CONTROL

AND
DISCIPLINE
Francisco Paulo de Souza
francisco.souza@cnagoiania.com.br

Students have to be taught discipline. They are

not born with it. Little by little we have to teach
it to them. While teaching discipline does take
time and practice, it gets easier as students
learn to control their own behavior. And best of
all, teaching discipline does not have to hurt
either the teachers or the students.

WHAT IS DISCIPLINE?

WHAT IS DISCIPLINE?

Discipline is helping students develop

self-control. Discipline is setting limits
and correcting misbehavior. Discipline
also
is
encouraging
students,
guiding them, helping them feel good
about themselves, and teaching them
how to think for themselves

What can I do to help my students feel good

about themselves?
Let them know what they are doing right, as
well as about the mistakes they make.
Hearing good things makes us feel good and
makes us want to do more good things.
Say two nice but true things to students for
everytime you correct them.
Remember, when they are changing their
behavior, tell them how well they are doing, even
if they only improve just a little.

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO GUIDE THEM?

One thing is to set routines. Routines help
students feel safe, because they know what
teachers expect.
Young students have a hard time going from one
activity to another. Warning them a few minutes
ahead helps them get ready.
Remind them of your rules. Just saying no is not
enough. Students often need reminders.

HOW CAN I SET LIMITS?

Here are some tips for setting limits:

Start with only a few rules.
Be sure you know why you are saying no.
Give kids a voice.
Say what you mean.

WILL MY STUDENTS LIKE ME WHEN I SET

DOWN LIMITS? WILL THEY THINK IM A
MEANIE?
Setting limits does not make you a meanie
forever not if you are fair.
When you stick to your limits, your students
may not like what you are doing.
It makes sense that they might be unhappy.
Try not to get upset. It only makes things
worse.

WHAT DO I DO WHEN MY STUDENTS BREAK

THE RULES?

Stay calm.
Do what is fair. Sometimes, your students can help you
decide what is fair to do when a rule is broken.
Do something that makes sense and it will help them learn
not to make the same mistake again.

REMEMBER: Discipline is how teachers help

students to grow to be happy, safe, welladjusted members of society.

Stop using words that hurt. Start using

words that help.

HOW TO CONTROL YOUR CLASSROOM WITH DISCIPLINE

Keep your classroom organized and disciplined.
Any teacher can control his or her classroom by establishing
clear expectations for conduct, respect and productivity at any
point in the school term.
Discipline is not necessarily punishment and consequences.
Most often, discipline is a structured routine and a rapport of
respect on which students may thrive and learn.
Controlling your classroom with discipline requires
consistency and patience in order to achieve the best results.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Respect students and expect respect in

return. As the teacher, you set the example
of how you want to interact with students.
In your classroom, you must lead by
example and demonstrate appropriate,
respectful behavior.

2. Create a short list of rules and

expectations 10 or less. Do not overload
students with rules, but write them to
encourage
appropriate
behavior
and
classroom protocol.
3.
Display
your
classroom
rules
and
expectations in a prominent location and give
each student his own copy.
4. Stay organized. Plan for each class period.
Involve students in the lesson as soon as they
enter the classroom.

5. Engage students at all times. Down time

creates discipline issues. Keep students
active and engaged.
6. Establish consequences for bad behavior. If
a student breaks a rule have an immediate
consequence. For example, keep the student
after class to discuss the issue. Follow up this
consequence with a phone call home.
7. Discipline gently and immediately. Dont get
angry. Reprimand students respectfully and
constructively.

TIPS AND WARNINGS

Catch them being good! Praise students for good
behavior and hard work.
Brush up on your schools discipline rules.
The punishment should fit the crime. Do not overdiscipline.
Do not argue with students. If a student engages
you in a verbal debate send him to the supervisor
immediately.
Do not isolate bad students.

SPECIFIC BEHAVIOR TYPES

1. The tattletale
2. The aggressive student
3. The teaser and the teased
4. The student who lies
5. The attention seeker
6. The bully
7. The lacking in motivation student

THE TATTLETALE
The student who tattletales is usually seeking attention, this
student needs to know the difference between appropriate
telling on somebody and when it isnt appropriate to tell.
1. A one to one with the tattletale is a helpful method.
2. Students should understand the hurtful consequences of tattling
and whenever possible, they should apologize for inappropriate
tattling.
3. Students need to be part of the solution and or consequences.
Always ask them how they could have resolved the issue instead of
tattling.
4. Avoid lectures and quick irrational decisions.
5. Sometimes a tattletale always seems to tell on the same student.
In this case, encourage him/her to find something positive to say
about the other student.

