Initially it was almost all day long––continuous operation on Level B. She didn’t really interfere with the others’ learning too much but she certainly interfered with her own. In the beginning, we tried many things to get her feeling more cooperative. Sometimes it would work but many times it would not. Eventually, we just started making a mental note of all the times in a morning when she was not cooperative and would not comply with the reasonable and simple requests of the teacher. Then when it came to a break time––snack or lunch play time––we would quietly ask her to stay behind when all the other kids were dismissed. With a few reflective questions (in response to her questions about why she was still in the room by herself,) we would ask, “Why do you think you’re still here?”  When she would respond, “But I did do all my work,” or “I did hang up my coat and come to my desk,” we simply asked if she did these things in the same way as all the other kids or “Did you do all these things when you were asked to do them?” or “Did you do these things without a fuss?” Eventually she would agree that she hadn’t.

Then we would explain that the job of a teacher is to make sure that everyone can learn in the room. Part of learning well is doing the simple things that the teacher asks you to do when the teacher asks you to do it. Then we would explain that we really wanted her to learn well.  We would help her by practicing all the things in the morning in a way that was cooperative, so that she could learn to be cooperative. We explained that in any learning some people simply need more practice than others.

Then we would actually go through all the things we did that morning. If she had stood around in the cloakroom and refused to get her shoes changed, coat hung up, etc., we would ask her to dress herself again, as if she had just arrived at school, with backpack, jacket etc. Then we’d have her go outside and “line up” at the classroom door all by herself.  Then the teacher would open the door and welcome all the “boys and girls” to school. If it was my teaching day I’d tell her we were pretending that everyone in the class was there. Then I’d have her come in and I’d greet her just as I do all the students every morning. Then we’d head to the coatroom and practice being cooperative.

After she’d hung everything up, we’d go to the desk area and I would do a quick run through of every lesson that we’d had. I’d ask her (as if I was trying to remember myself,) “When we did the printing lesson today and I asked you to get out your chalk and make the letters, were you cooperative?” If she had been cooperative in that particular activity, I would say, “Oh, good, that’s one thing we don’t need to practice!” Then we’d move on to the next lesson. I’d say, ”When we did binder time, did you get your binder out at the same time as all the other kids?” Then she’d say “No,” and I’d say, “Oh, that’s something we’d better practice––Boys and girls, it’s binder time. Get out your binder and put your finger on number one.”  Then she’d get her binder out and we would count the days in school, count the calendar, do some more tallies, etc.

On we went––a quick recap of the entire morning!  I’d return to the front of the room and I’d say, “Okay boys and girls, now it’s time to come to the carpet for our work on the pocket chart.” By this time, she was starting to smile when I addressed her as if she was a whole group of kids! We actually have built quite a positive relationship in these times we spend together at lunch and recess because I’m bright and cheerful and she’s starting to see the humor in the situation of a teacher teaching one child as if there is a whole class present. She started to say things like, “I don’t know why I didn’t do this job this morning and then I could be outside now.” And I could agree and say that maybe tomorrow she could think of a better plan so that she could go outside and wouldn’t need anymore extra practice times. I’d say that I notice she’s getting smarter about this every single day!”

It’s been on and off like this for a few weeks now and every week it gets better. Mondays are the worst after a weekend away from school. She still comes in and stands around instead of doing her chores, but gradually she is starting to be more and more cooperative earlier in the day and for the following days. Our practice times are getting shorter and shorter and she’s getting happier and happier. When we first met her, she had a sour look on her face all the time and put most of her energy into thinking of negative behaviors. Now that she’s complying more and more, she’s more and more pleasant.

In our noon-hour practice sessions we often talk about this. We talk about how she’s becoming more grown up and becoming a better student because she’s focusing on doing what she’s asked to do in lesson time, instead of focusing on what will be something different than what everyone else is doing. As I said, these noonhour times with just the teacher and the student are actually helping us to build a solid working relationship, and so I’ve been very diligent in following through whenever she’s uncooperative. Once we even had to go over to the gym at recess and redo a bunch of fun relays. (Keep in mind she’s the only one running in the relays and I have a whistle and give all the directions just as I do for a whole class.) This persistence with discussions––that she will actually be happier when she learns to cooperate (comply) and that every day she’s getting smarter about doing her tasks right away––is really paying off!  For the most part she’s beginning to make choices that are leading her in a positive and copperative direction.  Through this experience I have truly learned what Dr. Marshall means when he explains that procedures can be used to handle discipline problems.

Do you introduce the DWS Hierarchy during the very first morning meeting or do you wait until a situation arises to talk about it?  BUT then I think you might embarrass the child whose behavior is inappropriate… Help!

