Support + Discipline = Instructional Time

In the classroom, time is that elixir that makes instruction possible and of which there is never enough. Anything that takes time away from classroom instruction must be seen as anathema; mortal sin of the instructional kind. So why are disruptive students being allowed to time-jack instructional time from us? Answer: No real support to teachers from administrators resulting in no real consequences for students when they interrupt instruction.

I’m sure it’s just me, but every time I hear excuses for why teachers should not exercise their right (Ca. Ed. Code 48910-11; UTLA/LAUSD Article XXIV, Sect. 2.0) to suspend disruptive students here at JHS I can’t help but translate it as: ’These are poor minority kids from the barrio/ghetto and we should not expect of them the same level of self-control as the white or Asian kids from high performing schools.’

Right, we shouldn’t, we should expect more self control from them! Those white and Asian kids from high performing schools can afford being lax on self-control. The chances are they’ll still graduate from high school, go to a university and go on to care for their families with a middle class income. This luxury is not available to our students. We owe it to their hard working parents, and especially to those students at Jordan ready and eager to learn, to have high expectations concerning self discipline and real consequences when not exercised.

What is the end result when teachers suspend students for continual disruption of instruction and these students are sent right back? Answer: The ability of the teacher to manage his/her classroom is severely undermined. Result: Less time for instruction. Category: No Brainer. Reaction: Bewilderment! Song: “We aren’t going to take it...anymore.”

So, what should we do as teachers? First, recognize that we have options given to us by the California Ed. Code. It’s much the way federal and state laws work. Simply, no state law can undermine federal law. Similarly, no school discipline policy can prevent teachers from referencing and using Ca. Ed. Code (§ 48910-11) to suspend students that disrupt the performance of their duties or willfully defy their authority in the classroom. Please read the Ca. Ed. Code to be better informed.

Given the connection of self-discipline and learning, why is this taken so lightly as given by the lack of support offered to teachers at Jordan? Never mind the model that says that unobstructed freedom leads to that creative learning that is most high and desirable. This type of learning is the fruition of discipline to begin with. Why are students brought back into the classroom in clear violation of Ed. Code? The number of disruptive students that we are talking about represents a relatively small percentage of Jordan students, yet they take away the majority of instructional time.

It’s good we have school uniforms, finally. Why did it take so long? Uniforms are part of the structure and form our kids need. Now follow it up with real support for teachers in the classroom. So far it’s been wimpy, wimpy...very wimpy.