Rationale

In a Yuma, Arizona elementary school located in a very poor part of the city, the faculty decided to use problem solving instead of discipline. Following the training, the faculty worked together because they wanted to ensure there was a high degree of consistency in what they were teaching the children. Several of the teachers believed a character education program would be beneficial in helping students learn to problem solve and make better decisions. So, they went to the Internet and downloaded several state and national character education programs. They then met with students and parents and decided on nine aspects of character. One aspect was highlighted each month throughout the school. They used posters, class discussions, and even had a couple of films. The teachers felt that this part of their overall program was very beneficial in attaining the results that they did.

Our students today live in a world of TV, videos, and movies. The women are degraded, male heroes are shooting or assaulting others, and the winner is the one that ends up with the most money. Many years ago in a rural middle school, the principal overhead two middle school girls talking about the popular movie Pretty Woman with Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. The one girl remarked that it was a Cinderella story. The other girl said, “I guess today if you’re going to meet a prince, you have to be a prostitute first”. Although the movie industry claims to only be entertainment, the fact is that students learn from them.

Are we down to only one value – attaining wealth, no matter how? We certainly hope not, but we do have to take a stand against the competition from the entertainment industry. It is not only our responsibility but essential if we hope to teach children to problem solve and make honorable decisions. The task here is to devise a means of teaching accepted values, morals, and character.

In all honesty, it is almost impossible to compete with movies and TV. It is close to a perfect learning environment. It is auditory, visual, includes emotion and action, and has the complete focus and attention of the viewer. Once a visual medium like TV becomes fully interactive, it will be the perfect learning environment. Lecture and presentation will fall short of changing the attitudes and perspectives learned from the videos and movies. The only way to win is to teach and model character and strive to get a majority of students to learn the value of character. Students typically believe their friends instead of what is said in the media, regardless of how popular a celebrity might be. So, as each student learns character, morals, and accepted values, they influence and teach other students.

The good news is that it can work. The teachers at the Yuma elementary school proved it. They included their chosen aspects of character in their student expectations. They used the nine aspects while working with the students going through the problem solving steps (This was mostly done at the finding alternatives and decision-making steps). Because of their efforts, in the first semester of the year before the training, 215 students were sent to the office for misbehavior. In the first semester of the following year, 14 students were referred to the office. The data also showed that classroom disruptions dropped by two-thirds.

Practical Application

Teach about morals and character when teaching students to solve their problems.

With students who have healthy self-concepts, you can discuss an aspect of character or moral value with defining the problem and what did you choose to do steps. But this has the potential of turning into a criticism – sort of kicking them when they are down. It is usually more positive and students are more willing to think about and discuss an aspect of character when discussing what they plan to do in the future.

Like most tasks principals and teachers have, devising something is only part of it. The next steps are to implement, monitor, evaluate, and adjust accordingly. If you choose to include character education, be sure it is something you believe in. Be sure it is something that the community can believe in. Make sure you are willing to teach it, model it, and use when interacting with the students. When the students learn and accept these beliefs, your job is much, much easier.

Expected Outcomes

Students learn more about morals, values, and character.

Students learn to consider character prior to making decisions and taking actions.

Principals and teachers are reminded of character and morals and begin to use them more in their work with the students.

Inappropriate behavior is greatly reduced or eliminated.

Task #6 - Set High Expectations

“We live up to the expectations placed upon us”

Rationale

To a certain extent, rules are negative and expectations are positive. Students hate rules. In courses for school crisis intervention, instructors recommend not saying the word rule because it will incite or escalate the situation. Rules restrict freedom. The word rule is generally associated with the word obey and no person is ever comfortable with obeying another person.

Since rules are negative and generally focus on what we do not want to see, most administrators and teachers try to limit the number of rules they have in school and class. Students are not told all of the things we would like to see them learn and do, but are only told a few things that they should not do. This sets very low expectations.

In the introduction, the very positive results of using problem solving in an alternative school were presented. Although problem solving was responsible for most of the success at this school, there was another major factor involved. This factor was changing student expectations. Initially, the school’s culture was more of a psychiatric treatment center than a regular school. The focus was on behavior, not academics. More time was spent on punishing than teaching. The choice was to expect treatment center behavior or regular school behavior. The school chose to focus on teaching and academics. The bar was raised to requiring a grade of 75 or higher in every class in order to be eligible to return to the regular campus. Roles for the students were defined to be one of a successful learner, not a seriously emotionally disturbed adolescent. Although the change took time, it worked.

In another example at a state mental hospital, the Director of the school program described her school as having chaos instead of order. Their two classrooms were continuously disrupted by aggressive behaviors and the staff would subdue the students (patients) and take them back to their rooms. Like the alternative school, she decided to change the expectations for her program. She painted the entry wall to look like the front of a school building. She replaced the tables and beanbag chairs with desks. She made it look and feel like a real school. She reported that she now had student behavior in the classrooms even though they still had mental hospital behavior outside the classroom. What you expect from the students is what you will get!

