Discipline is a set of measures chosen by the school system to correct a student’s actions that are deemed inappropriate. When a student’s behaviour interferes with an ongoing educational activity or violates a regulation established by the school, teachers or school groups may take disciplinary action against them. To teach children how to behave better for good, discipline is imposed to restrict and regulate the children’s behaviour.
The importance of discipline in school:
Discipline is believed to benefit both the individual and the learning environment in the classroom. Using disciplinary measures can provide an opportunity for the group to reflect, learn about consequences, teach values, and promote appropriate classroom behaviour.
Understanding and tolerance for various disciplinary methods can increase when communities’ diversity of values is acknowledged.
A discipline crisis at school following COVID-19:
According to the Dream a Dream Foundation, 18% of teachers reported aggressive outbursts in their classrooms twice a week before COVID-19, but 76% reported aggressive outbursts in their classrooms every day after COVID-19.
Post Covid, students have become more aggressive and disrespectful; they don’t listen to teachers or sometimes shout at teachers; they even create nicknames and use foul language, which is disturbing for teachers.
Students’ engagement in classwork, group projects, and regular classroom activities has also decreased significantly. A few of them also mentioned issues including verbal abuse, physical fighting, and bullying.
Teachers are having a tough time dealing with post pandemic disciplinary issues, and educators acknowledge that disruptive student behaviour is perhaps caused by a variety of personal, academic, and psychological issues that were made worse by the pandemic.
Let’s discuss the best ways to solve discipline issues:
1. Become familiar with your students:
Students that feel comfortable with teachers are more responsible and understanding. Respect for one another will promote peace in the classroom. Students will open up and share their issues if teachers provide that space for them.
Schools and teachers should create safe spaces for students’ wellness and focus on creating a holistic support system for schools by integrating with communities and families. Teachers can become familiar with students by developing an interest in the student’s interests or by sharing their life experiences with students.
2. Setting Rules and Expectations
Setting clear rules at the beginning will help teachers clarify their expectations from the class. Teachers should also take recommendations from students so that they feel valued in setting classroom culture and will follow the rules.
It can be done by involving students in deciding rules and a code of behaviour, such as by having them design a poster or build a tool to track behaviour and a reward system. The classroom code of behaviour should be displayed.
Make sure there is an appreciation for appropriate behaviour as well as consequences for inappropriate behaviour.
3. Deal with problems at their root:
It is important to deal with issues before they become too big to handle. Teachers should identify issues before a situation arises, like if a student is shouting in the class, not concentrating in the classroom, or taking more breaks between classes.
Every issue that occurs in the classroom can be addressed. Although it may seem challenging at first, children will find new ways to cause trouble to get attention if they don’t feel listened to and included.
Teachers can deal with problems by increasing the number of breaks, playing games in between, or doing interesting and engaging activities. Concerns about discipline might grow over time, from a slight slip-up to a significant headache.
Also Read: 5 Mental Health Tips For School Leaders
4. Students need socio-emotional support:
Adopt practices like mindfulness, relaxing activities, and keeping gratitude journals. Implement socio-emotional programs for wellness in schools. For youngsters to express their emotions and share their own experiences, create safe spaces.
Discuss ideas like hope and resilience using enjoyable and stimulating games. Use creative tools and storytelling techniques to make kids happy. Encourage them to develop self-awareness and emotional control.
5. Make engaging lessons
The more involved students are in activities, the less trouble they create. Make sure to involve students in class and passionately deliver knowledge. By integrating games, quizzes, animations, visual aids, and other activities, teachers may make classes exciting and engaging.
Instead of only giving lectures, making the students participate is preferable. As a result, it would be sensible to encourage writing among children. When student involvement is higher, they spend less time being disruptive in interactive classes.
6. Student-centric interventions:
Interventions must prioritise the well-being of teachers while simultaneously being student-centered. Both students and teachers must be taught life skills, particularly emotional control, anger management, and stress management.
Every school is required to hire qualified counsellors who play a significant part in managing children’s stress and anxiety. Children who have experienced extreme trauma can gain from prompt intervention.
All of the above suggestions assist in handling disciplinary concerns at school. Rarely can a school be efficiently run without maintaining sufficient discipline.
As a result, discipline needs to come first. A consistent strategy and excellent planning will help you spend less time observing behaviour and in establishing a culture of good behaviour that will benefit your students throughout their whole academic career.