Discipline

No school administrators in their right mind would ignore school discipline as one of their most important responsibilities. Nearly every survey of school administrators in recent years lists school discipline and school safety as one of or their most important areas of emphasis. Although serious acts of crime and violence are relatively rare in schools, fighting, bullying, acts of disrespect, and insubordination still remain as problems faced by school administrators every day.

A study by Public Agenda (Johnson, 2004) indicated that seven in ten middle and high school teachers surveyed say their schools have serious problems with students who disrupt classes. Most experienced school administrators in charge of school discipline would say that students who continually disrupt classes make up less than 5% of students enrolled, but that 5% of enrolled students can take 90% of their time.

School Discipline Introduction

The word discipline is a strong word for most of us. It carries with it some preconceived description words such as “weak,” “strong,” “good,” and “bad”. It is a word that has serious ramifications for all those who are engaged in the field of education. Having “good” discipline is a goal of every classroom teacher. Principals never want the reputation of having “weak” discipline at their schools. The public demands that schools be places of effective discipline that create environment where teachers can teach and students can learn. Discipline; From the Latin term disciplina, meaning:

•  A branch of knowledge or learning;
• Training that develops self-control, character, orderliness or efficiency;
• Strict control to enforce obedience;
• Treatment that controls or punishes;
• a system of rules. It is interesting that the definitions of the term suggest that discipline can have quite different implications for schools.

The component of the definition that relates to teaching seems much more positive than the components that include the negative expressions such as punishment and strict control. Rosen, 5)

The Strict Control to Enforce Obedience

There is no doubt that someone needs to be in charge of our schools. As long as schools are composed of hundreds or thousands of students who are required by law to reside in an institutional setting for several hours a day, several times a week, there must be someone in control. Control does not mean being a warden at a prison. It means maintaining order and discipline. One needs only a short time at a school campus to determine whether or not someone is in control.

Someone is in control of school when:

• Students are where they are supposed to be at any given hour the school day.
• There are few interruptions of class time.
• The campus is clean and free to graffiti.
• Campus visitors are screened and required to wear a visitor’s badge.
• Communication devices are visible and readily available.
• Supervisory personnel are visible.
• Students, teachers, and administrators have a good working relationship.

Discipline: Ex-pupils’ observations.

There are many views about school discipline, varying from those held by the freedom advocated like A. S. Neil and his discipline to the grinding regimentation of Mr. M’Choakumchild and his factotum Mr. Gradgrind. It would, however, be agreed that a good discipline in a school would be such as to be accompanied by reasonable orderliness, respect for others and their property—not forgetting school property—and a pleasant atmosphere, which means among other things that there is no feeling of rebelliousness against what are felt to be unnecessary regulations.

There will sometimes be conflict between the head’s idea of what is satisfactory discipline and that of the pupils; if he pushes too hard to reach unreasonable and maybe unattainable standards of obedience, the school either starts to resemble a prison or his most unreasonable laws are broken by all sundry, and later his reasonable rules are also endangered; if alternatively he is too lax the pupils are educated into wrong attitudes to the school, to schoolwork and even to society, and poor educational progress is one of the least of the prices to be paid.

So the head and staff have to steer a middle path between the extremes, and this is concerned with whether this is more easily attained—for whatever reason—in a co-educational school rather than a single-sex one. For the most part it presents the point of view of mature and responsible ex-pupils, especially of those who have attended schools of both types and can look back and compare their experiences in the two schools.

Their conception of discipline will not only be that of pupils, because they are all learning how to teach in schools themselves, and their views will certainly be colored by what they as beginning teachers consider to be good discipline. (Dale, 156,616) Research indicated that more teachers leave teaching because of discipline problems than any other reasons. Losing good teachers is a serious problem for all schools, be they public or private. A troublesome student can cause many a good teacher a loss of sleep and aggravation.

Teachers enter the teaching field because they are interested in teaching not wrestling with students who continually disrupt classroom time. School administrators need to be a supportive tool of teachers in their classroom management routines and practices. Helping teachers to have good classroom management practices has become an important part of the school disciplinarian’s role. Disciplinary Traditions It is difficult to generalize about the differing models of discipline applied within schools throughout the world.