RESPONSE:

One thing that I love about DWS is the whole concept of being proactive and positive. It’s important that you teach the Hierarchy in a stress-free atmosphere so that it will be positive. You wouldn’t want to use a real situation of discipline in which to actually introduce the levels––you’re right, that would likely embarrass a child.

However, that said, sometimes it is hard to fit in an introduction to the Hierarchy in the first few days of school in the primary grades. There are a lot of things to attend to––basics such as, “How to find the washroom.”

However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t use the Raise Responsibility System right from the get-go!

You can still employ all three principles by:

1. being positive,
2. giving choices to a child who is misbehaving, and;
3. asking questions to get them to think if what they’re doing is actually going to pay off for them or not.

You can also implement the last two phases of the RRSystem––even before you have actually taught the Hierarchy. Of course it’s not as effective as when the students know about the four levels in-depth, but it will get you through the first week or two of school until you find the time to introduce the levels of the Hierarchy in a more formal way.

Phase Two of the RRSystem––Checking for Understanding

In a discipline situation, instead of asking a student to identify a DWS level, you can ask them to identify whether the behavior is at “low level” or a “high level.” For example, you might ask: “Is pushing someone in the cloakroom a high level thing to do––or is it a low level thing to do?” The kids will instinctively know what you mean by high and low level.

Once they have acknowledged it is low level, that may be the end of it. Often, for a large majority of the children this type of discussion is all that’s needed. For others you might need to ask a few more questions, just to get them to think. For a few kids, you may need to asking increasingly more pointed questions (of course, in a non-threatening way.)

• “You said pushing in the cloakroom is a low level thing to do.  Can you explain to me what you are thinking about that?”
• “How do you think these other kids near you feel about being pushed around like that?”
• “Look at Mary’s face––how does she feel about being pushed?”
• “Is it very easy for you and I to get along if you are in the coatroom doing a low level thing?  What kind of a relationship does that make between us?  What is a teacher’s job if someone is pushing in the cloakroom? What do you suggest we should do, if you keep pushing kids in the cloakroom?

Phase Three of the RRSystem––Guided Choices

In the above example, you might come up with a procedure to help the child deal better with coatroom experiences in the future.

Or you could go through the process of eliciting choices (or giving choices if necessary.)  Remember that this phase is only for those who continue acting inappropriately, after they have acknowledged that it is a low level thing to do.

You can ask questions about what they think should happen if they should do this same kind of thing again. Maybe they might come up with something logical such as:  ”I shouldn’t be here when other people are––I should sit to the side until everyone else has cleared out.” etc.

A related posting:

How do you deal with discipline before you’ve taught the Hierarchy?

In previous years when we’ve had a new addition to our class, we’ve sometimes experienced the following problem:  If the new youngster starts to feel anxious and begins to cling to Mom when it’s time for her to leave, we’ve been surprised to see that there have always been one or two other kids in the class who start crying and clinging to their moms too!  I guess it’s a sympathetic reaction;  they must pick up on the new child’s anxiety and it makes them feel nervous or scared too.  Whatever the reason, it’s been a rather negative experience for all––just at a time when one would hope to create a positive atmosphere of  welcome.

She started the meeting by explaining that a new boy would be joining our class.  She asked the kids to imagine what it might feel like to be in his shoes.  Had they ever experienced something similar––a time when they were new to a group?

Then she brought out our DWS Hierarchy chart.  ”How might various people, operating at different levels of the Hierarchy, handle this out-of-the-ordinary situation?” she inquired.  She guided the discussion with questions and together they arrived at the following descriptors for behavior at each of the four levels:

Level A

• being mean to the new child,  perhaps teasing etc.

Level B

• not looking very pleasantly at the child
• ignoring the child altogether
• imitating clingy behaviour which upsets everyone in the class

Level C

• being polite to the child in class (when adults are present,) but essentially ignoring the child on the playground

Level D

• going out of your way to say hello
• telling the new person your name
• smiling at the new person
• inviting the newcomer to join in at lunch and recess
• offering help when the new child seems confused about routines etc.
• understanding that the new child may feel sad to be left in a new classroom––but not imitating that behavior
• offering friendship to the newcomer

At the end of the meeting she asked the children to keep this discussion in mind and to think about which level they wanted to operate on the following day when the new boy arrived.

The results of this meeting were great!  Not only did we avoid a problem we had encountered several times before, but we noticed that kids were shyly taking the initiative to say hello and introduce themselves in the cloakroom––even before the new student had been officially introduced.  We’ve never seen that happen before!

