punishment – Page 4 – Pernille Ripp

When I moved my blog from Blogger to WordPress last summer I mistakenly assumed that all posts would seamlessly transfer. I have since found the error in my thinking and have decided to re-post some of my more discussed posts. This post first appeared in June of 2011 but still rings true to me.

Put your name on the board! Those words spoken in a very stern voice accompanied by a teacher look was enough to whip the toughest student into shape. Except when it didn’t which for me was enough times to make me wonder. Could my discipline systems really be thrown out and replaced with nothing? Would chaos then reign supreme?

If you had come by my room last year you would have seen them. Those sticks in the cups or the names on the boards with checks, sometimes double checks and plenty of stern looks to go around. I was doing exactly what I had been taught in school, exerting my control as the main authority figure and if students misbehaved, well, then there was some form of punishment. Oh don’t worry; there were plenty of rewards as well. If students didn’t move their stick or get their name on the board for a week then their name got entered into drawing for pizza with me. At the end of the month if they didn’t have their name in my book for not doing their homework, they could also enter their name, and then I would finally draw names and five lucky students would have pizza with me. Confused? I was! I could hardly keep check Of all those names, checks, and punishments.

However, last year I realized something after reading Alfie Kohn; I knew I had to change. By perpetually focusing negative energy on the same students, who, lets face it, are most often the ones having their name singled out somehow already, I was indeed just adding more to their self doubt. While I believe in discipline for all students, I also believe in compassion and that philosophy simply was not fitting in with my chosen system. So I did as many teachers may do; I threw it all out. However, instead of hunting for a new system, I decided to detox myself, start this year with no system for reward and punishment and instead strive to create a classroom community where students just know what the expectation is.

I was petrified that first month. I run a tough classroom in my expectations for my students and I know that if you do not set the tone those first weeks, it can be detrimental to the rest of the year. And yet I held strong in my conviction that even the more unruly students would eventually figure this out through repeated conversations and respect. And boy, did we talk. We talked about expectations, rules, how to speak to one another, and what to do when something goes wrong. A lot of the time, I just listened to these amazing students come up with solutions to problems, listened to them explain how they envisioned our classroom, how they wanted fourth grade to be. And I was in awe; these kids knew how to behave without me telling them over and over. And they certainly would figure it out without me alternating punishment and rewards.

So after the first month I started to breathe again. I let our new system flex itself and watched the students help keep the classroom stabile. Sure, there are times when I think ooh if I just had a way to “punish” it would fix this and this and then I realize that perhaps I just need to find some time to speak to that particular student. Now instead of an exasperated tone and a system to keep them in check, we discuss, we try to fix, and we reevaluate. I don’t run the classroom with a complicated system of checks and balances, rewards and punishments, but rather with an atmosphere of community, of belonging. Is it perfect? No, but neither am I, nor my students. I am just glad I believed in my own skills enough to realize that perhaps, just perhaps, my students would know how to behave without me rewarding them for it. Once again, they blew away all of my expectations.

being a teacher, classroom management, discipline, punishment

Red Cup, Green Cup, I Even Had a Blue Cup – Why I Threw Out My Sticks in A Cup

September 20, 2012 Pernille Ripp

image from icanread

I remember the first time I displayed my classroom management cups; I was so proud. Although the idea was not my own, far from it, I felt that here was something I could embrace, here was something I could stand behind and really make my own. My old system of putting names on the board had proven to be too complicated, I had given up on it and so had searched for something new. Inspiration struck in another classroom and I too had gone to Target and purchased my cups; big fancy tropical drink cups.

