Chanelle LaCross
Task # 1

Keansburg High School
140 Port Monmouth Rd.
Keansburg, Nj 07734

Chanelle LaCross
Human Relations and Conflict Resolution
Task # 1 - Exploring Classroom Management and Student Behavior Policies

I. Introduction

Keansburg High School has a very organized and detailed policy on student conduct.  Their main goal is to provide and maintain a proper learning environment while protecting all members of the school community. According to what I have read, central detention (CD) is the first step on the discipline ladder. At this point, things are worked out between the school and the student. If the problem is persistent the parents are notified by telephone and/or mail. The next step is suspension. For less serious offenses, there is in-school-suspension (ISS) which is now called AEP (Alternate Educational Placement). This is a self-contained classroom in which students are restricted from interacting with other students for the period of their assignment. Next is out-of-school suspension (OSS). If a student is suspended for a period of 10 consecutive days, charges will be pressed against them and they will go to court. At the time of their trial, it will be determined if the student is allowed to return to school and under what conditions. It is made clear in the student handbook that any student on suspension (or with outstanding CD's) is not allowed to participate in any extra-curricular activities. The student handbook was very clear about what was acceptable and unacceptable behavior. It covers many issues ranging from drug and alcohol possession to how to walk in the lunch line. Then, the consequences are made clear. There is even a handy little chart which illustrates examples of discipline infractions and their progressive punitive outcomes. In addition to all this, there is also useful information as far as where and how to get help for yourself. They have a listing of the drug/guidance counselors, Child Study Team and the administration along with their school extensions. I also noticed a youth helpline number and web address at the end of the book.

http://www.keansburg.k12.nj.us/khs/

I. Meet the Interviewees

Mr. Normile is the principal of KHS and he is also an alumni. He attended Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina where he graduated with a BA Degree in Special Education. He earned his Masters Degree in Urban Education and Administration from New Jersey City University. Mr. Normile began his career in education as a special education teacher in Lacey Township High School in Lanoka Harbor. He accepted the position of Vice Principal at Keyport Central School. In 1999, Mr. Normile returned to Keansburg as the Principal of the Joseph R. Bolger Middle School. In 2002, he moved to the High School.

Mrs. Gaffey attended Kean University, where she received her BA in Humanities. She recently obtained her Masters Degree in Administration Supervision and Curriculum Planning. Mrs. Gaffey has six and a half years of teaching experience. This includes 2yrs of teaching in Texas (at both the elementary and high school levels), a 1/2 year in Middletown (elementary) and she is currently in her fourth year of teaching Special Education at KHS.

Mr. Reash went to Edinboro University where he earned his BA in Mathematics. At the College of New Jersey (TCNJ) he obtained a BA in Geology. Mr. Reash also attended Columbia University as a graduate student where he received his Masters in Math Education. He has been teaching mathematics at KHS for 15 years.

Ms. LaCross graduated with the KHS Class of 2002. She now attends Fairleigh Dickinson University where she is working towards earning her BS in Mathematics and Master's degree in Education.

II. Questions for Administrator & Teachers

1. What is the school's philosophy regarding student behavior and discipline?

Mr. Normile: Student behavior and discipline go hand-in-hand with education. If you're not disciplined in your classroom, you will deteriorate your own learning as well as the students'.

Mrs. Gaffey: Yes. We do have a school-wide classroom management plan. All discipline infractions are dealt with first on the classroom level, then throughout the school and finally, they are referred to the assistant principle (who is in charge of discipline).  

Mr. Reash: We want the students to be responsible for themselves and act appropriately so they can become functional adults.

Ms. LaCross: Each one of their answers reflected on the school's mission statement goal; "to educate and socialize our students to create a learned, thinking and socially responsible individual who will make a positive contribution to society".

 

2. Do you feel that your school has clear general procedures for teachers to follow?

Mr. Normile: Absolutely. You try to resolve things at the lowest possible level first. If the conflict is between student and student (verbal), try to handle it that way. If the student is disturbing a class, it is ultimately the teacher's responsibility to try getting that student under control in the classroom, redirect them and get them on back on task. If all that fails, interventions go on involving parents, talking to guidance counselors. The last resort becomes removing students from class and suspensions.

Mrs. Gaffey: Yes. They were all outlined and then we were in-serviced on it. Each classroom has it printed and hanging in their classroom, so that it is uniform throughout the school.

 Mr. Reash: At times, yes. They allow you to do your own discipline which is a good thing.

Ms. LaCross: It seems that all of the interviewees are clear of the 'steps' towards conflict resolution. Everything is first attempted to be resolved at the lowest level. I feel that Mr. Reash's answer is less confident because he feels that not all referrals are treated the way they should be.