If we focus on what we want the students to learn and do, we end up with a long list of learning outcomes (academic and social) that we want our students to master. We choose the positive side - goals and high expectations. This positive view has a profound effect on the school culture. The task becomes one of what expectations do we need to set for students to see a school expecting great things for each student versus obeying school rules.

Practical Application

Change class and school rules to expectations (the positive view).

Compare the expectations of lower and higher grade levels and ensure there is a consistent increase in expectation as the student matures.

Consult faculty, parents, and students in setting expectations.

Compare the level of freedoms with the level of expectations. Greater freedoms offer opportunities for higher expectations. In many schools today, sixth-graders have the same freedoms as first-graders. This makes little sense and sets a very low expectation for sixth-graders.

Consider your feelings about the students. If you have to choose between sympathy and frustration, choose frustration. Showing students sympathy when they fail teaches them that you expect very little. Frustration, on the other hand, shows the students that you truly believe they can do better.

A final consideration for setting high expectations is to be consistent with the school handbook. Perhaps a better way of stating this would be to make sure the student handbook is consistent with your school and classroom expectations. Student handbooks are horrible! They are, for the most part, a long list of infractions, punishments, and fines. They are the product of school lawyers, not caring educators.

Student handbooks are necessary for many reasons. It is essential to have rules and any fines or loss of privileges listed in case of litigation. But this does not have to be the entire handbook. Where is the welcoming, we care about you, the goals we have for you? If we can re-write our negative school and classroom rules into positive expectations, then we certainly can do the same in the handbook. Somewhere between the legal needs of the district and the principal’s and teachers’ aspirations for the students is the answer. After you have developed your positive student expectations and included them in the school handbook, be sure to consult with the central office to ensure consistency, while meeting necessary legal requirements.

In conclusion for this task, you need to be aware that your expectations are going to change. After teaching problem solving (also decision-making), you will want to increase your expectations as you see the students develop and improve. This is a sign of success. Be sure to include in your expectations that students will be able to solve problems and learn from their experiences. All the others are up to you and your vision for your students.

Expected Outcomes

Class and school become more positive places to be.

Students learn and mature at a faster rate.

Expectations for students are increased and performance increases.

Students’ self-esteem is increased.

A more positive relationship between the principal, teacher, and the students is built.

Disruptive behaviors are greatly reduced.

Task #7 - Use Student Input

“Students are experts in how they see their world”

Rationale

Moving from disciplining to teaching requires the cooperation of the students. It will be the students who are solving problems, accepting more responsibility, and working to learn and use more appropriate behaviors. Will the system you have designed meet the students’ needs? Will the students be able to perform successfully with their new role? Will the methods that you use be effective? Observing and gathering feedback from the students is the only way to find the answers to these and other questions.

Many principals and teachers do not like using student evaluations or surveys. This is because the questions usually involve a rating system that turns the survey into a popularity contest. When using student input, ensure that you are asking for information about the students and that your questions require constructive feedback. Notice that the four questions below do not ask the students to rate the principal or teacher. They do ask what the principal or teacher did and its effect on them. They are not experts on educators, but do have meaningful knowledge of what works for them and what does not.

Making decisions is always easy if you have all the correct information. With using student input in the process, you will come much closer to having the information you need. The older the students get, the better the information, but even Pre-K students can surprise you with some profound recommendation or bits of information about themselves. Some experts say that leaders should include in the decision-making process everyone affected by the decision. Your use of problem solving, defining roles, setting expectations, etc. affect your students. They deserve to have input.

Practical Application

The questions for the students are:

Compile the answers from the students (omitting any that are very personal in nature) and share with other teachers of the same grade or subject area. Grade level or subject area teachers can then summarize and share the results with the entire faculty and administration.

The results from this activity are usually enlightening. First, there is a general feeling of satisfaction, even happiness from all the positive things that the students write. Next, there is intrigue at the many excellent recommendations that students give for improvement. And finally, there is a sense of enthusiasm after knowing what the students like and want changed. Often, student responses to changes in instructional methods and activities are better and more constructive than adult classroom observations. Principals and teachers need to know what the students desire to have in the classroom and from the office. Principals and teachers want and need to learn too.

It is difficult not to be successful if you work cooperatively with the students. For best results, students should have input from the beginning to the end. This includes discussions about problem solving, learning from mistakes, using consequences instead of punishments, the role of the teacher and student, and so on. If this is done, it is very likely several students will comment on things that the principal or teacher had not thought of. They will bring up concerns that may only affect one or two students or events at a particular time of the year. In short, they will give you additional information that will improve your plans, methods, and decisions.

At some interval (often mid-semester), it is recommended that you get feedback on how it is working for them. This will give you additional information on what aspects are working well and what aspects need to be refined or need additional attention. The only caution here is to be patient. The previous example about the student who was referred to the office twenty-six times in the first semester and twice the second semester would have very different feedback in May than in October. A final caution is to overlook the exceptions. You will gather excellent information from most students, but there will always be one or two that might vent their frustrations or anger or just take it all as a joke. Do not let these exceptions deter you from using student input and working cooperatively.