The system was so easy; a stick with your name on it starts out in green, when you misbehave you move it to yellow – warning! – and then when you disobey again you move into red. But that wasn’t enough, oh no, I needed another level of bad, another level of punishment; enter the blue cup! The blue cup was an immediate phone call home to parents. It didn’t matter what we were doing, blue infractions meant stop the class and make that phone call in front of all of the class to tell your parents just why you were calling home. Proponents of in-class embarrassment can clap their hands with glee here. It was great! Not only did I get to call students out in front of their classmates to move their stick, I also got to have the cloud of warning hanging over them all day, and that stick of theirs could never move backwards in a day, only forward so the whole class knew exactly who had been bad that day with absolutely no chance to redeem themselves, power to the teacher!

With some kids the system was great, they misbehaved so often I didn’t even have to speak the words, we had a hand motion and a certain look that told them exactly what they needed to do. Move that stick or else! Or else… or else I publicly humiliate you in front of your peers, or else I make sure that if your day didn’t start out poor it is now guaranteed to be. Or else I call you out for any little thing because I am so focused on you now with that stick in the yellow cup. Those cups were central to the power in the room. Their placement was at the front of the class right by the white board where everybody could see them. No slinking to the back to move your stick, oh no, get up here and do it.

So what were these stick moving infractions because they must have been bad, right? Well, to the teacher I was then, where it all had to do with keeping the control, they were definite deal breakers. They were kids speaking out of turn, blurting out, or not paying attention. Kids coming in late from recess or not having their supplies ready after they had been asked. How about leaving your homework at home and then forgetting to come in during recess to do it. Or if I was in a bad mood it might be a snarky comment or the attempt at a joke; move your stick! You see, there was no rhyme or reason, some days it was easy to move your stick, other days I let things slide because I was in a better mood. And yes, some kids moved their sticks more than others because they just couldn’t sit still, because they just couldn’t get it together, because they were that kid that just keeps getting in trouble because we are so focused on them and their misbehavior. Poor kids.

So I stopped when I realized, too late, how much damage this system had created. Students had relinquished the power to me, sure, but it was because of fear not out of respect. They knew I was the boss because I made sure they were at the edge of their seats hoping to not be called to the front. I had created the type of classroom I swore I would never teach in and it had all been so easy. I knew I had to change when I saw their self-esteem suffer. I knew I had to change when it was the same kid day in and day out moving that stick. I knew I had to change when those parents didn’t answer the phone call because they knew it was not good news. I knew I had to change when I couldn’t recognize the teacher I saw in the mirror. So I threw out the cups, threw out the sticks, took a deep breath and swore off all systems. No more sticks, no more calling out, no more cups. And guess what…the kids behaved. The kids started to have more fun, to show respect, to pay attention. Was it perfect? Of course not, this is real life not a movie. But by throwing out the cups we shifted the power to be more balanced. The room became theirs again and I got to fulfill the role as teacher, not just punisher. I got to show the kids that I loved my job and more importantly that I loved having them in my life and that will always be more important that a cup and a stick. I have never looked back.

behavior, classroom expectations, punishment, students

No School For You, Bully! But Did We Fix Anything?

June 30, 2012 Pernille Ripp

The news broke last night that the 4 middle schoolers who were caught on tape tormenting their bus monitor received a year’s suspension from riding the bus as well as school. A whole school year! (I should add they get to go to the district reengagement center, not just sit at home). So while many cheered at the justice being served, I shook my head and once again thought about how we dole out punishment in the American educational system.

I am not here to argue that what they did was in any way justifiable. I am not here to argue that they should not be punished. But a year’s suspension? Since when does any bullying incident result in a whole year away from school? This seems to be another case of media sensationalism leading to excessive punishment, without actually thinking about how these kids could be helped instead. Where is the repair? The discussion of what led to all of this? The plan for something like this to not happen again?