This week I tried using Sherry’s idea in my grade one classroom.  Here’s one example:

Two boys sat down on the carpet near each other as we were getting ready to read a story. The boys weren’t right beside one another; there was a space between them.  I noticed out of the corner of my eye that a third boy was coming nearer, with a plan to sit in the space.  As the third boy got closer, the first two quickly moved together, obviously shunning the new boy.

After asking them to identify their level of operation in this instance and having them explain why they saw themselves at that level, I did as Sherry suggested and offered them a chance “to raise their behavior to a higher level.”  I said we could try the whole scene once again, but this time we would try it at Level C.

I asked the third boy to move away again and the first two boys to sit as they had been originally.  I asked them to think about what they could do this time that would put them at a higher level.  I gave them a moment to think and then asked if they were ready.  When they said, “Yes,” I directed the third boy to approach them again.

This time the two boys moved over a bit to ensure that the third boy had ample room to sit down.  Then one of them said, “Come on, Dylan, sit here with us.”

We talked for a minute, comparing how it feels inside to push someone away, with the feelings that result when we generously welcome someone.   I gave Dylan a chance to say how he had felt, in both the first and second scenario––once when he was shunned and once when he was welcomed.

Another thing we could have discussed would have been the difference between Levels C and D.  Level D actions would have looked the same, the two boys welcoming the third––but the motivation and initiative would have come from the two boys involved––rather than from me, the teacher.

Then I reminded them that the level of someone’s operation is a choice.  People can choose to act on any one of the four levels.  I left them with the idea that another time when they saw someone approaching them, they could consciously choose the level from which they wished to respond.

At the end of this experience we were all left with a positive feeling––the third boy was properly welcomed and the first two boys were given an opportunity to see how their impulsive actions had affected someone else. They were given a chance to reflect on which feels better––operation at Level B or Levels C/D?  Instead of leaving the two boys to feel badly about what they had done––and they did feel badly, because they’re usually two of the nicest boys in my class!––they were left with the uplifting feeling that they really did know how to operate on a higher level.  I think it gave them an opportunity to think about what kind of people they want to be in the future.

Dr. Marshall encourages adults “to view misbehavior as an opportunity to learn.”

Sherry’s use of role-play sends exactly the same message to students:

Acting in an unacceptable way is not something that adults will allow in the classroom, but at the same time we won’t hold what you’ve done against you.  Instead of getting angry, we will provide you with an opportunity to learn that it actually feels better inside to behave in an acceptable way than it does to misbehave.  We have faith in your ability to learn to make good choices.

For those who don’t know me, I have three teaching positions, all of which are shared with the same partner. Darlene and I share a grade 1 classroom, each working one end of the week, and on our other days we share two literacy positions, working with individual students at an alternate high school and a regular middle school. It’s hectic but we love it!  At our high school and middle school jobs, we work with a great range of students, some struggling with courses like English 10, but most with much lower skill levels. At both the middle and high school, a number of our students are currently reading (independently and accurately, that is) at a mid-grade 1 level.

Usually when we start with a new student, we initially have them work at conquering the alphabet. Recognizing/saying/writing the sounds of the letters is of course necessary for both accurate decoding and spelling. We always begin each 15 minute daily session with a quick “say/write the alphabet sounds” until the student is able to record all the sounds, automatically, as we dictate. Whenever we take on a new student, we also offer them a chance to learn to print each letter shape correctly at the same time. (DWS Principle of Choice!) Many are interested in improving their penmanship by doing that.

Early this week, one little grade 7 boy mentioned to Darlene that he was trying to remember to print every letter properly–not only when he was working with us, but all day long–whenever he had to write something in one of his classes. As a DWS teacher (always on the lookout for any flicker of internal motivation that can be fanned into a stronger flame!) Darlene explained how significant it was that he was CONSCIOUSLY CHOOSING to do this for himself. Naturally, she happily passed this information along to me so I could continue to build on it.

When I met with Mark on Thursday, I started our standard “say and write the sounds,” by telling him that Darlene had mentioned to me that he was starting to take charge of his own learning by choosing to improve his printing all day long. I said, “Wow! That’s the highest level of human behavior there is–to take charge of your own learning like that.” He nodded and on we went with all the various parts of his literacy lesson.

As it happened, we finished up everything I’d planned for that day a minute before his 15 minute time slot was up. Rather than fill in with some other impromptu literacy activity, I decided I had just enough time to explain in more detail what I had meant earlier in his session, when I referred to “the highest level of behavior.” I started to draw a quick DWS Hierarchy on our little white board, D, C, B, A and explained while writing, that human behavior could be described in four levels.