Taking a very broad perspective, it could be argued that discipline models reflect the way a society sees education as meeting either collective or individual needs. For example, in china there has been a tradition that child should be socialized as early as possible to confirm the cultural expectations. This meant that in China, not only was attendance compulsory but so also was achievement. Disciplinary practices have been undertaken in a collectivist spirit with the intention of forming “good” behaviors.

In countries such as China and India there are strong masculinist traditions in the teacher-pupil relationship, and yet this field of research, school discipline and gender, is still to be fully developed. (Kramarae, Spender, 395)

The term punishment is usually related to some type of suffering or derivation. To be realistic, people must admit that punishment exists because of the expectations of society. This is particularly true in schools. When students misbehave, adults expect them to be punished.

The degree of punishment may depend on the community in which the school is located. For example, in the southern part of the nation, corporal punishment is much more acceptable than in other parts. In 1993, there were 613,514 instances of paddling reports in United Stated. Most of those paddling cases occurred in southern states. Corporal punishment is still legal in 26 states. Corporal punishment may not only be accepted but expected in Deep South, but in Rhode Island, administrators can lose their credentials if they strike a student for any reason. (Rosen, 5)

Conclusion

“Discipline is not the art of rewarding and punishing, of making pupil’s speak and be silent; it is the art of making them perform, in the most appropriate, easy, and useful manner, all the duties of the school. ” The definition of “school discipline,” by the Conference Society of Capelian, is evidently too broad. “The elementary school ought, by the spirit ruling within, and by its instruction, so to operate upon the children that they shall receive a preparation, adaptation to their ages and capacities, for temporal and eternal life. ” (Sabin, 181)

Runninghead: DISCIPLINE AND MANAGEMENT: DIFFERENT YET RELATED COMPARISON Discipline and Management: Different Yet Related Comparison Essay Corwin K. Richardson Grand Canyon University Discipline and Management: Different Yet Related Comparison Essay Thinking on classroom management and the ability to effectively teach and guide students of several different backgrounds tends to be a daunting thought. One that has pressed the hearts and minds of teachers and administrators for many days past and which will probably continue to press for many days to come.

Being confident that you are aware; management alone is a skill that requires several years of practice to become proficient at, not to mention the management of students and their personalities. This essay will deal with the comparisons of discipline and management as it relates to the comparison of behavior versus misbehavior. Each term will be defined in personal understanding and then expounded upon with citations from noted authorities in each subject matter. There similarities and differences will be presented in addition to there apparent relationship with each other.

Discipline is something that is the result of an unwanted act. It can be seen as a corrective action that is taken to discourage a behavior that needs to be discontinued. Ex. Mr. Brown quickly removed the unruly student from the classroom. In this example, Mr. Brown chose to remove the disruptive student from the classroom as a method of discipline. However, discipline may be seen as a measure of self-control that someone applies to themselves. This is in any case, a measure of correction.

According to Charles, discipline is defined as a teacher’s efforts to maintain classroom decorum and secure students’ cooperation in learning and exercising self-control (p. 45, 2008). This understanding opens up the window of possibilities as to what measure is taken by means of discipline that is deemed necessary to keep the classroom flowing with full cooperation in learning. Regarding self-control; this is a willful act on the student’s part based upon their understanding of order and how it affects their life, even in the classroom.

The responsibility of teaching students the need for order can be argued to be the parents; but somehow it ends up being the teachers’. Management is the order in which someone takes things and place them in a systematic way that they can manage them better. Ex. Ms. Wendy moved all of the noisy students’ seats in a way that brought quiet and focus to the class. In this example Ms. Wendy’s management system was to arrange the classroom in such a way that all the class could benefit from the lesson.

A collaborative definition of management as expressed by Canter is an environment created by a teacher who motivates and believes in the students; one who effectively plans to manage student behavior in all classroom activities and instructional strategies; a teacher who has the trust of all the students (pp. 6-7, 2006). Behavior is simply the way someone conducts themself. Ex. Bobby obeys every word his father says. In the example, Bobby’s behavior was obedient. This is clearly a defining point in behavior that illustrates how someone acts in an environment or situation.