The sad thing is, we only know about this case because one kid foolishly published the video to Youtube, apparently proud of their achievement as bullies. The bus monitor didn’t report it, or at least we don’t know that she did. She also barely spoke up for herself throughout the ordeal, instead sitting their stoically taking whatever evil words they could fling at her. How often does that happen, those untold stories of bullying that we only discover after it is too late? How do school react to those stories where young children commit suicide due to the cruel nature of others? What about the every day bullying that happens in our hallways, in our lunch rooms, at our recesses, right underneath our noses? What punishment do those kids get? How often do we say it is just a part of growing up, it is just a part of school, it is just a part of life? How often do we come up with a repair plan but then don’t follow through? How often do we not believe the children that report the bullying? So when a case like this one, that seems so cut and dry, we jump on it, flaunt our muscles, blame the parents and then punish those kids with every thing we have. Those kids are going to pay. Those kids will be an example. Those kids will learn. And yet, we don’t actually fix the problem.

So I wonder what can we as a society do to prevent these situations from happening? And how can we serve justice in a way that makes sense, that makes children change their behaviors? How do we focus in on all bullying and not just those cases that make it into the media, that start an outcry? How do we teach children and adults, because adults are as much of a part of this as children, that bullying is vile and inhumane? They say kids learn best from examples set, well, how are we setting the example? What responsibility are we taking for all of this? And how do we truly show kids that bullying is not just “not ok” it is deplorable?

behavior, being a teacher, punishment, Student

"Why Do You Only See the Bad, Mrs. Ripp?"

May 23, 2012July 24, 2013 Pernille Ripp

“Why do you always notice me when I am bad, Mrs. Ripp?…”

I stand there, stopped in my tracks. Is that what I do? Only notice this child when they have done something I didn’t want, when they have done something “bad?” Do I ever praise them for when they are on task, not poking their neighbor, or just simply working really well? I think I do, at least I hope I do and yet, this child is on my radar more frequently than others. The level of distraction is just so high and the level of interference with others a constant. Do I ever just say, “Nice work…” or just bite my tongue altogether? I am not sure.

Perceived negative behavior zeroes us in wherever we are. The people that speak the loudest. The child that moves the most. The student that just cannot get to work because they just have to do that one more annoying thing that you swear they know annoys you the very most out of all annoying things. So if we let it, soon, that behavior is all we ever see. We only see them moving when they shouldn’t, we only see them messing about, we only see them breaking all of the unwritten rules we have worked so hard to establish. We only see the bad.

Why not give them a break? Why not let them move about if that is what they need? Why not smile or even just hold our words and let them shine for a little bit? Fill them up rather than tear them apart? Focus our energies elsewhere? Just for a moment at least. They know they are moving, they know they are poking, they know they are not working, and yet, let them figure it out. Let them feel that we don’t just see the bad, we see the whole, and that whole is good enough.

image from icanread

attention, behavior, being a teacher, punishment, students

A Student Gives Up And I Get Even

May 20, 2012 Pernille Ripp

His head was down, hoodie pulled over his eyes. The frustration radiating out of him, the dry erase board lay there untouched, unwritten, and I thought to myself, “again? Seriously…” And the irritation in me kept growing. This kid who obviously didn’t get what I was teaching had just given up, how dare he. So I coaxed, I goaded, I even raised my voice a little trying to let him know that the choices he was making was not going to help him learn anything. That I needed to be the center of his universe for him to understand it. That we were not going down this road again today.

In my mind I knew I was going to have “the talk” with him once class was done. I was going to tell him how unacceptable his behavior was, how disrespectful, how I would be emailing mom and speaking to his homeroom teacher. I was going to give it to him good too because all I could see when I was teaching was that head down, hoodie up and that just wasn’t acceptable.

When class ended, he approached the table and I looked up and saw his look of sheer resignation, the, “Uh oh I am going to get it now and I don’t care because I just don’t get it” attitude streaming from him. So I said, “I noticed how tough math was for you today, how you had given up…” and I hesitated, noticed his downward glance. “So I want to thank you for continuing to try, for not thinking I was crazy in my explanations. Please keep reaching out for help and I will try to get to you as soon as I can. I know you can learn this, don’t forget that.”

