Solutions on Suspension, Expulsion. Are Punishments Necessary?

Are suspensions and expulsions necessary to discipline students for non-violent misconducts?

“No,” said Mary, the 70-plus-year-old education pro. She declared that she had never suspended a student in her decades of being a high school teacher.

While I cannot pinpoint exactly why she and I became gym buddies 10 years ago, I learned that we shared one important value. And that was, as former educators, we treated our students as teachable children and human beings, instead of hopeless adults or, worse yet, criminals.

One day in 2013 or so, Mary suddenly failed to show up at the gym for good and did not respond to all forms of contact. Long story short, many months later, I tracked her down like a detective would. The day I saw her again at an assisted living facility for Alzheimer’s patients was one of the most memorable days of my life.

Not only did I track her down, I brought her back to the gym. With a teacher’s intuition, I believed, like I did with my former students, in the potential and capability of Mary. As such, my “training” of her at the gym started anew every other weekend, since she had forgotten what to do at the gym any more.

Sure enough, other than the difficulty of coming up with words sometimes, the brain of the same old gracious Mary was still very much alive.

Eager to learn from this highly respected veteran in education, one day while we hopped from machine to machine, I asked her, “Mary, what was your trick in dealing with misbehaving students?” Readily, she showed me two tricks in her bag.

1. Communicate to the parents

“Ah… You know I am short, right? This boy was this and that…,” the 4′ 10″ petite Mary said, while making funny faces to imitate him. She continued, “I called the father. The next day, the boy walked in like this,” while hanging her head down. “He said, ‘Sorry Mrs. L, I will do what you said. If not, my father said he is going to kill me.’” Mary understood the father did not literally mean so. But It worked like a charm, according to her.

One might argue that not all parents are as responsible or responsive as the boy’s father. Yet, I have also witnessed how this trick works without even calling the parents.

One day last September, the founder of our Wake Collaborative to Stop Bullying group was trying to conduct an anti-bullying program to a roomful of 20 restless and disruptive 2nd-grade boys. Granny Geraldine Alshamy, with decades of experience dealing with youths, calmly asked the boys, “Would you like me to call your parents and tell them you are misbehaving in the classroom today?” Meanwhile, the teacher started to write down names on the blackboard.

All of a sudden, the chaotic room fell into order and dead silence, and then the scared boys pleaded, “No, no. Grandma G, please don’t.”

2. Play the mind game strategically

For the second trick that granted Mary the magic power to stay away from suspending students, she put on a grin and pulled out the word, “Girls.” It turned out, she had developed a strategy that placed a “naughty” boy (usually) in a classroom with a group of girls.

Next, Mary would instruct the boy to do what she needed him to do or not to do. She said it worked all the time with high school boys, “because the girls are watching.” Ingenious!

Sadly, since 2015, the worsening condition of Mary, my beloved student and teacher, has forced her to reside behind locked doors in the facility. Even though it is decorated like a home, the still intelligent her knows it is a prison.

Recent news and solutions on suspensions and expulsions from communities across the US

Constructive News, Solutions on Suspensions, Expulsions

April, 2016. Standard University study – Solution to suspensions: teaching teachers empathy can be a new approach to reduce suspensions (without teaching them how to interact with students).
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/rulesforengagement/2016/04/can_an_increase_in_empathy_lead_to_a_drop_in_suspensions.html?cmp=eml-contshr-shr

Feb. 2016, Washington. Solution to suspensions: Implementing Road Map Project that gives students justice and opportunity
http://www.kentreporter.com/news/368726241.html#

Feb. 2016, Texas. Solution to suspensions: Looking at destructive statistics and implementing Restorative Practices with startling success
http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/fortbend/news/article/FBISD-approaching-discipline-in-a-new-way-6849129.php

Dec. 2015, Illinois. Solution to suspensions, expulsions: New law bans zero-tolerance, requires documentation of reasons behind suspensions and expulsion, and provides intervention

http://www.saukvalley.com/2015/12/08/on-school-discipline-everyones-role-is-about-to-change/avbb9ma/
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/rulesforengagement/2015/08/illinois_governor_signs_school_discipline_bill_championed_by_students.html

Dec. 2015, Wisconsin. Expelled students get 2^nd chance after learning how to stop fighting
http://wuwm.com/post/048-precious-lives-alternative-school-gives-kids-tools-stop-fighting#stream/0

Dec. 2015, Connecticut. State got sued for not providing adequate education for expelled students
http://ctmirror.org/2015/12/22/educating-students-during-an-expulsion-tutoring-alternative-schools-or-nothing/