THE AGGRESSIVE STUDENT

This student will often antagonize others, involves him/herself
in fighting or instigating fights or arguments. This type can
often be seen as a bully and tends to have just a few friends.
The aggressor will rarely have self-confidence and gains it
through aggressive behavior.
1. Never ignore inappropriate aggressions and do not get drawn
into a power struggle with the aggressor.
2. Be firm but gentle in your approach. Remember, the
aggressor can handle the tough side of you but he/she will
succumb to gentleness and its really what he wants the
right kind of attention.
3. Deal one to one with the aggressor and devise a plan for
him/her to take control of their own behavior.

THE TEASER
Usually the teaser has a lower self-esteem, or is
someone that has been picked on him/herself.
1. The teaser needs to be taught that he/she is hurting others.
This can be accomplished through some role playing.
2. The teaser needs to be taught about difference among
children, why a student may stutter or why a student looks
different, or why a student has a limp etc.
3. Its important to find out why the teaser teases and educate
him/her about the harmful consequences.
4. Students also need to be taught what to do in the event that
they witness teasing. Teasing need not be tolerated.
5. Teach the skills for dealing with the teaser (ignoring, finding a
better friend to play with, dont over react.)

THE STUDENT WHO LIES

This student is often caught up in distorting the truth. Do not
let lying become a habit.
1. Always model telling the truth, avoid little white lies.
2. Teach your student through role playing, the value of telling
the truth. This will take time and some patience.
3. Role play the potential devastating consequences of lying.
4. Do not accept excuses for lying, lying is not acceptable.
5. No matter what, students need to know that lying is never
acceptable and will not be tolerated.
6. Students often lie to keep their teachers happy, they need to
know that you value the truth much more than a small act of

THE ATTENTION SEEKER

This student constantly does things to get your attention and
it can become quite annoying. This student may not have a
sense of belonging. Try to understand the need, this child may
have a low self-esteem and may need some confidence
building.
1. Sit down with this student and explain to them that you have a
number of students to work with each class.
2. Provide them with a time that is just for them, even a two minute
period before or after class.
3. Promote intrinsic motivation. Ask the student what they like about
what they did.
4. Always commend the student on his/her improvement.
5. During the students special time, take time to boost their
confidence.
6. Provide the student with responsibilities and leadership role from
time to time.

THE BULLY
The bully is usually somebody who has also been
bullied. There may be an issue at home (physical/mental
abuse or neglect, or very poor role modeling).
Remember, the bully doesnt usually suffer from selfesteem.
1. You need to sit with the bully in a one to one situation to find out
where the behavior stems from. Ensure you have eye contact,
engage the bully in conversation and find out what the problems
are. (Family problems, lack of social skills, psychiatrick disorder).
2. The bully thinks its ok to be abusive, you will need to teach
otherwise.
3. You need a No Tolerance policy and the bully has to be a part of
the implementation of the policy.
4. If you can build home/family connections, this too will assist in
the consistency of approaches used and consequences
implemented.
5. Bullies need to be taught to be accountable for their actions.

THE LACKING IN MOTIVATION STUDENT

Many students with disabilities lack motivation. The lacking of
motivation often stems from a low self-esteem or confidence
level. One needs to remember that these students are often
fragile mentally and require a great deal of confidence boosting.
1. Be sure to praise and recognize ALL efforts and attempts at
improving. Give lots of verbal and non-verbal reinforcements.
2. Give immediate feedback for task completion, solid efforts
and demonstrated improvement at every opportunity.
3. Encourage independence at every opportunity and provide
positive feedback when the student is working well
independently.
4. ALWAYS focus on the students abilities NOT disabilities.
5. Provide opportunities for the child to take risks in new
learning situations.

It is essential to remind a student that it is

the behavior that is disliked, but the
student is still loved.
Never forget that ALL students need to
know you care about them and that they
can contribute in a positive way. Students
often
dont
know what
appropriate
behavior is they need to be taught!
Be consistent, patient and understand that
change will take time.