Some authorities such as Canter believe that behavior is greatly influenced by a teacher’s ability to establish a classroom that promotes academic success for all students from the very first day of school (p. 31, 2006). Misbehavior is when someone conducts themselves in a way that is unacceptable. Ex. Janie has random outbursts in class and doesn’t respect her teachers. This shows that Janie is misbehaving by not respecting her teachers and by her outbursts. Canter also suggests that students don’t like or respect teachers who let them get away with misbehavior (p. 6, 2006). This would indicate that the disrespect that some students show their teachers is a direct result of the teacher’s inability to convey their authority and order in the classroom with their students. In other words, the students may feel as though the teachers are “push-over’s”. In conclusion, discipline is a product of management which is directly related to the effectiveness by which management is executed, which determines the level of discipline needed to maintain it.

On the other wise, behavior is the product of discipline and is directly influenced towards acceptable or unacceptable conduct by the effectiveness of the management plan. If the management system is proficient then a good disciplinary plan will be in place and if so, then behavior will be appropriate and almost all misbehavior will be eliminated. References Charles, C. M. (2008). Building classroom discipline (10th ed. ). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Canter, L. (2006). Lee Canter’s classroom management for academic success. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.

They are everywhere, in the malls, the grocery store, airports and even public parks.  The nation is being over run by spoiled screaming children, who know if they scream loudly enough their parents will give in and give them their way just to keep them quiet.  The reason children are allowed to behave this way is because parents fear they will be charged with abuse if they speak harshly or dare pk a child.

Innocent parents are constantly being reported to the child protective workers for simply pking children with their hands or picking up a squirming hard to hold onto child and removing them from a store.  The witness assumes that because the child is making all manners of noise the parent is causing them harm.   Once protective services are called, the children can tell any type of horror story they want to make up and the workers will automatically believe them, because they could not imagine that children could lie.

The children have learned this and know that a parent will never discipline them in public places, therefore the child causes scenes in public places to control the parent.  There is and should be a limit to the amount of discipline a parent can inflict upon children and child abusers should be punished.  No parent who intentionally inflicts injuries such as cigarette burns or broken bones to a child should continue to be allowed to raise their children.

The problem is however, that the child abuse laws have become strict to the point that normal caring parents do not dare to set limits for children for fear of losing their children. Many people every year have their children removed from their homes at least temporarily due to mistaken reports and children telling stories to turn innocent disciplinary practices into reports of child abuse.  This fear has led parents to allow children to control them, children who grow believing they can get away with breaking laws as they did parental rules, and a society of people filled with disrespectful people.

In past generations, parents disciplined children when they misbehaved, thus teaching the children to follow the parent’s rules and to obey what they told them.  Unfortunately, during those generations parents sometimes went to the extremes with discipline to the point that the children were injured and actual abuse sometimes occurred.  Due to this abuse, laws were created to protect the children.

These laws were important and well intentioned.  However, because of the laws, parental disciplinary practices were forced to go from parents being allowed to do whatever they needed to in order to make their children behave to being reported for child abuse if they even speak harshly to their children.  There should be some middle ground.  Parents still need to be able to make their children mind within reason (pking with hand, scolding, and physically removing from places or situations). Children in current society know that their parents are afraid to pk or in most cases even scold them especially in public.

For this reason the children throw temper tantrums in the malls if the parents tell them they do not need the expensive toy they want.  The parents could continue to say no and the child would then continue to argue until the frustrated parent gives in and gets them the toy.  The same thing happens in the grocery store for the best snack and in the park when the child refuses to go home when the parent tells them it is time to go.  This allows the child to be in control of the parent rather than the parent in control of the child.

Because these children learn that they do not have to listen to or obey their parents, they grow up with the belief that they do not have to listen to anyone.  This leads them to take advantage of other people and make decisions based only upon the advantages that can be gained for themselves regardless of the effects these decisions may have on others.  This complete disregard of rules often includes such things as the law.  If they as teenagers or sometimes even adults see something in a store they want, they may be very inclined to take it.