Dec. 2015, Ohio. Solution to suspensions: Lawmakers introduce laws to stop schools from suspending students who commit truancy
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/73efee3e538b44d6b199a6b15ff97fe0/OH–Tackling-Truancy

Dec. 2015, New York. A study made school board stop the practice of sharing student disciplinary records with college
http://www.ischoolguide.com/articles/38646/20151215/syracuse-school-board-votes-prohibit-sharing-students-disciplinary-history-colleges.htm

Nov. 2015, New York. What prompted a teacher to say, “We were wrong” regarding to imposing zero-tolerance policies on students
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/randi-weingarten-school-discipline-mistake-article-1.2426358

Nov. 2015, California. School district offers students who committed substance abuse a constructive program instead of suspension, expulsion, or arrest.
http://www.ridgecrestca.com/article/20151112/NEWS/151119914

Nov. 2015. Colorado. How the Pyramid Plus Approach nurtures and rehabilitates preschoolers, including autistic children, who are at risk of being suspended or expelled from other schools
http://co.chalkbeat.org/2015/11/10/growing-preschool-program-welcomes-all-embracing-kids-with-special-needs/#.Vns70vkrKUk

Sept. 2015. Mississippi. Rise Above program helps expelled students get reinstated back to school
http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2015/09/expelled_students_earning_way.html
www.riseabovejxn.org

Sept. 2015, Wisconsin. School board changes policy to provide educational services to suspended or expelled kids http://www.hngnews.com/monona_cottage_grove/article_344a0d56-61f3-11e5-90f8-c319dfd0bb72.html

Aug. 2015, Florida. Stopping suspensions by PROMISE: Preventing Recidivism through Opportunities, Mentoring, Interventions, Support & Education
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/education/article31934748.html

Sept. 2014. California. Stopping suspensions by removing “willful defiance” offense as a reason to suspend students
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article2613881.html

Assemblyman Roger Dickinson: “California is now the first state in the nation to take badly-needed measures to curtail suspensions and expulsions for minor misbehavior in our schools,” Dickinson said in a prepared statement. “Kids who have been suspended or expelled are two times more likely to drop out and five times more likely to turn to crime. Rather than kicking students out of school, we need to keep young people in school on track to graduate, and out of the criminal justice system.”

Distructive News on Suspensions, Expulsions

Dec. 2015, Missouri. 14-year-old suspended for 180 days and faces expulsion after finding a pill.
http://fox2now.com/2015/12/22/student-faces-expulsion-after-finding-prescription-pill/

Dec. 2015, California. 27,000 out of 30,000 student arrests in San Bernardino were for minor misconducts
http://www.educationdive.com/news/san-bernardino-school-police-arrest-30k-students-since-2005/410720/

Dec. 2015, Iowa. School district removes 4 times more black students than white, and what actions other school districts take to impose fair school discipline
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2015/12/19/blacks-4-times-more-likely-removed-class/76342570/

Dec. 2015, Arkansas. Student given 2^nd chance after drug possession incident
http://www.stuttgartdailyleader.com/article/20151209/NEWS/151209646

Dec. 2015. Why Are So Many Preschoolers – ages 3 and 4 – Getting Suspended?
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/12/why-are-so-many-preschoolers-getting-suspended/418932/

Mar. 2014. Thousands of preschool children suspended http://bigstory.ap.org/article/thousands-preschool-kids-face-suspension

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Ana Scott

Member

8 years ago

When I was in school kids did not mind getting suspended…..usually over a VIOLENT action……as they should, because school’s should be considered a safe place for all children and the staff. But to suspend kids nowadays over the most ridiculous reasons nowadays…..well, no wonder kids are not doing as well as in other countries. It seems the kids are getting exactly what they want….a vacation from school. :/

Shirley Tang

Admin

Reply to Ana Scott

Exactly, Ana. At times, educators are contradicting themselves. They advocate that they try to drive children to learn, yet, some of them drive to push children out of schools by suspending them senselessly for, like, wearing the wrong color of shoes. Then how do we give them the education they deserve and become productive citizens of our society?

Kim Yae

I completely agree with this article. Even as a high school student years ago, it never made sense to me the kinds of things my classmates would get suspended for. The whole focus of the educational system should be to keep the kids in school! My mother became a school teacher almost 10 years ago now and she has also never had to suspend any of her students. As this article points out, it is very helpful to get the parents involved. Even though all parents are not the same, in most cases getting the parents involved is enough to curb misbehavior. Great tips!

Reply to Kim Yae

Thank you, Kim. Yes, children’s parents and guardians play a pivotal role in their development. When parents are fully informed, as well as shown ways and allowed to help their children, most are more than willing to work with educators, because most of them would love to see their children to be successful in schools.