Eyes up, shoulders back, and out he walked from my room. Who knows what Monday will bring.

being a teacher, classroom expectations, punishment, rewards

How Do I Punish My Students? Umm, I Try Not To

May 4, 2012 Pernille Ripp

Recently a comment on my post “If We Would Just Stop Talking, We Might Learn Something” has made me think quite a bit. Short and simple, it asked, “Do you have your non-punishment strategies written down? Could you please share it?” And I went hmmm, non-punishment strategies sounds much more fancy than what I have. The truth is, I don’t have any strategies; I simply do not punish kids. In fact, even the word punish is such a heavily loaded word that I cringe at the sound of it. It brings to mind canning or publicly embarrassing children, simply not my thing. So instead I handle situations as they arise, mostly with common sense. Let me explain by taking some every day situations in a classroom…

A student keeps blurting out. Sense of humor works for me here most of the time and I tend to look at it through a positive lens; wow, that kid can’t wait to share the answer because they are having so much fun! Strategies used to curb or direct it has been to give them dry-erase boards to write down their answers and then flash them to me or have them tell it to a partner. If the blurting is more like an epidemic I place a blank post-it on their desk and have them make a tally every time they blurt out. This is used for self-awareness not as a way to reward or punish and I have seen it help kids realize the extent of their blurting who were otherwise unaware.
Homework is not handed in. Even in a classroom where I try to stay homework-free, some students do not use their time as effectively as others and may have a page or two to do at the end of the day, mostly math. So the first thing we speak about is time management; what could they be doing differently in class to curtail taking work home? Then we also discuss taking responsibility for not having their work; if a child tells me in the morning that they did not do their homework and have a strategy for getting it done such as bringing it tomorrow or spending some time during recess, then I am fine with that plan. The point to the conversation is; I don’t want to be the one that has to come up with the plan or have to find out that they didn’t do their work. They need to come to me, take responsibility for it and then fix it. Just like we do as adults.
And yet, the homework continues to not get done. This does not happen a lot in my room because we just don’t have the homework. And yet it does happen once in a blue moon. Besides a conversation with the student where we discuss things they have tried to fix it, we often do a quick phone call home to discuss strategy with parents. This is not a punishing phone call but instead a “heads-up” we need to give a little more support here both at school and from home because the work is disappearing. Often I find the root of this to be disorganization rather than laziness, so my number one point is; ask what happened!
Students goof off and generally not paying attention. This is a huge flashing sign to me that what I am doing is not engaging and that the kids need a break. So unless I for some extreme reason cannot stop what I am doing, I do just that; stop and switch gears. Whether it just entails giving them a body break or asking them how they would like to learn about this concept something needs to change. I have also had them do partner share, journaling, or whatever pops into my head to make sure they stay engaged. Sometimes a lesson is continued but in a different format, sometimes we scrap it for the day.
Students are staring into space, reading a book or doing other work. For anyone who has ever been absorbed in a great book, we know how hard it is to stop reading, so I always smile a little when I see a student reading under the table. And yet, students do need to be doing whatever it is we are doing at the moment. Often a quick tap on the shoulder or even just silence and waiting for them to join the rest of us works. It is not a big deal, nor do I make it into one.

Yes, I have had students throw chairs and tables in my room, yes I have had students hit each other, and yes, I have had to send students to the office because they needed a cool down moment. And still, even during those more extreme situations, I always try to keep in mind that there is a cause to this behavior and it is my job to figure it out. So I do not punish my students. I do not take away their privileges to coerce them to behave. I do not threaten, I do not dangle things in front of their nose. Instead I start out the year by inviting them to create the rules of the classroom and then asking them to responsibility for it. We help each other out, we steer each other as we do, and we take the time to talk.

So although I may claim to not have any strategies, the one I might have is to listen with not just my ear,s but also my eyes. Listen to what their behavior tells me, listen to what they tell me, and then listen to my own reflection on how to create better situations. And that’s how I don’t punish my students.