 

3. What are the most significant rules and regulations in your school regarding student behavior?

Mr. Normile: To be on time is number one. Next comes being respectful to others, not damaging property that does not belong to you and controlling foul language and aggressive behaviors. Those are the major issues that we deal with.

Mrs. Gaffey: We are not to tolerate anything that will prohibit us from teaching or that disturbs the engagements of others in learning.

Mr. Reash: There is a big issue with fighting and general disrespect this year and there are many things that we are currently adjusting as a faculty and administration at the time. It is very much in the workings.

Ms. LaCross: Mrs. Gaffey and Mr. Normile seem to be on the same page. Mr. Reash however seems to know what the problems are, but not so much the formal methods used to reduce them.

 

4. What are the primary disciplinary strategies for inappropriate student behavior in your school/classroom?

Mr. Normile: It usually starts with detention and phone calls home, at the classroom level. Repeated disruptions will go to ISS and OSS, but of course things are always attempted to be resolved at the lowest level.

Mrs. Gaffey: First is a warning, second is a teacher detention, and third is a phone call home. After that (or a student does not show up for detention or the a parent can not be reached) we write a referral to the vise principal regarding this behavior.

Mr. Reash: I make the kids responsible for their own behavior. They must adhere to the rules and regulations or deal with consequences. In general, people know how to behave. They know the difference between what is right and what is wrong. I do have a policy which I hand out at the beginning of the year which makes everything clear. When the lines are crossed, we talk about the problem and deal with it from there.

Ms. LaCross: Mr. Normile and Mrs. Gaffey are giving the 'official' answers (the discipline ladder) while Mr. Reash is explaining the strategies he uses within his own classroom (before the problem escalates).

 

5. What are the expectations/responsibilities for teachers related to classroom management and student discipline?

Mr. Normile: Teachers need to clearly outline what their expectations of student behavior are. It simply is not fair going into the game and not knowing the rules. One teacher's rules may differ from another's and the student has to know what those differences are from start. There should also be checkpoints along the way, to let students know when they're drifting off task. Rewarding good behavior is also important. Some people assume that kids are just going to go in the classroom and behave, but some kids aren't able to do that, for whatever reasons.

Mrs. Gaffey: We first try to manage and control the discipline ourselves. As a last resort, you would then contact the administration.

Mr. Reash: Teachers must run the classroom. They must set up a frame work so they students can perform in the classroom. If they fail to do that, then the students will do
whatever they want.

Ms. LaCross: All the answers here are similar. It is clear that they all understand that it is the teacher's responsibility to create structure and discipline within their own classrooms.

6. Are self-management and appropriate behavior formally taught and reinforced to students on a regular basis?

Mr. Normile: I believe that many of us try to do it. Unfortunately, it is not as widespread as I would like it to be. When I sit here and ask you Chanelle, who is the only person in this building that can control you? That is a form of self-management, getting them to realize that they are in control of what they are doing, that is the key.

Mrs. Gaffey: Due to the large number of students we have in the building and the lack of space, there is some difficulty with the reinforcement.  We do have class assemblies to reiterate the policies and procedures. At the time however, I do not feel it is being enforced as strictly or consistently as it needs to be.

Mr. Reash: Yes, and in my classroom I try to do that. Ultimately it comes to self-management to determine whether the student is going to be successful or not.

Ms. LaCross: It seems that self-management may be one of those things that Mr. Reach referred to earlier as being 'in the workings'. It is common sense that people have to be accountable for their own action and the teachers make their individual efforts, but I don't believe it is formally taught.

7. Is character education or social emotional learning addressed? How?

Mr. Normile: Yes, it is addressed in both the freshman and senior curriculum in Health. It is also reinforced in the peer mediation and in the Heroes & Cool Kids programs (Top-notch highs school kids go to the middle school with a professional athlete and act as mentors to the younger children).

Mrs. Gaffey: Character education is taught in health classes however, there is not certain curriculum that we follow for it. In my own classes, I do incorporate it. I feel that you do need to be stable in your values and morals. I address it through characters in novels, role-playing and journal writings.

Mr. Reash: It is not officially addressed however, in the classroom we do strive to instill character in the individual. Again, it is in the workings everyday.

Ms. LaCross: Again, it seems that character education and social emotional learning are mostly addressed only by the individuals who try to incorporate them into their curriculum. Besides these health classes and extra-curricular activities, it is not built into the school's curriculum as a whole.

8. What advice would you give a new teacher as to:

a) the skills, attitudes and strategies needed to establish a learning environment that minimizes disruption of the learning process;

Mr. Normile: Teachers need to over-plan. When you fail to over-plan, what inherently happens is, teachers will run out of things to teach for the day and they don't know where to go. When a student is not actively engaged in the learning, s/he will become engaged in their own devices, which will ultimately lead to trouble. You also need assert yourself in the classroom. Young teachers especially have to separate themselves from the pack and make it clear that they are the authority figure in that classroom.  Most importantly, you must know your material.

