Discipline as Teaching

Use discipline to teach, not punish

Punishing a student may stop bad behavior—temporarily. But it may not teach the student anything. Indeed, a punished child is more likely to spend time ruminating about how “mean” you are than thinking about how to change behavior.

To use discipline as the word intends (to teach), have alternatives you can turn to when you are tempted to punish. For example:

• Ask the student how to solve the problem at hand. Does this always work? No. But you might be surprised how thoughtful students can be when they’re given a chance instead of being backed into a corner. And the solution may be easier than you think!
• Compromise. If the entire solution proposed by the student is truly unreasonable, see if you can incorporate at least part of it.
• Think about amends. Give the student a chance to apologize, perform a good deed, make repairs or clean up as necessary.

Reprinted with permission from the March 2007 issue of Better Teaching® (Elementary Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2007 The Teacher Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: Alfie Kohn, Beyond Discipline: From Compliance to Community, ISBN: 1-4166-0472-3 (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1-800-933-2723, www.ascd.org).