dealing with inconsistencies

Home

Chat

Blogs

Collection

Directory

Home : 2002 : March : 19

dealing with inconsistencies
By Carolyn

It's hard to be perfectly consistent all of the time, and we need to explain this to students. For one thing, unless each situation and each student we try to handle is identical, we are not going to have perfect consistency.
Also, I believe I tend to handle kids who are repeat offenders more harshly than those who are offending for the first time. An example of this is the following: I had a student who had harassed another student each time he walked by her desk. In addition to saying insulting things to her, he also tried to tip over her desk on the way by. This boy was a repeat offender, one who

had been suspended in the past, so I referred him to the office. The girl's response to the harassment was to stab the boy on the hand with a safety pin. Now this girl was not one of those who had ever gotten into trouble, so I asked one of our assistants who was in the office to call home and have the child speak with her mother and the assistant about the situation. I did not refer her to the office with the formal paperwork. I think the bottom line is to have consistency in situations which are very similar; however, you do have to consider which students may need to be punished more often and more severely. Each case is different. No two situation are exactly the same. The children need to understand this.

If you are having trouble being consistent with similar situations, outline for yourself how you are going to handle each one. You may want to make up a list of behaviors which are going to be punished, and exactly how they will be handled, so that the kids will know, and so that you will remember what you need to do to be consistent. Post it on the wall, if you need to, that way you can refer to it when the kids stray from your class's goals for behavior. You want to avoid situations like taking away all of recess from one student while giving a break to another when the other has committed the same offense. This situation needs careful monitoring. I teach fifth grade, too, and the kids are VERY quick to remind you of how you handled Susan two months ago when she got into trouble for a similar offense. They are just so concerned with fairness and consistency at this age.

Keep in mind that no matter how fair you believe yourself to be, they will still argue with you. They want things their way; they're just so strong-willed at this age. If you believe that you have been consistent and fair with them, then I'd simply ignore their remarks about unfair. You are the responsible adult in the classroom, and they have to mind you. They might not like it, but that's the way it has to be. Children are not in charge of the classroom.