They have never been taught that they have to earn things and they can not just take what they want, therefore they feel entitled to take anything they want any time they want it.  They are more likely to cause harm to people who attempt to keep them from achieving their goals or cheat others out of opportunities.  This has helped lead to the increased crime rate in the country.  Crimes such as shoplifting, assault and in some cases even murder come as a result of spoiled undisciplined children growing into spoiled undisciplined adults.

In the generations when children were still disciplined for not listening to parents, children were taught to respect their elders and other people as well as rules.  The children of the modern generation learn to respect no one and nothing, because they have no rules to follow.  They simply learn that no means they simply need to throw a bigger fit or do whatever else they need to do in order to get their way.

As adults, these people yell at others and call other people names any time they want to for no reason.  They push and shove their way to the front of lines even if it means stepping on all of the people in front of them.  By taking away the rights of parents to teach their children to be respectful of others, society is creating a whole group of people who do not care about anyone.

This is the society where people run over and trample each other in malls to get the last hot children’s toy in the store before Christmas.  Stampedes like those of frightened cattle herds leave people injured or even dead, when large groups of people all try to enter popular events or exit buildings in a hurry.  Once people would stop to assist others, but now if someone falls down, the others simply step over or on them and go on.

It is sad to discover that laws designed to protect children have effectively led to an entire society of people who do not care about anyone but themselves.  The laws were needed, but some people have said that violence leads to violence and therefore children should never be subjected to physical discipline.  While it is true that extreme and unnecessary punishment is abusive and may lead children to imitate violence later, there is a middle ground between the two extremes.

A swat from a parent’s hand on the seat of the pants does little more than embarrass the child in public.  This would lead the child to be less likely to throw screaming tantrums in public, which embarrass the well intentioned parents who did nothing more than choose to take their children out into public with them.  Children who are raised with some degree of discipline and well defined rules that are followed through with, grow up to be much more well-rounded, respectful and realistic adults.

If a child is allowed to raise a parent instead of providing the parents the right to raise the child, then the crime rate will continue to rise and people will become increasingly more disrespectful.  People have begun to look at hand outs and even luxuries as entitlements rather than things that should be strived for and earned.  These declines in society are caused by over zealous people, who as well intentioned as the may have been have taken away all leverage parents once had to teach their children that rules are made for a reason and the word “no” actually means no not “scream louder”.

Most people who become parents take the first look at the helpless new life and want to give the child the whole world.  They do not wish to inflict harm or create hardship for the child in any way.  They do however want that child to grow into a happy healthy, well adjusted adult.  In order to be a well-adjusted adult, the person needs to respect laws, rules and other people.  No one learns this automatically, it has to be taught, and the parents, who want the world for their children should have the right to teach this.

They need to be able to set limits and follow through with discipline.  Loving parents who care for their children should not have to live in fear that if they discipline their children in order to teach them to respect rules and people, they will lose their children forever.  There should be more specific guidelines as to what constitutes abuse and it there should be more evidence to substantiate it rather than just taking the child’s word that Daddy hit me for a child to be removed from a home.

In addition to this parents need to be informed as to what these guidelines are in order to insure they are operating within the limits of the laws. Although the days in which children should be seen and not heard are gone forever, the entire mall should not be subjected to hearing a child simply because the parent is afraid to discipline him.

Terminating is not anything to lose sleep over nor is it a rocket science if you have done your job. There are many reasons behind termination of an employee for example theft, gross insubordination, and severe economic difficulties. When an organization let’s some one go because of their poor performance, they tend to avoid the situation as long as they can. When finally they do talk to the individual after agonizing endlessly ultimately deliver the bad news. In the end even the organization’s management feels guilty and angry and so is the employee all angry and confused.

In my opinion, the organization handled the situation in a very unprofessional manner. As even the vice president did not even bother to comment on the case of Peter Oiler. The right procedure was to sit and discuss with the employee first, as he was an hard working individual who did his job thoroughly, but it was due to his misconduct after work for which he was terminated. And this led to job insecurity among the other employees of the organization, because now they would think that if they can terminate san employee so easily, it might be their turn next.

