, orange, red, and white. After one verbal warning, for the next infraction the offender has to "pull a card" meaning he takes his green card and puts it in a basket that you'll keep on your desk. For each subsequent offense, he pulls another card. Meanwhile, you keep on teaching and all the children keep on working. At the end of the day, you can see at a glance what color card is showing in each child's pocket. There are consequences for each level below blue, such as yellow - walk in a path around a portion of the playground for half of the next recess; orange - you write a brief note to the parent, which the parent must sign to show it was received; red - the child must write a note to his parent telling about his behavior, and you will telephone the parent to discuss it. You MUST follow through faithfully every day in order for the plan to work. Now, every child who finishes the day with green or blue card in his pocket gets a star on his white card at the end of the day. You will have a page in your gradebook for behavior (there is probably a place on the report cards for a behavior grade, right?) and give each child a daily grade of 3,2,1,or 0 depending on the color of the top card (Blue and green are both 3, because taking away the green one is really just a "heads up" warning for the child.)
Clean slate at the beginning of each day!

Rule #5: Devise a way to reward the class for good behavior. Have a jar (not too big, not too small) in which you can put a marble at the beginning of each school day for each child who earned 3 Good Behavior Points the day before. When the jar is full, or reaches a certain level, have a popcorn and video party, or an extra recess -- something that the children will like and is acceptable to you and to your administration.
The children will learn that they are the ones who control their behavior, not you, and your job is just to keep track of it. They will learn that they will earn their stars and their consequences, and that it all involves the choices they make. By the way, NEVER use sweets as a reward. Popcorn is usually okay, but you want to avoid anything that may cause issues with sugar or allergies or other problems.

I didn't plan to write a whole book. Hope this helps. I know it works for others. Hang in there!

Answer 2

First off your attitude seems to be the problem. Assuming kids have some fictitious or that they are spoiled should not be at the forefront of your mind. If you can genuinely love the children, discipline them in love, show that you actually care, they will want to make you proud. Personally, I'm glad you were never my teacher. Jan offered some really great suggestions and you responded with "I have decided to evaluate each student on learning styles and intelligences to better assist me with how they learn best." Intelligence has nothing to do with it. Now your playing favorites. I'm sorry, but you may need a lesson in humility.

Answer 3

You know, according to psychology, punishment doesn't work better than a positive reinforcer. Instead of punishing your students, you might want to look into ways of rewarding them for doing a good job. That way, your students will have incentives to do better. Motivation is a much better way to gain their trust and have them like you. If you punish them, you're just going to make them dislike you. Every teacher wants to be liked by his or her students. As a student, I would recommend rewarding them for doing a good job. I'm always seeing people trying to punish others for doing something bad, and the person doesn't learn the lesson. Punishment only leaves bad memories. My third grade teacher used to give us stickers for doing something good in class. We used to redeem those stickers for rewards at the end of the week (some small incentives like stickers or chocolate; kids love those things!). If you need more ideas then just pop me an email. I'll be glad to help. Hope all this stuff makes sense. Your students will like you and you'll be able to control them. GOOD LUCK!

Answer 4

Little help from parents and little help from your administration! That is not a recipe for improved test scores.

What to do?? Easier said than done, but the trick is to keep them busy. My experience is that kids as young as yours respond well to active work within their capabilities, work that doesn't go on so long that they get bored. Its not that you skimp arithmetic, say. After they have done three or four other things, they are willing to go back to the first task again. Sometimes (good luck!) a bright trouble-maker does well paired with a kid who is duller, but easier to manage. You might emphasize some of the hands-on stuff while you are establishing rapport and discipline, and bring on the subtraction facts after they have been broken in a little.

A parent who is checking the roll, running off worksheets, sharpening pencils, or something similar is handy to have around. A mother cuddling her daughter is clearly out of place. If the daughter needs the mother, they should not be in your classroom.

