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Discipline

The Irvington Community School's Four Guiding Principles are:

  1. Be Safe.
  2. Be Responsible.
  3. Be Respectful.
  4. Be an Involved Member of the Learning Community.

The Four Guiding Principles are an easy-to-remember yet comprehensive character-developing set of guidelines for students to conduct themselves by at all times while at school. Nonetheless, disciplinary issues naturally arise within the course of the school day. Following is an overview of the ICS's approach to behavior management.

ICS views discipline issues with children as behavior management learning opportunities, which reflects our discipline philosophy and methodology. Much of our approach is influenced by leading experts in the field of school discipline such as psychologist Allen Mendler, Ph.D., and educator Richard Curwin, Ed.D., authors of Discipline with Dignity for Challenging Youth. The authors' five discipline principles for educators, which we embrace, are:

  1. Teachers have a responsibility to teach all students.
  2. Difficult behavior should be viewed as opportunities to educate for change; leverage should be reserved for excessively disruptive or dangerous situations.
  3. More motivation means less discipline.
  4. Discipline is just another form of instruction.
  5. Numerous strategies and lots of heart are necessary for success.

The ICS makes these principles reality through a progressive three-step behavior management process that involves:

  • Classroom management
  • Behavior coaching
  • Community management (i.e., parental involvement)

Classroom Management

ICS teachers are empowered to work with their students in innovative, instructional, engaging behavior management strategies and tactics. Corrective techniques are numerous, but may include consultation, verbal or nonverbal redirection, one-on-one hallway discussions, and/or parent contact. If a teacher has a student who demonstrates significant misbehavior, whether involving repetitive infractions or a more serious single incident, the teacher may refer the student to the ICS Behavior Coaching Team.

Behavior Coaching

ICS Behavior Coaches work with students to help them understand their behavior and its negative implications, how it impacts themselves and others. Students involved with Behavior Coaches engage in constructive conversations and receive appropriate consequences, which can include (among many other techniques) reflective writing, personal and public apologies, work details to benefit the school's appearance, and in-school detentions. What most distinguishes our behavior management methodology is our Behavior Coaches frequent communication with parents, informing them by phone and in-person of their child's misbehavior, measures being taken, and progress being made (of note, parents are also told of outstanding behavior, even involving children who have little or no behavior issues while in school). Effective parenting is the key to managing and improving children's behavior. By partnering with parents and teachers, ICS Behavior Coaches can implement corrective behavior action that stands the best chance of succeeding in encouraging children to grow in character, maximize their educational experience, and evolve into upstanding citizens.

Community Management

Students who continue to be disruptive and show little progress in managing their behavior are referred to the ICS Behavior Referral Committee. The BRC is comprised of Behavior Coaches and several "outside" ICS teachers who meet with the child and his/her parents to review behavior issues and determine how to most effectively address them. This intimate, concerned community encircles the child, both figuratively and literally, in a firm, unified show of support so that the child will feel both valued and understand the gravity of the transgression(s).

Questions?

If you have any questions about ICS behavior management, please contact at 357-5359 x114.