Beside A, I quickly scribbled, “Anarchy” and gave him the briefest of descriptions. Then as I was about to write another quick word next to B, he said, “that’s Bullying and Bothering.” Well–you could have picked me up off the floor, I was so stunned! This is the first time I’ve ever encountered a student (who didn’t attend my own elementary school,) who was already familiar with the DWS Hierarchy! Then I remembered that there was one teacher in this middle school who had told me a month or so ago that she had ordered Marv’s posters and was planning to teach her grade seven classes about the Hierarchy. Of course that explained it; Mark was one of her students.

So, on we went quickly to review the higher levels, with him, explaining to me, what each was about, and we also talked about how these levels connected to his decision to print carefully all the time. By then it really was time for him to go, so I stood up to usher him out to his next class but he remained seated. He asked, “Have you ever taught anyone at this level?” I sat back down and explained that yes, I had sometimes worked with those on Level A before. (In my mind, I thought of a student, who came to our high school with a knife a week ago, and two of our grade 1 students who (unbelievably!) bit two older students on their arms, one after the other, on the playground!)

Then I stood up again–by then we were really cutting into the next student’s time slot–but being a rather easy-going guy, Mark was in no hurry to leave! For the second time, I sat back down, to hear what he wanted to tell me.

He said, “I once knew two kids on Level B. Remember I told you about the teacher who taught me in a little group in grade 5 and then was my tutor in the summer? She was the teacher who taught me about vowels and consonants.”

(When I first met Mark a few weeks ago, I was impressed because he was the only student I had encountered at the high school level who had a pretty accurate understanding of what vowels and consonants are.)

He continued, “These two kids were on Level B with that teacher. They wouldn’t do any work at all and they said they didn’t want to learn anything, and they said mean things to her. But…I just sat back and thought to myself: I don’t want to be like that. I won’t be like them. I’ll try to learn something here–and I did.”

And as he stood up to go, now a few minutes late, I asked, “And what level were you on then?”

“D,” he said, as he went out the door.

To me, this is a bit of “scientific” evidence that even a brief introduction to the Hierarchy can have an impact on a child. Mark’s teacher has only been talking about the levels for a month at the very most–I’ll have to check in with her–and already she’s had an impact on this child. He’s aware that he’s making decisions to be internally motivated and he’s making use of the Hierarchy to make sense of things he’s experienced in his life.

It was exciting for me to witness how one DWS teacher’s efforts are paying off for this child! It was what some people refer to as a “Marshall Moment!”

Here is my latest success:
Last Friday, three third graders left their homeroom in route to my class (science) and on the way, chose to yell and scream and play an impromptu game of tag. (At my school, we don’t walk the kids from class to class, and all the classroom doors lead outside, so they were coming across the playground.) Upon hearing the commotion, their homeroom teacher flew out of her room and wound up in front of mine, fuming at the gall of these kids.

Since she got there first, I let her handle it. She said, nearly yelling, “Which one of you children decided to act like a preschooler and run and yell while you were coming over here?!?  I’ll stand here and wait until whoever it was comes forward!” And of course, no one moved a muscle because they could see how angry she was.

She went on and on about acting like wild animals, what the other teachers would think if they saw them, etc. It was clearly ineffective because after 3 minutes of this, still no one confessed.  There was a lot of staring and mean looks coming from her, and silence by all of us!  I knew the right way to approach this situation, but being that she has been teaching 30 years longer than me, I let her go.  She finally left it that the kids should all think about this incident over the weekend, and they would start Monday morning by writing apology letters to the other teachers who they may have disturbed.

Once the kids were in my room, I took a different approach.  I asked what level running and screaming was on. They clearly knew it was Level A. Then I reiterated that a Level A choice was never acceptable.  But I put this spin on it: I said that even though some of them had made a Level A choice already, now they had an opportunity to change it to a C level choice by cooperating and taking responsibility.  I explained that no one could make them do this, but if they chose to, this situation could turn into an acceptable one, with their decision to cooperate.

We talked about responsibility and how once a poor choice is made, we shouldn’t have to wallow in it forever; we can make a choice to fix it and move on. Because the levels are so concrete and understandable, the kids weren’t dwelling on the Level A behavior any more, they were working on turning it into a C.  Shortly thereafter, three kids came up to me and said they wanted to make a good choice and take responsibility.

The conversation followed from there:  “How do we walk between classes? Why wouldn’t we want to yell and run?” etc. I didn’t feel extra punishment was necessary because I wasn’t sure they ever understood these things in the first place; it was like a light-bulb moment when we talked about someone getting hurt without a teacher around to help them. Finally, I elicited consequences if this behavior should happen again and we moved on!

I should mention that I’m new to DWS and just finished reading the book in September.  If someone with only a month of experience can have these kinds of interactions, it must be good!  Read the book! Implement now, perfect later! It has made me feel so much happier throughout the day. No more “me-against-them” feelings. Good luck!

