Why Phylicia Can’t Learn:
How We Can Help Her Part 5 (cont.)
The solution is to stop using suspensions as a mechanism for changing student behavior when they are found to positively reinforce the behavior(s). An oft repeated proverb suggests that, “if the only tool you have is a hammer, then every problem will be a nail”.
Administrators: Stop thinking that every teacher should be able to control their classrooms as well as your passionate veteran teachers who have a class filled with Type A students. Find a normative expectation of your teachers based upon statistical analysis of their educational level, their experience, and the student types that populate their classroom. Teachers: Stop taking the behaviors personally. They are children, in some cases damaged compromised human beings, going through the developmental phases of life. Many of them do not know why they do the things that they do. Most of them will not even remember the name of many of their teachers that taught them. It is not about you.
We can best help Phylicia to learn by reducing, if not eliminating, suspension as a primary reason for her absence from the learning environment. There are a host of alternative solutions other than suspending the child or blaming the teacher. We must use data collection to know what is happening, hypothesize on why it is happening, and tailor solutions that reflect the nature of the behavior and the resources available. There are tools and resources that are not being properly utilized with existing resources. We continually place pressure on teachers to be the default solution for circumstances beyond their control. For example: It is fairly standard for a student who misses ten days of instruction to fail a class. Yet a student who has been suspended and/or absent for multiple days beyond ten, is still factored in to the teacher’s class growth assessment on standardized tests, REALLY?!?
When we use data collection, with the teacher as the finder of fact in the classroom, we can then use data as a metric for determining outcomes of disciplinary actions. My experience in working with a population of close to 600 students is that the data collection itself became a deterrent for 80% of student behaviors. This reduces the need for suspensions and also provides data for determining the motivation of the student with collective data from different teachers in different subjects. It also tells the frequency and the duration of the behavior. This is information that is helpful in determining disciplinary decisions and also becomes baseline data for FBAs and BIPs.
My experience has been that many schools have been abysmal at establishing discipline protocols and applying them consistently. The primary reason is that current processes are dependent on the subjectivity of the administrator, who is determined to be the finder of fact even though he/she is not in the classroom. Data collection ends this inconsistency.
Empowering Founders to Scale Beyond $1M+ | Strategic Growth Partner for Scaling Teams | Turning Complexity into Sustainable Growth
5moLove the outside-the-box thinking Brooke Barrett. As a former public educator, I strongly believe educators should be certified. Just as we want our doctors, our police, our lawyers etc., teaching is more than just knowing a subject. It is about child and young adult development, cultural sensitivity, and effective pedagogy. Certified teachers undergo rigorous training to understand how to engage students, create inclusive learning environments, and adapt their teaching methods to diverse learners. While subject expertise is undoubtedly important, the art of teaching requires a unique skill set that certification programs aim to develop. Ensuring all educators are certified helps maintain high standards and promotes equitable, quality education for every student.