Student input at the end of the year is usually the best. You will receive more thoughtful and expert assessments from the students. This is good for viewing your overall program, but the problem is that in the following year, you will have many new students. So, in some respect, you begin again. As you probably know, some years you get very meek and cooperative students and other years you get very bold and uncooperative students. Fortunately, new students quickly see what is expected and if most of the other students are solving their own problems, they will want to also.

Expected Outcomes

Principals and teachers make better decisions.

Principals and teachers learn more effective strategies to use with the students.

Students take more ownership and responsibility for the school, class, and their learning.

The principal and teachers are modeling respect for students by listening, considering, and often using their input.

Student self-esteem is increased.

A more positive relationship between the principal, teacher, and the students is formed.

Disruptive behavior is greatly reduced.

Rationale

Most conflicts among people in organizations are role conflicts. Examples are “He can’t do that” or “She is not supposed to be doing that” or other beliefs to that effect. In order to reduce conflict between principals, teachers, students, and parents (a role most often overlooked) accurate descriptions of expectations of each should be written. It is surprising that most students have no clue to the role of the principal, teacher, or even the student. Principals and teachers must inform students what their role is and what responsibilities and expectations they have. If all students understand their role and the role of the adults, much conflict is avoided.

Although accurately defining and teaching about the various roles are important and will reduce conflict, there is another very important part to this task. This goes beyond a detailed job description of the principal or teacher and looks at the role each wants to take. After all, each is a unique individual and most roles are stressful. What do you want your role to be? What role allows you the comfort of being yourself?

Most educators have at least four roles. These include administrator or teacher, spouse, parent, and friend. Each of these roles has expectations and responsibilities. Most are better at some roles than others. The one role, however, that most people are very good at is being a friend. This is the role that allows them to be themselves. Their best friends overlook imperfections and enjoy their best qualities - their uniqueness. In this role, there is very little stress or acting. Best friends get to see the best in each other.

Often, the happiest and most successful spouses and parents spend very little time playing a role with their significant other or children. They spend most of their time being themselves. Although each has responsibilities, judging a person on how good a husband, wife, or parent they are often causes much stress and conflict. The point is that roles force us to act in certain ways, and we all have differing skills at various roles. But, we are all exceptionally gifted at being ourselves. So, to be the best principal or teacher, you need to define your role as being yourself and just leading or teaching, as opposed to acting the role of a principal or a teacher. This is a role that has little stress, forces little acting, and one for which you are exceptionally gifted.

Just as important as finding the role you are most comfortable with and enjoy is considering the impact your role has on others. A role can be a mask that hides the real person. Most students experience interactions with several principals and many teachers in their school careers. For most students, principals are the same and the teachers are pretty much the same. They only get to see a bunch of adults performing as principals or teachers. They never get to see what the principals’ and teachers’ best friends see. They never get to know many unique and interesting people. What a great loss for the students!

Most importantly, it is difficult to form a relationship with someone playing a role because the role can never be genuine. Most people get very upset if they discover someone was pretending to be a friend or something else that they were not. It is easy, however, to know and like a genuine person. Students deserve to get to know all of the unique people who teach and help them. So, when defining your role, be sure to think about offering your students the joy your best friend gets from knowing you and rid yourself of the stress of acting out a role.

Practical Application

Define your role in a manner that allows you to be yourself. Define your role as one of leading, teaching, and assisting students to learn. Define the students’ role in a manner that allows them to be their unique selves. Define the students’ role as one of learning (and learning from mistakes) and demonstrating their learning. Discuss these with the students and allow input and additions that come from them. Teach and require that every student know his or her role and the role of the principal and the teacher.

Expected Outcomes

Stress for the principal and the teacher will be greatly reduced.

Conflict in the classroom will be greatly reduced.

Classroom disruptions will be greatly reduced.

Student learning about others and their beliefs, experiences, and unique personalities will be increased.

More positive relationship between the principal, teachers, and the students will be formed.

Rationale

Reading this book may be much like a first session of new training. The concepts presented may match many of your current beliefs or may not. The recommendation is to note the beliefs you agree with and the ones you do not. You will most likely find that you have some conflicting beliefs. For example, you believe students need hope, but you also believe in giving zeroes. You believe students should learn from their mistakes, but do not believe in makeup or extra-credit. You believe that some students need extra help, but believe discipline should be administered equally. You believe students should learn to problem-solve and make good decisions, but you also believe students must obey.

If you are going to be successful in empowering students, quitting disciplining, and only using teaching, you need to believe in it. If your beliefs are not a match or you have too many conflicting beliefs, perhaps you simply need to try it with an open mind. We write this because we have had many teachers tell us years later that they had doubts about it at first. Only after the experience of positive results did they change their beliefs and attitude.

We believe in these methods because we have seen them work with special education, gifted, regular, primary, intermediate, middle, high school, and many other descriptors of students. The task is for you to write and reflect on your beliefs, even if some conflict with the beliefs presented in this book.

Our list would look something like this:

We believe -