The organization did win in the court of law but they did lose in the court of public and employee opinion. But, then again the organization did stick to its decision of terminating the employee and they followed through it even though they had no support of the public or the employees. The organization should have had a proper disciplinary policy, clearly stating the off duty behaviour that can lead to termination, this would have definitely made their decision easier and also would have helped them in court.

The employee should always be given a second chance and if they still don’t improve or don’t change their behavior then the organization has the right to terminate an employee. But all employees of the organization should be provided with a copy of the disciplinary policy which includes the on duty and off duty behaviour and if they act against it the organization definitely has all the right to terminate the employee. Not only should appropriate steps be taken during the course of termination, but before and after as well.

Make sure the employee is being terminated for the right reasons. The reasons for terminating an employee must always be legally defensible one. For example if an employee’s job performance is sub-par or they have engaged in improper behavior, a termination decision would be legitimate. As long as the organization has documentation to support their decision, they are in the clear. Secondly, before discharging an employee make sure that the organization has fully documented their history of poor performance or conduct.

This will help in defending legal claims easier. An organization should always consider the alternatives to termination. In some cases of course termination is necessary, but if work quality issues, work relationships, or outside personal problems appear to be the source of an employee’s poor performance or misconduct considers alternatives such as reassignment or counseling. It is never easy to decide what to do in matters which involve off duty conduct. There is no right or wrong answer for that.

What HR can provide is fair policies that should be strictly followed. Although terminating an employee is an unpleasant task, not to mention tricky, following the few guidelines listed above will definitely help to simplify the process and defend the organization from any legal liability. Putting some extra effort and thought into the decision, as well as indoctrinating your managers with proper termination procedures, will go a long way in ensuring that the termination procedure goes efficiently.

Michel Foucault was considered as a postmodernist philosopher. He was known to expose the changing nature of human institutions. In the book Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison, Foucault revealed the evolution of social correction and discipline. Torture was part of this evolution and it disappeared due to the shift in the power. In the 18th century, torture was used as a punishment for criminals and the public display of violence was done in an effort to deter crime and show the power of monarchy. In the 19th century, power was shifted to the soul.

As a result, changes in correctional methods were made. In Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison, Michel Foucault used the issue of torture to illustrate the change in power and prove the arbitrary nature of disciplinary institutions. In the book, Foucault began his discussion on torture with the gruesome account of the execution of Damiens the regicide on March 1, 1757 (Foucault, 1977). The details given provide a horrifying picture: the criminal, who was clothed with only a shirt, had his flesh torn with the use of pincers.

After the flesh was removed, a combination of hot molten lead, oil, resin, sulfur and wax was poured on his body. Initially, it was planned that the body would be torn with the help of horses, which would be drawn apart. When this plan did not work, the executioner named Samson had to sever the joints. After the limbs were pulled away, the body was burnt to ashes (Foucault, 1977). According to Foucault, torture as punishment was a judicial ritual (Foucault, 1977). To fully understand the notion of torture, it is important to consider the historical context from which it was taken.

Foucault wrote that torture had been practiced since the ancient times and was a significant part of ancient legal procedures. In the 18th century, the monarchical form of government and feudalism was prevalent (Sarup, 1993). The king possessed absolute power, and he manifested this power on his subjects. At that point in history, the crime was perceived as similar to sacrilege. This perception was the reason why punishment became the ritual which was not created for the purpose of reform; it was made with the intention to uphold the sacredness of a law which had been broken by the criminal (Sarup, 1993).

Hence, torture was ineffective as punishment because reform was not its objective. Foucault pointed out that torture was not merely a judicial ritual; it was also political in nature (Foucault, 1977). Public execution, like the case of Damiens, involved the participation of sovereign. By committing a crime, the criminal had offended the sovereignty. As a response to the offense, the sovereign would inflict harm on the body of the criminal. Torture was the means in which the offense of the criminal against the sovereign can be undone (Foucault, 1977). Torture as a method of punishment focused on the body.

He explained that torture allowed the body of the criminal to reveal the truth of the crime (Foucault, 1977). In the brutal ceremony of torture, the body of the offender would create and recreate the truth of the offense. In the context of Damiens’ execution, his torture presented the truth of the parricide he committed. The authorities relied on the effect on the body to achieve the desired outcome. They believed that the viewing public would react accordingly to the execution; they thought that the violent display will decrease the number of crimes because the audience would be overcome with fear.

