School/class Discipline How Does Your Elementary School Handle?

Unacceptable. That would be similar to punishing a worker for the misdeeds of another worker. And really, what is it teaching? Often the children who act up are still learning to monitor their own behaviors. They need consequences, not the resentment of their peers.

Wow - that would really bother me. My girls' class is split into group too, but the groups are based on skill level and not used for anything other than teaching. I'd be pretty ticked off if my kids were missing recess or getting into trouble because there was a kid in their group who couldn't control him/herself.

It sounds odd but I am starting to get the feeling that no form of discipline is acceptable anymore.

I am sure the idea behind it is not team building but using peer pressure. If you are at a table and one of them is a trouble maker the other kids tend to stand up to that kid so they don't lose their privileges with them.

Thing is I am sure their response is going to be if your daughter wants to go to recess she needs to step up and keep the kid in line. If she can't do it herself the other kids in the group must back her up. So yes, there is something they can do, they can stop the trouble maker.

I would wonder though, for fairness, do they change up the groups so that every child gets the pleasure of being in the trouble maker's group? That may be a way to get some changes yet work within their structure. You contact the school and say I don't think this particular group is effective in controlling little Damion. Could we switch it up so that perhaps some of the natural leaders are in the group?

Win win for you, your child gets out of the group and hopefully they get someone in the group that can get the kid to tow the line.

This was a common form of discipline when I was in school, effective as well. No kid wants to be hated and when kids lose privileges because of your behavior, nothing you do is cool anymore.

While I understsand the concept. We succeed as a team, we fail as a team, we skip recess as a team. It isn't really fair if one team has the class troublemaker and one doesn't.

I also don't think that withholding recess is the correct form of punishment. Kids need recess. They need to go outside during the nice days for when they cant during the snow days. I would ask the teacher to find a different consequence.

I never liked this type of consequence because although the THEORY is that the kids will help keep the troublemaker in line, it rarely works. Kids are pretty powerless against other troublemakers. Also, the teachers never give the kids the skills for helping their classmates to change.

I think there is a time for individual consequence and a time for class consequence. I would think if quite a few kids were causing trouble in class, that might make for a class consequence.

I also dislike having the kids miss recess. They need that time to blow off steam. I'm sure it helps them to be better behaved in the end.

I like the red, yellow, green system for elementary school. It's individualized and it works!

When our public elementary started this, parents complained loudly and it stopped.

My youngest son's school does the green, yellow, red system that Yarrmatey mentioned, and it seems to work well. Most of the children are well-behaved, and the one's who aren't receive consequences for their actions.

I liked Jo's response, too, but the kids would have to be switched around often, or it would be awful to be stuck with a trouble-maker in your group.

Ditto what Jo said. You could use this as an opportunity to talk to your daughter about speaking up if she feels like something wrong is going on. And you could practice helping her know what to say and how to say it "Joe, stop throwing macaroni at us, or else none of us are going to get recess."
Also I do think it's a good idea to move the kids around. What if "Joe" doesn't care at all if he gets recess and enjoys the power of keeping other kids out of it? The teacher will quickly put two and two together if Joe's group is ALWAYS the one missing out on the fun.
Also something you can teach your daughter out of this is that it's important to do what you're supposed to be doing not because of a promised reward, but because it is simply the right thing to do.
ETA my son's teacher gives them each a daily "stamp" of a coin to let us know about behavior. A quarter=great job, dime=needs improvement, 10 minutes off of recess, nickel=15 minutes off of recess and a note home, penny=no recess, trip to the principal, note home. The jury is still out on this method, but that's what she does.

The policy should be thrown out. Like you said, your daughter or any other child has no control over anyone else. Sometimes it's all these kids can do to control their own impulses, let alone try to control someone else's.

And I would suggest to the school the flipside - if the teacher is not able to control the students' behavior, then HE/SHE should lose HIS/HER lunch hour. So every time the teacher has to send a kid to the office, it should be a black mark against the teacher.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander!

I think that policy is horrible! I would be speaking to the teacher and principal about this and give the examples of what occurred as well. Best wishes!

Many schools do things like that and use those methods... to teach the kids how to be a "team."
Or to prevent kids from acting up, because then they affect the other kids.

Now, per lunch and misbehavior and missing recess if a kid(s) act up on a table, yes, my kids' school does that too.
There are RULES. And CONSEQUENCES.
Kids need to learn that.

