At Tradewinds High School (THS) we serve students grades 9-12. Our mission is to create a safe and challenging learning environment in which promotes personal responsibility and empowers student success. Safety, Academics, and Pride are at the forefront of our schools vision. If we do these three things well, we will have every student experience success. Priorities for this school are as follows:
• Improve school culture
• Bring discipline under control
• Enhance the curriculum
• Raise expectations
• Reduce classroom size
• Establish a stable faculty and leadership team
• Provide teachers with professional development (to enhance teaching practices)
• Implement effective intervention programs (to remediate students in weakness areas
As principal of TWH, I feel it is vital to keep the urgency focused on academics. It is my belief that if we set students up for challenging and engaging classroom instruction, discipline issues will start to lessen. However, my teachers will feel supported and respected, and that will be communicated regularly to our students and school community. “…leaders treat others fairly, equitably, and with dignity and respect—and they establish the expectation that others in the school community act in a similar manner” (Murphy, 2006).
Since Tradewinds High School has a history of high turnover amongst its teachers, I will have a number of vacancies to fill, and want to be as diligent as possible in getting the right teachers for this student
In addition to these standards, rights, and responsibilities, all teachers need to be consciously aware of possible problems dealing with students on an individual basis. In their mission of providing for the safety and welfare of all students, teachers can sometimes find themselves in situations that may be detrimental to themselves and their students. In practice, knowing how to avoid these situations is key. Dr. Troy Hutching’s presentation (Developing an Ethical Framework for Teacher Student Relationships: A Continuum of Responsibility, Nov. 1, 2011 Northern Arizona Univ.) was an eye opener. He provided the following startling facts: Shakeshaft (2004) reported 9.6% of grade 8-11
A part of my job as administrator is to work with students on keeping ethical standards throughout their lives. I work with others at my school to instill character building skills. We have a character word for the month that is posted in every classroom and other parts of the school. Part of my job as an administrator will be to work with teachers and how they relate to the students. During my Successful School Observation I was able to pick up on the teachers’ attitudes about teaching with the way they spoke to the students and about the students. Most of the teachers were working really well with the students. There were two or three who, if I was their administrator, would be placed on probation or written up because of the way they talk to the students. Belittling students is a big NO! NO! All students deserve to be treated with respect even on our worst days as
Our school aims to provide a healthy balance between recognition and consequences. Pupils should learn to expect recognition for positive behaviour and fair and consistently applied consequences for inappropriate behaviour.
We the students of Anaheim High School, find it inevitable to join together in order to create a better school environment, which would dissolve the ineffective ways of discipline and create a more comfortable learning environment for the students. The ineffective ways of correcting bad behavior being employed by the Anaheim Union High School District, and the administrative, teacher and staff bodies of this school. With all due respect, we would like to bring into light the issues with our discipline system and put forth our opinions on the matter.
Apply principals of effective teaching based on educational theory, laws, county and school policy, and ethical practice in the comprehensive
The staff can collaboratively develop expectations for behavior in the common areas of the building … restrooms, hallways, lunch room, library … which will eliminate disagreements and will reduce student anxiety. The school administrator could also promote a school climate that supports positive behavior by implementing some of the ideas from the Ryan article, such as bullying prevention and intervention, character education, and creating a caring school community (p. 137). While these ideas will not eradicate all discipline issues, they will contribute to a more peaceful learning environment for students and
Children spend most of their time in school and yet many of our educators don’t know how to handle the emotional minds of the youth, so they just kick them out of the classroom. The Obama administration issued a set of guidelines that are to be followed by schools to promote a more positive environment, setting clear expectations and consequence for students, and ensure equality in discipline.(“New York Times”) This is only the beginning, we need our communities to support this. We need to continue the fight for awareness, and prepare our teachers to cope with high tense situations without harsh
The public schools of the United States, despite their proud past, are currently experiencing many difficulties. They seem to be under constant scrutiny and pressure to produce higher academic achievement and at the same time are being criticized by large segments of society. It is no secret that the environment which students experience in the public schools has changed greatly over the past twenty to thirty years, but there are many possible reasons for this; most of these explanations do not place the blame squarely on the schools themselves. Public schools are responsible for one thing, however, and that is the manner in which they react to the changes that take place. Prompted by increased discipline problems within school halls,
Authoritative teachers will often “try to catch their students being good” and will reinforce the good behavior, rather than focusing on the bad. (Iannelli, 2004). It is critical that teachers praise their students for their efforts. A teacher can teach the entire classroom by recognizing one child’s positive action. Children desire praise and they will learn appropriate behavior when their fellow students receive praise. When teachers focus on bad behavior and make an example of a particular student to the entire classroom, it only makes the child that is being reprimanded feel alienated, ashamed, embarrassed, or possibly revengeful.