DR. MARSHALL’S RESPONSE:
Let him know that it is his choice to act on Level A, however, when he chooses that level, he is telling you to boss him. Explain that a person on Level A needs to be bossed because he is not mature enough to follow directions. A person on Level A is a victim and not in control.

Then say, “I have seen how capable you are, but if you want me to boss you, that is your decision. I will do what you are asking.”

Then leave him to reflect, i.e., immediately move away.

Keep feeding him this same dialog until he changes his mind.

Notice that you have employed all three principles of this discipline system:

1. You have been positive with him by your assertion of his capability.

2. You have given him a choice, and;

3. You have prompted him to reflect.

RESPONSE:
It would depend on how the situation comes about. Dr. Marshall points out that imposed consequences are typically viewed as punishments by students and so lead to poor relationships and resistance. As such, imposed consequences are not very effective for helping students become responsible for their own actions. Instead, Dr. Marshall suggests that proactively ELICITING consequences from students is a much more effective approach when consequences seem necessary.

Here’s what you might do:

At the beginning of the lesson, explain your expectations. Explain that the assignment should be completed by recess (assuming that this is a reasonable expectation for all.) Tell the class that you know that it will require concentration and effort but that you believe they are capable of this high level type of behavior.

Explain that you feel that by being diligent and focused, everyone should have sufficient time to complete the task. Take the time to ELICIT from the students how they might handle distractions.

For example, you might ask, “What would a person who wanted to get their assignment done on time, do during class?” The students might respond with a variety of suggestions:

• Keep your eyes on your own work.
• First do one question and without too much waiting, go on to the next.
• Ignore others who might be choosing to fritter their time away.
• Choose NOT to become involved in jokes with others.
• Remain focused on the goal: Completing work by recess.

Then ASK:
“What should happen if some people choose to do other things with their class time and don’t have their tasks completed by recess?

Someone in the class will be sure to say, “They should stay in to finish at recess,” to which the teacher can respond with, “I can live with that.” You might even go one step further and ask the students if they can agree that this suggestion sounds fair.

By doing these things you have been positive and proactive.

You have:

• set high but reasonable expectations,

• discussed how to be successful,

• elicited a consequence FROM the students as to what should happen if someone doesn’t choose to complete their assignment during the class time that has been provided.

When recess rolls around, most students will have lived up to your expectations and will be ready for play. For those that haven’t made good choices, a consequence is already in place; a consequence that has been determined by the class, ahead of time. Because you acted proactively, you’re now in a relatively stress-free situation.

Even though the consequence has already been outlined, take the time to again ELICIT it from the students who have not completed their work, just to ensure that they don’t feel as if you are imposing it.

In other words, ASK:

“What was it that the class said should happen if someone didn’t choose to get their assignment completed before recess?”

My experience has always been that students willingly (and often sheepishly,) cooperate at this point. In other words they are willing to take responsibility for their poor choices, rather than blaming the situation on their “mean” teacher.

An added thought:

If at the end of the lesson time, you find that your original expectation was not reasonable and that some students who have been working diligently throughout the lesson were not able to complete their assignments, it makes perfect sense that you wouldn’t expect them to complete the task at recess. In that case, you might quietly speak with them and give them the choice to either catch up at recess or go out and take a break, finishing the task at some other agreed upon time, perhaps for homework. It’s important to be flexible when you can see your initial expectations were not reasonable for certain students.

QUESTION:

I have a 3rd grade student who is demonstrating increasingly 
disruptive behaviors. I have all kinds 
of support with him – my principal, school counselor, 
behavioral specialist – we’re all involved, every day. This boy can work elsewhere when he can’t manage in the classroom. My question is this: How do I 
teach the other students that it’s better for them to 
ignore this student’s behavior than to be an audience or worse yet, play along? I need some “choice 
words” to really explain it and underscore the importance of this.

They did a great job today and I complimented 
them on doing so after the student had been removed from the room. A couple of them asked me individually why that student wasn’t with us and I told them that when behaviors 
interrupt everyone’s learning time, it can’t be permitted to go on and that the student was with the principal. Any advice/good words to use?

RESPONSE:

For situations like this, I find a discussion centered around the understandings 
of Marvin Marshall’s Discipline Without Stress HIERARCHY to be invaluable. Even 
though you may not be familiar with Marshall’s approach, I think I could explain 
the basics of it enough for you to be able to use it in your current situation. You wanted some “choice” words to use. One of 
the principles that forms the basis of this approach is helping kids understand 
that all personal behavior is a choice.

In a nutshell, Marshall’s approach fosters SELF-discipline. This is exactly what I 
imagine you are hoping your students will develop with respect to managing 
their own behavior when faced with a classmate who is 
displaying very little self-discipline.