Now, what SOME Teachers do is: for their class, they have a list of their students on a clip board. This clip board, goes to the Cafeteria, which a responsible child, brings with them for their class and lunch tables. IF or when, there is a kid or several kids... causing trouble during lunch, the Adults who supervise the cafeteria, will check off their name. That way, the Teacher KNOWS, specifically which child, or which children, are making the majority of the trouble, for the lunch table, during lunch. THEN the Teacher.... will further reprimand the child. SO that, the rest of the table, is not punished. Because, the good kids who do not make trouble... DO COMPLAIN... to the Teacher and other adults supervising. And they all do know... WHICH kids, are always... causing trouble for the others. Know that.
Some kids, everyday, habitually cause trouble for their class and table.
I know... I see this everyday.
I work at my kids' school. Elementary.

Kids NEED to learn... that THEIR behavior... affects other kids. They do not act in isolation. It affects other kids. And this is not, nice.
When kids act up... know that... they are generally, acting up TO other kids. It is not alone. They are not just irking themselves... it usually always involves... the offending child, bothering other kids or another child.
That is generally the dynamic.
And, even if a behaved child tells the offending child "stop it... I don't like that...." the offending child does not listen... and they continue to bother the other kids.
I know, I see it. Firsthand.

The idea that a whole group gets punished even if one person acts up... it a commonly used method. Per kids, and even with adults.
It is, about teaching GROUP behavior. That a person in a group... AFFECTS others, and to be AWARE of their actions. FOR the well being of the group.

To a point I can understand it. Like if the teacher says if everyone in the class does a great job this afternoon tomorrow you will get extra recess time. Then the children can remind each other to behave. Sally can remind and help Bill pick up the play-doh. However, if there is clearly one trouble maker then I think that child needs to be dealt with one on one and the entire group should not be punished over and over again because of the actions of one child.

I agree with you. I think your child's school is going about it wrong and you should definitely discuss it with your child's teacher. If the children can't convince the trouble maker to behave eventually whomever is in the "bad" group will just decide to stop trying and perhaps misbehave themselves.

My daughter's school uses a green, yellow, red system. You are on green if you are doing what you are supposed to do. You get a warning and moved to yellow if you are misbehaving. If you continue to misbehave then you go on red and you have a consequence. The consequences can be losing time at recess, having a time out, a call the the parents, a trip to the principal, etc. depending on what the infraction is.

I have never heard of this for kids and I would be very upset too if my child was missing recess bc of another kid or kids. I get the peer pressure, team building thing but not at the expense of my child's recess! So teachers/adults can't control a child but other little kids are supposed to? Seems like passing the buck to me. Exercise is so important and with the cutbacks in PE, I think this is actually unhealthy. Maybe another form of group punishment but not cutting out exercise.

Sounds kind of harsh. My kids' school does rewards for good behavior as a glass. They earn little stars and once they get so many they get a popcorn party. They get a star if the whole class behaves. The teachers say that it helps to do that kind of thing because other kids will make sure that everyone behaves. They also have a "take a break" chair, which is not punishment but a way to cool down and remove the child from a situation. The teacher can send them there or the children themselves can go there on their own when they need to take a break.

I believe these kind of "punishments" work better. Maybe see how other parents feel about this and maybe you can all do something to change this.

I'd be upset about this, too.

It doesn't sound as though this method will be of any help if you are trying to teach your children to take responsibility (and accept the consequences) for their own actions.

And while this may be using "good" peer pressure now, what happens when they are older, and run into situations where they need to resist peer pressure? You want them to be able to think about right and wrong, and the possible consequences - and that takes practice from early on.

I hope you can convince the teacher/principal that they need to use a better method of discipline.

I am a parent to a daughter now in 3rd grade who has always been stuck in the class with the naughty students. I don't how else to put that. She missed many recesses due to the way one or two students behaved. She also had missed out on school activities such as assemblies. I do not agree with this type of discipline at such a young age. For instance, in kindergarten how was she supposed to essentially force another child to listen to and follow the rules?

I understand students watching out for one another and setting good examples for each other. However I do not understand how young students can be forced to take on the responsibility of monitoring one another's behavior and if negative be forced to accept the consequences. It makes much more sense to me to have the student(s) who did wrong get the consequence. ........but what do I know I'm not a teacher in our local public schools just a parent.