Mrs. Gaffey: Be firm, be consistent and be fair.

Mr. Reash: As a math teacher, you have got to know your stuff. If you don't, you will find yourself fumbling around. Also, don't be afraid to learn with your students. I learn something new everyday. Sometimes a student will work on a problem and solve it in a whole different way, which I never thought of.

Ms. LaCross: I think the over-planning thing relates to addressing the multiple intelligences of your students. It is important that you attempt to engage all students in the learning process. It is also important to treat your students with respect. If you do not give it, you will not get it.

 

b) student behavior and addressing inappropriate behavior in the classroom.

Mr. Normile: Make your expectations and rules clear from the first day of class. While enforcing rules, be sure to treat the students with respect. Pleases and thank yous go a long way. Attempt to get involved with parent(s), it is important to build a positive rapport with them. Try to call for positive things. Even if you have bad news, find a way to put a positive twist on it. Also try to your best to engage all of your students, use multiple instructional methods.

Mrs. Gaffey: Never embarrass a child in the classroom and discipline with respect. Again, you have to be fair with every student.

Mr. Reash: You have to be a strong individual to address those issues. They must be addressed as soon as possible. If there is a problem and it persists, the view will be that you are okay with it.

Ms. LaCross: Each person highlights important points. Mr. Normile says to build a positive relationship with parents. Mrs. Gaffey (who finds it to be hard to get help from parents) promotes fairness in discipline. Mr. Reash says it is best to make sure that all issues are addressed ASAP.

III. Questions for Teachers Only

1. What is your personal philosophy regarding:

 

a) student behavior/discipline?

Mrs. Gaffey: If you treat a student with respect, hopefully you will gain it back. I try to handle all of my discipline on my own with different strategies but, you need to know what the childrens' needs are. You are bound to have problems if their needs are not being
met.

Mr. Reash: We are all here to get better. I have to instill that in the students. If you can't solve an equation now, you can get to a point where you can.

Ms. LaCross: It seems that persistence and reciprocity are the main messages here. Behavior/discipline is always a work-in-progress.

 

b) emotional learning/character education?

Mrs. Gaffey: It is important. The students need to know how they feel and be able to express their emotions in constructive ways. Throughout my room, on the walls, there are at least a hundred faces of different feelings. This helps students to recognize and put a name (or a word) to what they are feeling.

Mr. Reash: Again, we are all developing. As long as we make strides to grow up and become decent people, then that is what we're here to do.

Ms. LaCross: You need to meet your students' needs, encourage them to do right and be patient and encouraging throughout the process.

 

2. What organizational strategies do you use to create an environment that minimizes disruptions?

Mrs. Gaffey: Time on task. Right off the bat, the students know exactly what they are supposed to be doing. The objectives are right up on the board. The activities are also changed every 15-20 minutes since we are on a block schedule. That way there is no room for down-time. You need to over-plan in order to establish an engaging learning environment.

Mr. Reash: It's hard to say. I like to work in groups a lot, which is actually kind of disruptive to some people. There are a lot of things going on at one time, but there is also a lot of learning going on. I find it to be organized chaos.  When students walk in the classroom, there are Do Nows on the board and activities that will be our goals for the day, so the students have an idea of what is going on right away.

Ms. LaCross: Both teachers seem to agree that it is best to create a routine and make the daily objectives clear from the beginning. It is easiest to meet the expectations when you are aware of what they are.

 

3. What are the most difficult problems you encounter related to behavior/discipline? How do you deal with them?

Mrs. Gaffey: Parents. In our district there is a great lack of parental involvement. We try to get parents involved. We send letters home, we try to call. If that is not successful, then we just try to make the environment in the school safe for the children.

Mr. Reash: Apathy. I would much rather a class that was vocal and little bit disruptive, than one that just doesn't care. We try to instill some goals. Show them that learning can be fun and useful, career development and where math can take you.

Ms. LaCross: I think that apathy (among parents and students) is going to be the biggest problem I face as a teacher in this district. I don't think that there will ever be a 'solution' but making school a safe haven and attempting to excite students about their learning both seem like good places to start.

 

4. How do you attempt to prevent disruptive behavior?

Mrs. Gaffey: Whenever I see a problem brewing, I attempt to divert their attention someplace else.

Mr. Reash: I try to get outside and greet the kids at the door. You can pick up a lot of body language as s/he walks into the class. If there is a problem, you can attempt to address it before the child gets through the door.

Ms. LaCross: I like Mr. Reash¢â¡Ás suggestion of trying to cut potential problems off at the door. That is something I had never thought of before. Of course if a problem slips by you, diverting attention becomes an important tool.