However, this was not the case. The public had a different reaction. The body of the criminal became the source of pity. Instead of feeling fear after witnessing the torture, they felt sympathy for the criminal. The broadsheets which documented the details of the crime and the punishment did not succeed in preventing crime; rather, it succeeded in arousing admiration from the public. The accounts depicted the object of torture as a hero as opposed to a criminal. In addition, torture became a source of conflict between the sovereign and the people.

Torture was supposed to be a manifestation of the power of the sovereign on the body; it was designed to make the people fear the sovereign. Instead, the public executions made the audience detest the sovereign’s power over them and their bodies. As a result, the public often intervened at the executions. Foucault wrote that the criminals had to be guarded from the audience and that the people often attempted to liberate the jailed convicts (Foucault, 1977). Eventually, torture as punishment was rendered obsolete because power was redirected to the soul.

In the book, Foucault juxtaposed the account of Damiens’ torture in the 18th century with the schedule of prisoners in a 19th century jail (Foucault, 1977). This juxtaposition presented the dramatic difference between punishments in those time periods. According to Foucault, the transformation occurred because the penalty shifted from body to soul. In the past, the punishment was directed towards the body. By the 19th century, torture disappeared because punishment was already directed to the soul. The executioner, who was once a relevant figure, was replaced with new figures of authority.

Professionals such as doctors and psychologists took over the correctional process. Foucault claimed that those who were responsible for the transformation of correctional methods had learned to consider the humanity of the criminals; they sought to respect and reform the human body rather than diminish it. Prison life was more humane than torture, but both methods of correction were still grounded on power. A new kind of power existed for the criminals, that which resulted in impersonal method of supervision which influenced the psychology of the inmates (Foucault, 1977).

Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison is a postmodernist text. Michel Foucault had undermined the stability of institutions by exposing its changing nature through his discussion on torture. Foucault illustrated the prevalence and obsolescence of torture as a form of punishment in history. He proved that the existence of torture was due to the manifestation of power on the body. When power was manifested on the soul, it ceased to exist. Indeed, Michel Foucault had shown the arbitrariness of institutions through his discussion on torture.

References

Foucault, M. (1977). Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. (A. Sheridan, Trans.). New York: Vintage Books (Original work published 1975).

Sarup, M. (1993). An Introductory Guide to Post-structuralism and Postmodernism (2nd ed.).

Corporal punishment is application of physical pain to children as a way of enforcing discipline through discouraging undesirable behavior. This kind of punishment includes beatings, burnings, pking, slapping and scalding. Due to its severity in punishment, use of corporal punishment to discipline children is controversial. In schools, teachers go for corporal punishment. They believe that “spare the rod spoil the child” Discipline on the other hand involves strategies to reduce undesirable behaviors’ among children.

Straus and Stewart (1999) found out that 94% of American parents pk their children between the ages 3 and 4 years and up to 5 years. The US Department of Health and Human Services (2001) showed that 13 in every 1000 children were abused. According to her, pking may lead to abuse. Research carried out found out that: corporal punishment leads to immediate compliance, increased aggression. Studies showed that using corporal punishment to reduce aggression increased the risk of aggressive behaviors’ by 50%.

Corporal punishment may also result to antisocial behavior. This affected boys mostly and children of ages ranging between10and12. Increased corporal punishment led to increased risk of criminal behavior in adulthood. Corporal punishment results to decreased mental health. This affects children between ages 5 and 8 who are more prone to severe corporal punishment. Physical punishment has negative effects which may affect child wellbeing or his/her health thus they are unacceptable and therefore should not be used.

Despite this, pking which is a form of corporal punishment has been used by most American families (about 90%). Corporal punishment may also result to adult abusive behaviors. Most results showed that pking increased undesirable behaviors and decreased desirable ones. As severity of corporal punishment raises so are the negative results. Many children who are pked within normal limits do not grow up with negative results . However, a number are physically disciplined beyond normal limits thereby are at increased risk of possessing negative outcomes