Discipline Answers

QUESTION: First day of school yesterday. I have about 31 4th/5th graders. Morning started off great, went downhill from there. I’m going to introduce the RRS essay tomorrow. DR. MARSHALL’S RESPONSE: If on the second day of school, essays are used, it means that many of the steps of the Teaching Model have been missed entirely. Some considerations: 1. [...]

QUESTION: If 95% of the kids are attentively listening, but two boys are making faces to each other and laughing, clearly not paying attention, how do you refocus them without calling them out in front of the class?  I get that it’s more effective to ask them about their behavior, but I wonder if I can I [...]

QUESTION (Part One): I’ve heard you say “The person who asks the questions controls the conversation.” However, I have a child in my first grade class this year who refuses to answer any of my reflective questions. DR. MARSHALL’S RESPONSE: Try: If you are not happy and would like me to help you, let me [...]

QUESTION: I’m having trouble picturing how the DWS process can be done with an entire class at once.  I can see how the conversation works with one child but how would you deal with a whole class that is misbehaving?  Do you ask each child to tell you what level they’re on? RESPONSE (from a [...]

QUESTION: Occasionally I feel the need to give one of my Kindergarten students a reflection sheet but at this age they can’t write.  Then what? DR. MARSHALL’S RESPONSE: Establish a reflection table for misbehaving students with the comment, “It seems to me that you need some reflection time to bring your behavior to a higher [...]

QUESTION: I want to recognize my Level C and D students more but it seems that the B ones are getting all the attention; I keep having to asking them reflective questions!  For example, if they are all squirmy and loud in the hall I have been asking them, “Do you think your behavior is [...]

QUESTION: I understand what a Level B student is but sometimes I hear teachers asking, “Do you want me to become a Level B teacher?” Can you explain what this is all about? RESPONSE: One important understanding students receive when the teacher introduces the DWS Hierarchy in the beginning of the year is that people [...]

QUESTION: I find that sometimes my high school students resent me asking them their level. At first I was giving them lots of essays and self-diagnostic referrals from the back of the book, but I understand that you don’t really recommend that either. Can you help me better understand how I should deal with difficult [...]

QUESTION: We use DWS at our school–a high-poverty, high-needs school, with many angry, disruptive, disrespectful students. As the social worker, I really like the philosophy that DWS espouses, but I do notice one problem. Students often see the “essay” as a punishment. It can become a power-struggle with some teachers. Do you have any suggestions [...]

QUESTION: I once had a grade 8 student who said, “It doesn’t matter what level I say I’m on, you’re always going to find a way to tell me that I’m on an unacceptable level.” I’m wondering what a teacher might say in response to something like that? A response from Tammy Shared on the [...]