Discipline

At the beginning of each year, our teachers establish fair, consistent, and appropriate expectations with their students and review school rules and regulations. Each child knows and understands our standards and is aware of the consequences for unacceptable behavior. We use an all-school behavior management program called, "Time to Teach."

We believe that the most successful method of discipline is to instill in each child a sense of right and wrong. Children learn by example. By showing through our actions that we care about and respect them, the child will in turn, show care and respect for others.

When disciplinary action becomes necessary every effort is made to insure that it is a positive learning experience that will ultimately be beneficial for the child.

Time to Teach

The staff at Riffenburgh has adopted a new behavioral management system. The staff members also adopted a list of behavioral guidelines that will be used in the hallways and lunchroom at our school. All teachers have agreed to make sure that their students adhere to the agreed-upon behaviors in these areas. Many teachers are using this program in their classrooms as well. Time to Teach is built on a strong philosophical foundation. Some of the important beliefs are as follows:

• "Kids don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."
• They need to know that you care for them regardless of their behaviors. This is known as unconditional positive regard.
• You can't assume that students know how to behave. You must teach desired behaviors just as you would teach any academic knowledge.
• We have taught students to expect repeated warnings and chances.
• Teaching energy is too valuable to be drained by a single misbehaving child.

Vocabulary

Teach-tos
Central to the Time to Teach program are lessons in which students are taught the specific behaviors expected in particular settings. These lessons are taught in the location where the behaviors will be used. Hallway behaviors are taught in the hallway and playground behaviors are taught on the playground.

Redirect
This is a signal used by the teacher to indicate to the child that their behavior is inappropriate. Rhonda is running her fingers along the window of the principal's office as she passes by. Her teacher, Mrs. White, says, "Rhonda, redirect."

Refocus
This is a procedure where the child is given an opportunity to contemplate her misbehavior. Continuing the scenario above, Rhonda disregards the redirect prompt and continues to run her fingers along the window. Mrs. White addresses Rhonda, "Rhonda, Refocus." This is a prompt for Rhonda to go to the classroom to pick up a refocus form. She takes the form to Mr. Green's room to fill out. Rhonda goes to the small table at the back of his room that is designated for this purpose. After filling out the form, and when it is convenient for Mr. Green, Rhonda brings her form to him to look over. Mr. Green glances at the form, and if it is satisfactorily completed, allows Rhonda to return to her homeroom class. Rhonda hands the form to Mrs. White. She looks over the form briefly before motioning Rhonda to her seat. Mr. Green is Mrs. White's paired teacher. In the same way that Mrs. Brown's students fill out their refocus forms in Mr. Green's room, Mr. Green's students fill out their refocus forms in Mrs. White's classroom.

Hallway/Line Behavior

• Keep your hands/feet to yourself
• Face and walk forward
• Stay to the right side
• Use soft voices (only the child ahead of you should be able to hear you)
• Walk only
• Maintain a space equal to the distance from your elbow to your fingertips between yourself and others
• No changing places in line
• Travel in a single-file line (three or more becomes a line)
• Older children yield the right-of-way to younger children

Lunchroom Behavior

• Walk only
• Hands and feet to self
• Soft voices (only the child across from you or next to you should be able to hear you)
• Use polite language, e.g.., please, thank you, excuse me
• Position your tray/lunch close to your body (elbow to fingertips distance)
• Food: Don't share it, don't throw it, don't play with it, don't take others'
• No seconds
• Raise your hand to be excused
• Obey quiet signal (raised hand)
• Clean up your mess (floor and table).
• Make only one trip to the trash
• Go directly to the tray window/trash can
• Put your waste in the correct receptacle
• Line up to be dismissed
• No food or drink leaves the lunchroom

Riffenburgh Elementary School
"Time to Teach" Adopted Behaviors