In terms of becoming a mediator and consensus builder the authors detailed the need for principals to possess relational leadership skills in order to be able to both facilitate groups and coach others on staff in the ability to facilitate their own groups, and stressed that the key to this is the ability to effectively participate in conflict resolution (Donaldson, Marnik, Mackenzie, & Ackerman, 2009). The authors suggested that conflict is part and parcel of school reform and that in addition to being able to deal effectively with conflict the successful principal needs to develop the ability for bringing about consensus within the group, noting that interpersonal and intrapersonal skills were as much or more important than knowledge (Donaldson, Marnik, Mackenzie, & Ackerman, 2009).
Student behavior and discipline in the classroom have been impacted by legislation and litigation as was discussed in an article written by Mitchell Yell and Michael Rozalski, The Impact of Legislation and Litigation on Disciple and Student Behavior in the Classroom. The authors believe that all students should receive their education in safe, orderly, and well-disciplined schools but maintaining these environments has become a major challenge for educators (Yell, M & Rozalski, M, 2008). Most states have laws that govern discipline in schools which also protect the rights of students in public education (Yell, et.al, 2008). These state laws control the actions of school officials when they carry out certain discipline-related functions, such as gathering evidence (e.g., searching students, their lockers, or their personal property), seizing contraband from students’ backpacks, or conducting any administrative actions that restrict a student’s property interest to attend school (e.g., suspension, expulsion) (Yell, et.al, 2008). A student’s entitlement under state law to a public education is
Discipline problems in schools often becomes a hot topic discussed nowadays. This issue has widely spread throughout mass media. Each day we will be served with news of a discipline problems among students.
Frequent communication with families which includes positive information makes school wide discipline effective (T.L.Musy, Personal communication, October 3rd, 2006). Consistency is an important element in school wide discipline. Rules applied consistently through out the school are easy for students to learn. An effective teacher learns school rules and procedures before the year begins. This would be helpful for the teacher to set up her/his own classroom discipline plan (Evertson, Emmer, and Worsham, 2006).
The principal must have knowledge and understanding of effective communication strategies when collaborating with staff, educators, and students (O 'Connor & Jackson, 2017). The teacher’s morale is ultimately impacted by the principal 's open-line of communication; therefore, the school environment affects how the principal is perceived by the teachers and staff morale can influence student learning. However, the principal should focus on developing a collaborative relationship among the teachers, which foster new ways of exchanging view points and ideas (Whyte & Karabon, 2016). The principal plays a major role in how effective the vision or goals are followed by subordinates. In other words, how the perception of the principal ethical and values are aligned with the teachers. Hence, collaboration in schools is, the result of teachers and principals working together for the end results, which are student’s high achievement in learning. When the skillful principals and the sagacious educators “walk the talk” effective leadership and the strategic guidance is a must in the collaborative community of succeed.
Classroom management and classroom discipline share a correlation with one another yet; they are uniquely different issues and should remain a separate focus of the teacher. (Cantor, 2006) Behavior and misbehavior also share a connection but represent different degrees of infraction. (Charles, 2008) This essay focuses on the differences and similarities of these topics and their relation to the classroom.