Make Your Day

The post about behaviorism made me think about the school that I am currently interning at. The school uses a school-wide system of accountability and another school-wide system for discipline: STEP. In an attempt to teach kids to be responsible and accountable for their actions the kids are asked to assign themselves points at the end of each lesson. The point range is 1 -10, 10 being the best. So, for instance, if I was a child and I talked out during a math lesson, interrupting others learning, I would give myself a 9 for math time. If another child had a problem with my behavior they would voice it after I assigned my points when the teacher asked for "concerns," saying something like, "I have a concern with LoVe. LoVe you interrupted my learning by talking to Michael as well as talking out." The teacher would ask if I accepted this and I would sort of be guilted into saying yes and my points would then be changed to 8. If I don't make so many points in a day I get a note home to my parents letting them know about my behavior.

While I like the idea of a school-wide discipline, accountability program I am not sure whether the program really works to a) make children honest about and accountable for their behavior, b) get any real involvement or support from parents, or c) change the child's future behavior (or behavior over time). In the demographic area of this school (low economic status, high percentage of immigrant families as well as parents in jail, or having issues with drugs or abuse) it seems that many of the behaviors result from an initial lack of parental support or knowledge about parenting techniques on the part of parents. If this is so I am not certain that notes home will help change behavior problems from the home side of the equation.

At school when I have observed this process of points taking place what I have seen has not been all that encouraging either. What I have seen is students giving themselves much higher points than I feel they really deserve on a regular basis. While I understand the idea that the students are supposed to be owning up to their own behaviors I also think that students need modeling of what is appropriate in the beginning of the year. As the year goes on I can see the students becoming more independent with their points, but somewhere along the way the kid who gives himself a 10 everyday in every subject despite his talking out, bullying, or whatever else needs to be corrected, needs to know that the teacher is still the teacher and this blatant disregard of honesty will not be tolerated.

I have only seen this program for the first 2 months of the school year and am anxious to see how it plays out throughout the year, if it indeed progresses as I hope that it would. But I have my doubts. If the school has agreed to use the program by a staff majority then all staff need to use this to the best of their ability and not be lackadaisical about it. I am curious to know also how others who have seen this feel about its effectiveness.