Discipline dilemmas

segbog: Yesterday in my school was like a scene from bedlam. Discipline measures do not seem to work any more. The kids know that we can’t basically do anything. I just feel that academia and striving to be your best have taken a back seat to placating the troublemakers and rewarding the banal.

Jennett: Sounds like the day I had today - shame when it’s actually only a small handful and there are others who do want to learn and try hard.

RaymondSoltysek: It’s your classroom, so why aren’t you paying attention to the good ones? We often say “the good ones get ignored”, forgetting the fact that it’s US who ignore them.

segbog: How do you sanction four kids in your class who want to be excluded or referred - they treat it as a badge of honour? Try assertive discipline techniques in my class and you will get a chair thrown at you.

RaymondSoltysek: When I’m in a room with 30 weans - and it does still happen - what’s going on outside doesn’t really matter. Some of them can and will be resistant to the relationships I want to build with them but, as we’ve all said, there are also lots and lots of good kids we ignore. Are they the way to feeling better about our classrooms?

To join the forums, visit www.tess.co.uk.