http://www.classroomdiscipline101.com/classroom-management/2009/05/12/the-equivocation-of-positive-part-2/ Classroom Management and Classroom Discipline Strategies from the Real World Mon, 19 Dec 2011 04:31:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.classroomdiscipline101.com/classroom-management/2009/05/12/the-equivocation-of-positive-part-2/comment-page-1/#comment-4108 Malik Sat, 26 Jun 2010 21:27:10 +0000 http://www.classroomdiscipline101.com/classroom-management/?p=171#comment-4108 Craig, I think that your methods are certainly positive. You have positive expectations for work and behavior. Case in point: Last year, I used "positive discipline" which had some of the elements of your method, without the consequences and with "fun activity" incentives. I had two good terms, but by third term I was yelling and insulting, and by term four I had gotten to expect chaos from two out of four groups. This year I used your method almost entirely, I did relax for the last two weeks. This is what I saw. My students were on task and well behaved. At all four of my classroom evaluations by the admin. the word "positive" was used as descriptors at least twice each time. I got perfect scores, for which I thank you. I did not have to raise my voice.( Well....Hardly ever) Every student was polite to me. No student disliked me. In fact many of them would greet me at homeroom with a hug or an "I love you Mrs. Malik". Just to set the record straight I teach at an inner city urban jumior high,ages 12 to 14, very diverse ethnically, with 80% free lunch students. It is not an easy group to teach. For these kids, the structured lessons, expectations for behavior and predictability of consequences was the most positive thing they could get. OK I'm going to to stop because I'm so icky, I'm making myself throw up. But I mean what I say. Now, if only high stakes state testing results could be more "positive".... instead of "Warning", they could say ..... "Learning"...... I'm just kidding. Thank you, for I now really enjoy my work. Happy Summer! Craig,
I think that your methods are certainly positive. You have positive expectations for work and behavior.
Case in point:
Last year, I used “positive discipline” which had some of the elements of your method, without the consequences and with “fun activity” incentives. I had two good terms, but by third term I was yelling and insulting, and by term four I had gotten to expect chaos from two out of four groups.
This year I used your method almost entirely, I did relax for the last two weeks. This is what I saw.
My students were on task and well behaved.
At all four of my classroom evaluations by the admin. the word “positive” was used as descriptors at least twice each time. I got perfect scores, for which I thank you.
I did not have to raise my voice.( Well….Hardly ever)
Every student was polite to me.
No student disliked me. In fact many of them would greet me at homeroom with a hug or an “I love you Mrs. Malik”.
Just to set the record straight I teach at an inner city urban jumior high,ages 12 to 14, very diverse ethnically, with 80% free lunch students. It is not an easy group to teach.
For these kids, the structured lessons, expectations for behavior and predictability of consequences was the most positive thing they could get.
OK I’m going to to stop because I’m so icky, I’m making myself throw up. But I mean what I say.
Now, if only high stakes state testing results could be more “positive”…. instead of “Warning”, they could say …..
“Learning”…… I’m just kidding.
Thank you, for I now really enjoy my work. Happy Summer!

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