 

5. What do you do when a student does misbehave?

Mrs. Gaffey: I will pull him/her aside without embarrassing them or disturbing the other students. Then talk to the student about their behavior, see if they understood what they did wrong and set goals to go about changing that behavior.

Mr. Reash: I can give detention. We can single out and make the student(s) aware that their behavior is slipping. In some situations, you need to keep it on a one-to-one basis. In others, you can just make a general classroom statement, if there are a couple other kids off task.

Ms. LaCross: Both teachers made it clear that you should never embarrass a student in front of the class. You do not want to create resentment. It is better to pull them aside to address the issue(s) on a one-to-one basis.

 

6. Does your staff support and assist you with preventing or intervening in behavior/discipline problems? How?

Mrs. Gaffey: Yes and No. There is some staff that is very lax and tolerates more than should be allowed. On the flip side, there is staff that does not tolerate anything and they over-discipline. Although we are supposed to follow the same procedures, it is not always done. Different personalities interfere. It is helpful however, when you have a student who is misbehaving and his/her teachers are able to work together and follow the same guidelines for dealing with the student.

Mr. Reash: I believe we handle problems very well. If I am having problems with a student, I will speak to other teachers to see if they have been experiencing the same thing. We will work together to get to the root of the problem and help the child. Everyone is cooperative, teachers, guidance, child study and the administration. I have also found that if you go to the administration with a solution to the problem, before they even know it is a problem, you will get a lot more support.

Ms. LaCross: Both Mrs. Gaffey and Mr. Reash seem to find their staff supportive. From my own field experience, I have seen how well the teachers are able to work together to help a student.

 

7. What is the parents' role in developing student self-management/appropriate behavior?

Mrs. Gaffey: At the high school level, the students need to be fully responsible for their own actions and behaviors. They should know what is expected, what is tolerated and what is not. You would hope that their situation at home has parental involvement where they will back you up and try to enforce values and goals. Unfortunately, that is not always the case.

Mr. Reash: It is just about everything. It all comes from home. Discipline problems are simply carried from the home and then taken to school. If a kid doesn't respect their parents, it is very hard for them to respect any kind of authority figure.

Ms. LaCross: Although Mr. Reash believes that the parents' role is vital, that doesn't necessarily mean that he gets the support when he needs it. Mrs. Gaffey on the other hand has somewhat given up on working with parents and finds that there is better success when dealing with students themselves.

 

8. What is your interaction with them when problems do arise?
 

Mrs. Gaffey: Phone calls, letters home and even house visits. If there is a serious problem with a student, we will send out the truant officer.
 
Mr. Reash: Through phone calls, round-table conferences and conferences with school. We try to make a plan for the student. There are many programs available such as 5-0-4, the Child Study Team and Crisis intervention. There are many ways. I personally like making phone calls.

Ms. LaCross: Phone calls seem to be the standard link between the school and parents. I was very shocked to hear the Mrs. Gaffey has actually made house visits. She said that she usually doesn't get an answer, but still I think that shows her genuine concern and it is disappointing that
her efforts usually end up being fruitless.

 

IV. Conclusions

 As an alumna of Keansburg High School, I can honestly say that they have made great progress in the area of discipline over the last four years. I started going to KHS in 10th grade and it was a mess! Students had absolutely no respect for the staff. Desks were thrown out of windows, teachers and students were assaulted, the bathroom was more like a smoke lounge and illegal substances were often used on school property. In my senior year, we got a new principal (Mr. Normile) and it was like a new sheriff came to town. There were rules with actual consequences. As a student it was quite hard to adjust, but it was not impossible. If the school had not intervened in my life, I do not think I would be where I am today. I was an impulsive child and they essentially taught me how to think before I act. Every time I was sent to ISS, I would spend my whole day staring at the six pillars of character (trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship) that were posted on all the walls.  While in ISS, my teachers would often come in at some point and help me with the work they gave me. We would usually have a conversation about what I did and how I could avoid such situations in the future. Of all the people that helped me learn how to control my behavior, the most influential was Mrs. Mary Lough-Normile (the principal's wife). She is the director of the School-Based Health and Social Services program. I would basically go to her once a week. She and I would discuss anything that was on my mind. She was instrumental in reinforcing and making problem solving skills an intuitive reaction. Since I have graduated, I can only say that it seems the staff has become even tighter. There is a very caring vibe in this school. The veteran teachers say that when they see new teachers coming into the building, they know that one of two things is going to happen by the end of that first year. They will either go running for the hills or they will stay forever.  They say it takes a village to raise a child and I consider the people at KHS to be my tribe. The teachers here genuinely care about their students. This is ultimately the reason why I have decided that it is the place I would like to work.