How to work with security and administration to properly discipline students

I know that some days I feel more like a security guard than a teacher. It seems like between classes I’m separating kids who try to hit each other, and in class I’m dealing more with behavior than Beowulf. But there are some common sense strategies you can employ that I promise will get a better reaction from Administration and Security, so that students send you to the office, stay there, and you can focus on your class.

This is your mission, should you choose to accept it: meet each member of the security staff by name. Don’t be sneaky about it. On your first day on the job as a teacher, or the first day of school, walk right up to them, shake their hand, introduce yourself, and strike up a conversation. Ask them about their family, where they live. I don’t care what you talk about, just make sure after a couple of days of this, they remember your name and know which classroom is yours. The main reason I want you to meet security personnel is because it will make your job so much easier. This is some of the best advice I can give, and that’s why it’s one of my first posts.

As the weeks go by, make it a habit to greet them and stop for thirty seconds to ask about your new girlfriend. Then, on the days you need them, visit them and let them know your toughest class is coming up, and ask them to come by and help you get the kids out the door. Heck, invite them into your classroom at the beginning of class if you’re having a hard time getting the kids to shut up (I’ll have another post on how to start class in the next few weeks, by the way). Get in the habit of making friends with security, and while you’re at it, you better get to know the assistant principal in charge of discipline, too.

Your relationships with those in charge of discipline will determine how effectively you can discipline your students in the classroom. If your school is like mine, many teachers, especially new ones, don’t feel like they have anywhere to send bad kids. They send them out and seem to come back ten minutes later. Teachers feel that students are not even being punished when they are sent to the office. Eventually they get frustrated with the whole process and wonder what exactly the security guards and assistant manager are doing in the office. But that’s why I have to ask: why do I ask? I know exactly what is going on in the office and that is why I am part of the disciplinary process. I’m not just someone who expects others to treat students exactly the way I expect them to, like they can read my mind.

That’s why you need to get to know these people, so you know exactly what they’re doing with the students you send them.

Let me tell you something. Even in my first year of teaching, I NEVER had a problem disciplining students. EVER. I’ve never been frustrated by the administration’s response to a recommendation I wrote, and I’ve never been able to get kids back to my class that same day. In fact, when teachers tell me this is happening, it baffles me and I think I know why it is happening.

Here are some basic rules to follow when sending a child to the office:

  • MAKE SURE THEY GO! My God, half the students who came back to your room ten minutes later didn’t even go to the office. They came back with a story that the assistant principal sent them back, and the teachers believe them!
  • Try to have a security guard escort you to the office. This ensures that they get there and stay there. I know this isn’t always possible, but that’s why you make friends with the security staff. My security guard, Dean, knows me by name and even knows that I go to Lake Tahoe on some weekends to play craps. When I ask him to come to my classroom, he comes. When he hears it on the walkie-talkie, he comes faster.
  • Learn to write references. Ask the assistant principal in charge of discipline what he or she is looking for in a referral. Depending on what you write, the student may be suspended for three days or sent back to class while the reference ends up in the AP bin. This is the thing about referrals. Be tough on them. Don’t beat around the bush. If the student directed an F-bomb at you, he writes the exact words of it. He writes, “Michael yelled ‘Fuck you’ directly at me, the instructor. I feel like this is a direct threat to my safety.” I’m serious, if you feel threatened write it down. You are not doing anyone, especially the student, a favor by letting them get away with that kind of behavior. They need to know how serious it is. End the reference suggesting suspension, if that is what you think the appropriate punishment should be.
  • Follow. After school, go talk to your AP about that particular student. Tell them the whole story, all the things you couldn’t include in the recommendation. Make sure they understand the seriousness of the situation. Trust me, if you want to make sure a student gets a proper reprimand, you should do this.

Like I said, I’ve never had a child come back to class the same day I sent them. When I ship them, I ship them right away if I can’t get security, and I make sure they know I’ll call the AP office in two minutes to make sure they got there. I send another student, or an assistant principal, with the epilogue for reference. NEVER write the referral while the offending student is waiting, and NEVER send the actual referral with the student. Take them out of the class immediately, and patiently write the reference and send it after them.

If you follow this advice, I promise you a better response from Administration and Security. We all know that there are some kids who just can’t be in class some days. It is a reality of our work and of their lives. Knowing how to get these students out of your classroom and into the right hands is an art you must master. Doing so will make your job much easier and make you look more like a teacher in your classroom and less like a security guard.