More teachers will experience trouble because of problems in the area of discipline than for all other reasons combined.  Below are 10 suggestions to help you in this area. Remember, you get the type of discipline you tolerate. Do not let a student, or a few students, ruin your job, your career, or your life.

1. Acquire an attitude that there will be good discipline in your room.
2. Establish rules and consequences using a tracking chart. Number your rules and letter your consequences so that you can make a tracking chart to be used in documenting misbehavior. For example:  1/a.  Indicates that the student was (Rule 1) late and that you (a) warned him or her.
3. Talk with your administrators about any ideas and/or suggestions they might have for improvement.
4. Track and chart misbehavior.
5. When a student misbehaves, complete the district’s infraction form, noting the misbehavior. Write the term “FYI” on the form in large letters.  Send a copy to the office for their records.  Send the other copy to the parents.  Be sure to mail the infraction notices on Thursdays so that they will arrive right before the weekend.
6. If misbehavior continues, call the parent.  Explain the problem and the consequences.  Do not argue with the parent.  Instead, use the “broken   record” technique.   Problem = Consequence
7. If misbehavior continues, seek help from the office.  You do not and should not have to take the student with you.  Instead, meet with the administrator PRIOR to taking the student to the office.  Ask for ideas and suggestions about dealing with a particular student, class, or parent.
8. If misbehavior continues, ask that the student be removed on an emergency “temporary” basis, preferably until a teacher/parent conference can be held.
9. After enough documentation has been collected (using the tracking method described above) and FYI notices have been sent to both the office and the student’s parents, notify the student, parent, and office that if such behavior continues, you will use chapter 37 of the Texas Education Code.
10. If misbehavior continues, invoke Chapter 37. This is the law that allows a teacher to remove a child from the classroom.

Before invoking Chapter 37, you should call your association.