Marshall’s Hierarchy has four levels of personal/social development: 
Levels A, B, C, D.

Levels A (Anarchy) and B (Bossing/Bullying) describe unacceptable behavior in 
any situation.

Just as an example, 
currently your disruptive student is often choosing to operate (either consciously or non-consciously,) at these lower levels of A 
and B. In other words, he is not in control of himself and relies 
on an adult to take control of his behavior most of the time. Just as you 
explained to students in your class, whenever a person can’t manage their 
own behavior in an acceptable manner, then the adult has to take over and 
manage their behavior for them. In your case, the adults in the school have sometimes 
found it necessary to remove this child from the room in order to preserve the 
learning environment for all the other students. It’s only fair that the other 
students have the opportunity to learn in an orderly, safe classroom.

Here’s an important point from Marshall’s program for students to 
understand:

All behavior is a personal CHOICE. If any of them were to follow along and 
misbehave–by copying a disruptive student or even by just giving encouragement as an appreciative audience–they too would be CHOOSING to 
operate at a lower level than acceptable.

In discussing the situation, you would also talk about the other two levels, C 
(Cooperation) and D (Democracy), which describe HIGHER levels of 
personal and social development. Level C is acceptable. But then there is Level 
D, which describes something even higher than acceptable. You might think of 
it as exceptional, although Marshall doesn’t use that exact description in his program.

DwStress teachers use the Hierarchy to help students understand self-discipline. The key to the approach is to explain ALL the levels to students but focus 
especially on some important understandings related to the highest two levels, 
C and D.

The difference between Level C and D (that is, between acceptable and 
exceptional behavior), can be explained in terms of motivation:

At Level C, a student is motivated EXTERNALLY to behave themselves by 
cooperating, and by willingly conforming to the expectations of the adult—AS 
LONG AS THE ADULT IS PRESENT. In your situation, this would describe 
students who can manage themselves appropriately in the classroom (even 
though one child is being incredibly disruptive in front of them,) whenever they 
notice the teacher is nearby or directly looking their way.

This level is higher than Level B because (at least when the teacher is present 
and is watching,) the child operating at Level C is self-disciplined enough to do 
the right thing. Their motivation is external however. They are motivated to do the right 
thing, perhaps to please their teacher or because they realize that to do 
anything disruptive would only lead to getting into trouble themselves.

Level C is the expected level of behaviour in the classroom in Marshall’s system 
of discipline. It is the level of obedience. In all other discipline systems 
that I’ve seen, this level is considered the highest level of behavior, but not so 
in Marshall’s approach. Having a higher-than-acceptable level is what makes 
Discipline Without Stress unique.

**********************************************************************************************************

Level D is the level of taking responsibility for yourself. It is the level of SELF-
discipline. It is the level of doing the right thing simply because it is the right 
thing to do. In other words, students operating at Level D think for themselves. 
They consciously make CHOICES for themselves with the understanding that all 
behavior is a personal choice.

You might think of Level D as the level of following your own conscience. When 
operating from this highest level, a student does the right thing regardless of 
whether or not an adult is present. In your situation, this describes a student who 
notices that a fellow student has chosen to behave in inappropriate ways and yet 
is not influenced to follow along–whether the teacher is watching or not.

They decide for themselves that following along or giving encouragement to the 
disruptive student would only mean that their own behaviour was no better off 
than that of the disruptive student–they would no longer be in control of 
themselves – in fact, they would be ALLOWING THE DISRUPTIVE STUDENT TO BE IN CONTROL OF THEM.

When you complimented your class on being able to manage themselves when 
one student was losing control, you were actually acknowledging that they were 
either on Level C or D of Marshall’s Hierarchy. The interesting thing is that Level 
C and D behaviour usually looks identical to anyone watching. The only 
difference between these two levels is in WHY the person is MOTIVATED to act 
correctly.

Some of your students would have been on Level C—they were motivated to act 
appropriately because your presence motivated them 
(externally) to behave themselves. This is acceptable but it’s not the highest 
level of behaviour.

Some would likely have been operating on the higher level, Level D. They simply 
knew inside themselves that to follow or encourage the disruptive student would 
be inappropriate. In other words they were INTERNALLY motivated.They 
wouldn’t have followed along with or acted inappropriately–even if they 
were all alone in the room with him.

Here’s the conversation I have had with 
previous classes in similar situations.

Just as you did, when it came up, I would be quite candid in discussing that ____ is sometimes working elsewhere in the school. Just as you did, I would 
explain that his behavior is out of control at the moment and that he is 
showing little self-discipline. I would ask someone in the class to identify the 
Hierarchy level of this type of disruptive behavior. Any child in the class would 
be able to correctly identify it as either Level A or B. Then I would ask them to 
tell me what happens when someone chooses to operate at an unacceptable 
level–to the point where it interferes with other people’s learning. Someone 
would say that when a student continually operates at Level B, a teacher has to 
take over. A teacher has to be the boss and tell the person what to do.

