Reflecting on his role in the school-to-prison pipeline, an educator offers advice for the classroom
Hulu is currently airing an adaptation of Stephen King’s 11.22.63. In the story, an ordinary man travels to the past to stop the assassination of JFK. As he was a teacher in the present, he uses that skill to get a job and blend into a bygone society. During his interview, the principal grills him on whether he can handle disciplining his class or if he will constantly send students to the office.
That particular scene made me reflect on the school-to-prison pipeline blog and my own role in the system. I previously worked as an educator in a high school on the Mexican border during the height of cartel violence, a juvenile-development center for teens convicted of serious crimes and a public middle school with the reputation as “the worst in the area both academically and behaviorally.” These environments were and continue to be vulnerable cogs in the pipeline. While serving at-risk youth, did I handle my own discipline effectively? How many students did I send to the office either immediately or via disciplinary paperwork? Would that principal in the 1960s hire me?
The honest answer is that my early days were plagued by control problems and crafting student write-ups with embarrassing vigor. Administration often got a kick out of the zest in which I described how and why students should be held accountable for their transgressions that I allowed to happen in my presence. Yet, I ignored the easiest truth of all: Teens make mistakes. All. The. Time. What was I doing to help them avoid making mistakes? In the beginning, I certainly was not doing very much.
Lesson plan
I was always a passionate person who relied on charisma and energy to run my classroom as an environment where learning was exciting. However, I did not become truly an educator until I internalized several valuable lessons that I could put into action every single day.
- You can structure lessons so that students do not have opportunities to violate rules. Honestly, that is just as easy as it sounds. It is way easier to have a firm backbone from the start rather than be a pushover who regrets every day. Set clear expectations, and give clear directions. Students can and should verbally describe those expectations and directions before they begin any independent assignment.
- Every lesson should be “gradually released.” In my classroom, every day had the same routine. I Do -> We Do -> You Do -> Voo Doo. Model for students, do examples together, have them demonstrate their individual mastery and then assess that mastery. Students who commit to a routine are far less likely to break into antisocial behavior. If there is not a moment of downtime for misbehavior, do not help them by giving them one.
- Do not put students in position to fail your expectations. If you learn that a particular group of students are rude to each other when it is time to read out loud, then don’t have them read out loud. There are a million alternatives, far more effective ways to engage a text anyway. If you know students get into fights if they move around the room, then there is no reason for that group to move. You can create engaging, standards-aligned lessons that don’t require movement.
- If a lesson goes poorly and leads to student misbehavior, you do not need to teach that lesson again. Ever. Not next period, not the next day, not next year—never again. Each time you teach, you should learn something about that lesson to tweak it and make it more effective, organized and efficient.
- There is not a parent in the world who likes the teacher who only calls to complain. Early in the year, call every parent and introduce yourself. Sell them on your excitement and investment in their children. If something awesome happens in class, call home. Parents love to hear great things about their kids. That is how you build a team. If you ever have a discipline issue, try consulting your partnership with the family before you consult the detention slip.
- Above all—learning should be fun. Help your students love and connect to the subject matter every which way that you can. Make it crystal clear that no matter what happens anywhere else, you respect your students. You want them to succeed. You want them to be the best possible version of themselves. Students who are respected feel encouraged and enjoy the acquisition of knowledge do not want to break the rules.
As educators, we play a role in the school-to-prison pipeline. Perhaps we are not the threshold by which students get pushed into it, but we can have a part in reducing the trend. By doing our best to work together with students, their parents and our school, we can stop criminalizing normal adolescent behavior. Yes, it will require some flexibility, patience and understanding, but in the end, isn’t that why we became educators?
We invite responses from anyone who would like to join the conversation. Please share your comments below or send blog responses to sophie.karpf@mstservices.com.
Ronn Jakubovic is Director of Education at the Fayetteville, N.C., Sylvan Learning Center.
