Discipline Answers

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 [...]

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 [...]

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?
RESPONSE FROM Tammy
Shared on the DISCIPLINE without STRESS Mailring:
I’d [...]

Just like people, book characters often operate on more than one level!
Very often, the author has at least one character learn something about the discouraging outcomes of operating at the lower levels. In many cases, the character is transformed in some way during the course of the story.
Whenever I read such a book to [...]

QUESTION:
What do you do if you have a problem with a child on the second day of school, before you’ve introduced the Hierarchy levels?
RESPONSE:
Don’t forget that Step One of the Teaching Model is Classroom Management. By proactively teaching specific procedures for everything you want your students to do, you will be able to deal with [...]

QUESTION:
Dr. Marshall says that we should teach students that in this system of discipline, operation on Levels A and B “automatically invites the use of authority” by the teacher. My students understand that continued operation on the lower levels will result in the use of authority. They see this as a good [...]

QUESTION:
I remember reading about using a teacher using some trash to introduce the DWS Hierarchy. Where can I find out about this activity? Is it somewhere online?
RESPONSE:
The activity to which you are referring is a description of just one way in which the Discipline without Stress Hierarchy can be introduced to [...]

TITLE: Miss Rumphius
AUTHOR: Barbara Cooney
This past spring, I had a very successful lesson with my grade ones and twos using the beautiful and well known picture book, Miss Rumphius. This book is PERFECT for helping students understand what Level D motivation is all about.
Although I had heard of this book before, I had never actually read [...]

TITLE:  Hooway for Wodney Wat
AUTHOR:  Helen Lester
This is a great read-aloud, especially if you like taking on different voices!!
Camilla Capybara is a perfect character for introducing the concept of Level B.  Once the kids have correctly identified Camilla’s level of operation, the illustrations really lend themselves to discussing the outcomes and natural consequences of operating [...]

QUESTION:
What if a child trips and accidentally hurts another student? Is this Level A behavior according to the RRSystem of discipline?
RESPONSE:
When teaching the Hierarchy, it is important to ensure that students understand that with regard to Level A, we are discussing deliberate actions that result in damage or injury, not accidents. [...]