I would agree and say that yes, that is what the current situation is. ____ 
has such little self-discipline at the moment, that the adults have decided that 
he needs to work somewhere else in the school so that others can still learn and 
he can be helped to learn some self-discipline. Hopefully, with some help, ____ 
will soon learn to control himself enough to be able to rejoin the class in an 
acceptable manner. Then he too, will be able to move forward in his schooling.

Then I would initiate a discussion about the behavior of EVERYONE ELSE in this 
situation. I would talk about how we all have a personal choice in how we 
respond to ____ and his lack of self-discipline. I would ask them to imagine 
some scenarios.

For example, I would say:

What if someone chose to follow along and copy ____? What level would that 
be? (B)

What if someone chose to encourage ____ by laughing or making other 
comments (B)

Would a person who chose to encourage ____, or be influenced into following ____, be self-disciplinedthemselves?

I would talk about how some people in this situation might follow or encourage 
____, thinking that it was ____’S FAULT that they were misbehaving. I would 
make sure that everyone understood that ____’s behaviour can only influence 
our own, if we allow that and if we have no self-discipline ourselves.

Then I would move to discussing higher level behavior, Level C and D. I would 
first get them to describe behavior at each of these levels. They would explain that at Level C, a student watching ____ and 
his antics, wouldn’t follow or encourage ____ because they see the teacher in 
the room and know that it wouldn’t be a good idea to act like ____ because then 
they’d be in trouble too.

I’d say, yes, that’s true. Level C is acceptable behaviour. They would be able to 
manage their own response to ____ because they’d be smart enough not to do 
something inappropriate themselves WITH A TEACHER WATCHING. We’d talk 
about how they were doing the right thing, but that they were relying on the 
presence of the teacher to influence them in how they chose to behave. The 
result would be that classroom atmosphere would remain fairly calm and we’d 
be helping ____ too because he would see what self-discipline looks like in the 
rest of us.

Then I’d remind them that both Level C and D are acceptable and I would ask 
them this:

If Level C is acceptable, how is Level D higher?

Then some child would be able to explain in their own words that Level D is 
higher because the person at Level D wouldn’t be influenced by ____’s antics–
EVEN IF THE TEACHER WASN’T WATCHING or even if the teacher wasn’t in the 
room at all. Regardless of whether the teacher was in the room or not, they 
wouldn’t follow or encourage misbehavior, simply because they know that that’s the 
right thing to do. They wouldn’t want to encourage ____ to act up because they 
would know that wasn’t helping ____. They wouldn’t follow ____because 
they wouldn’t want to sink to Level B behavior themselves.

Then we’d talk about the benefits of being self-disciplined and being internally 
motivated to do the right thing simply because it’s the right thing to do in the 
situation. We’d talk about HOW GOOD IT FEELS to be in control of yourself. 
We’d talk about how people who are self-disciplined can respect themselves. 
When people often operate at a high level, they understand that to sink down to 
a lower level and follow someone else’s misbehavior means that they would be part of the 
problem. What self-respecting person wants to think of themselves as a 
problem! It FEELS GOOD to respect yourself and think highly of your own 
behavior. Operating at Level D allows you to take great pride in yourself.

As I said, I have had this exact same discussion with my own class in previous 
years and I have many similar discussions EVERY DAY about the benefits of 
operating at a high level; about exactly what it looks like to operate on a high 
level in ordinary everyday situations.

Although this might sound as if it would be above the heads of primary 
students, it isn’t at all. I teach Kindergarten and grade one. I simply 
use vocabulary that young children will understand to get the points across.

Although this way of thinking about behavior and self-discipline is very new to 
most teachers, I sense from your question that you are already thinking along these 
same lines. I hope my own experiences with fostering self-discipline through 
Marvin Marshall’s Discipline Without Stress will be of value to you!

To make a long explanation short, the children begin this exciting trip by visiting a dig site on the beach where they excavate a variety of “dinosaur fossils.” These finds are then taken to the “Lab” (Darlene’s back yard!) to examine, identify, and use in a variety of activity stations. Ahead of time, we prepare for the day by strategically planting “fossils” in the sand. After showing ID tags that identify them as real paleontologists, the children enter the dig area, find their numbered site and carefully begin the process of excavating dinosaur fossils!

In preparation for this special day, we ask the children to come prepared by bringing some specialized equipment from home! Each one is asked to bring a spoon for digging and a small brush for removing sand. At school we provide them with a waist bag in which to keep their equipment and later, their fossils.