Fritz Redl and David Wineman wrote a book forty years ago titled "Controls from Within." They were dealing with children more difficult than yours, and they were psychologists with 'theoretical' objections to 'punishment.' So they evolved eighteen (I think) 'antiseptic' techniques for the control of aggressive children. Whatever you think of their psychoanalytical jargon -- no pills in those days -- they learned their techniques in real life, and all of them work. You can buy the book, used, for less than ten dollars at Abebooks. Get it, and try everything on the list, especially the items at the top.

As often as you can, smile. Parents who are spoiling their children are just losing fights, and they smile much less than parents who keep their kids in order.

Answer 5

Make a boring, plain area in a quiet corner. When a child acts up, calmly say to them. "I'm sorry, you need to sit by yourself until you are ready to (fill in the blank...)"

Then, back it up with a fun reward that can be "earned" each day. Bad behavior means the child does not "earn" the "point" for the reward. At the end of each month (or week) children who have enough points will get to do something special or get a prize or something.

Be effusive in praise of the kids who are doing the right thing, others who "want attention" will see that you get attention for being good.

Learning is all about knowledge, attitude, and skills. It seems as though the attitude part is a problem. Maybe you can have frank discussions about attitude, and reward positive attitudes.

Good luck, sounds tough

Answer 6

I agree with Muslim Pork King & Kenzie.
Punish all for the actions of a few.
The real world is a harsh place.

I don't buy the Disease / disorder thing. It's a trend and nothing more. When it's nolonger trendy, we'll hear nothing more about it. The beneficiaries are the Pharmaceutical Companies and the Physicians.
I can show you a whole street full of kids who's parents will tell you they have disorders. Ha!
Not likely.
How many kids on your street had a disorder / disease when you were a kid. Don't answer, I already know.
I'm not trying to sound rude. I just know it's all a bunch of bull ____.

Answer 7

Geez, Im going to go out on a limb here and be honest. You sound EXACTLY like what is wrong with the public school system. Negative teachers who think they are parents or parole officers...looking for harsh punishments. I can just see you sitting in the teachers lounge, complaining about the 'rotten kids' and their 'rotten parents' and wishing every kid was on adhd drugs...forget the possible side effects which include stunted growth all the way up to death.

Get a new job. Find something that allows you to choose which kids you can stand and which you can't.

So many people have jobs they hate, or parts that they hate so much..they complain and make EVERYONE miserable.

You wanted to ask a parent to leave because they cuddled their child? FOR SHAME Are you serious? You may have chosen the wrong career. You were lucky to have a parent come in at all!

I bet your ideas on what to do to these horrible forever tainted SECOND GRADERS are amazing.

The more I read your question the madder I get. SECOND GRADERS To want to made a memorable lasting effect? Try love and kindness. God says to love them. LOVE THEM

Answer 8

Teaching with Love and Logic. seriously.
And try to open up to the universe and see things with a clear mind. You've really set up some negative energy and prejudged a lot of kids who've just started the school year. I mean, in our area, it's been less than a week.
Eight year olds are still learning, they are works in progress. Fortify yourself and be the bigger person.

Answer 9

I would try a reward system based on behavior. At the end of the day all the students who have behaved get a special treat, cookies and candy always works. My sons kindergarden teacher had a treasure chest filled with those little toys you pay a quarter for in those bubble gum machines. The kids who don't behave will see all the other kids with their goodies and they won't feel too good about it. If a child consistently fails to get a reward for good behavior try talking to him/her about what he/she can do to start getting rewards. Even if they aren't good all day long, if they are making an effort you at least know they are trying and that's worth a reward.

Answer 10

NO PUNISHMENT ! NO DISCIPLINE! do not try to control the class. do not give them the opportunity to rebel.


Teach self reliance
. I'll say it again !
Teach self reliance.
The kids must realize that they do not study hard and work hard in school for you their teacher or for their parents. They must realize they do it for their own benefit; so THEY DO NOT FAIL. If kids do not learn self reliance in 2nd grade , they most likely will never learn it. put all the responsibility on the kids. show them you do not care if they fail Tell them if you fail, it is your problem, not mine. My job is to prepare you for the tests. you don't want to sit quietly and listen and learn
you are in trouble, not me. say it nicely friendly tone, but Be firm.