In any given year, there are always some children who are devastated on the morning of The Dig because they have forgotten to bring their “equipment.” And then, there are always those others who bring in enough for a whole class!

Well, this year, Greg, an enthusiastic student from a very supportive family, brought in a sample of every type of fossil-digging tool known to mankind! Not only did he have extra spoons and brushes to suit every possible type of fossil he might discover, he also had a little shovel and several blunt-ended, homemade wooden chisels! I didn’t know it at the time, but as we left the classroom and headed to the cars, he kindly lent Daniel–who had no special tools at all–a couple of his precious silver spray-painted chisels.

At the end of The Dig, just as we were lining up to make our way to the Dinosaur Lab, Daniel came to me. With great concern on his face, he explained that he no longer had Greg’s chisels–he had lost them! He knew it wasn’t right to leave the beach knowing he had lost Greg’s tools. He wanted to stay and search for them.

Now, Daniel is one of the more difficult children in our class. He has some severe emotional issues caused by Bipolar Disorder. Over the past six months of school, he has lost many friendships and desk partners because of his increasingly sullen, depressed attitude and sometimes, angry and annoying behavior.

I knew that it was very important to find the tools he had lost, not because Greg would be upset about not getting them back (Greg would be momentarily, but being a secure little boy, he would get over a little loss such as this quickly and easily,) but rather because Daniel desperately needed the experience of having a happy ending to a situation in which he had acted with great personal integrity.

So, despite the fact that all the other kids were lined up in the heat and would have to wait a bit, I offered to go back and help him look for the tools he had lost. Luckily, the dig sites were well-delineated and the children had spent most of the time in their own areas. After a minute or two of sifting through sand, I finally found first one, and then the other chisel. (Thank goodness!)

While digging through the sand, I had the opportunity to chat with Daniel and use some reflective questions to help him think positively about this seemingly negative situation. I began by asking him to identify the level of behavior of someone who had borrowed something special from a friend, lost it, but then would not leave the area until he had made every possible attempt to find it.

He identified that this was Level D. Without expecting (or receiving) a response out loud, I asked him to think about that.  How did he feel inside when he displayed such a high level of behavior? I gave him a word to describe the character trait he had shown–integrity. I asked him to think about the type of relationship he was creating with Greg by showing such a high level of integrity.

The next day, I took some time to talk to Daniel again. This time I brought out our DwStress Hierarchy. We talked about the different types of relationships that people create with others by operating on the various levels. We began with the lowest levels and talked about how people operating down at A and B don’t create very positive relationships. I asked how people operating at a low level would respond if they had lost a borrowed tool at the beach. He said that they would just walk away and not bother to look for it at all.

I had to help him with Level C, but in the end we came up with this: A person operating from external motivation might wait until either a teacher or another child made them look for the lost item. The relationship that they created would be only “so-so.” The person from whom they had borrowed the tool would be happy to have it back but would also remember that the person they had loaned it to wasn’t all that concerned about having lost it–at least not concerned enough to take the initiative to start looking for it without being asked.

Then we went on to Level D. Of course, from our conversation the previous day on the beach, Daniel knew that he had been operating on the highest level that day. We talked about what Greg would be thinking about as he watched Daniel, obviously concerned about having lost the chisels–so concerned that he would not leave the beach until they had been found.

We talked about how Daniel, through his actions, had built a sense of trust with his friend. I asked, “Would Greg be willing to lend you something else on another day? Why?” Of course, Greg would remember the beach experience and would feel that he could trust Daniel to return any item that he borrowed.

I explained to Daniel that by his high level of behavior on the beach, he had developed a sense of trust, not only with Greg but also with his two teachers, other kids in the class and even parents who had noticed the whole situation. Many people at the beach had witnessed his integrity that day. They had seen that he was a person who could be trusted because he had owned up to losing something, and then tried to find it. I said that I, for one, would be happy to lend him anything he needed, simply because I knew I could trust him to return it.

We also talked about that despite having had the desire to find Greg’s chisel that day, it might have turned out that the chisel couldn’t be found–things can easily get lost in so much sand. Even if that had occurred though, it wouldn’t have changed the fact that Daniel had acted on the highest level. Greg would have still known that Daniel was an honest person, full of integrity, because he had taken responsibility for having lost the tools and had the sincere intention of looking until he found them. In that case, his honest intentions would have been more important than the chisels in the long run.

With so much writing here, it might seem as if this was a huge deal, but of course, it wasn’t. It was just one small incident; barely noticeable to others but potentially powerful to one small child. These type of small character-building experiences are why I absolutely love teaching with the DwStress Hierarchy!