The Pilot: Charter School Takes Alternative Approach to Discipline

Feature Article in The Pilot Newspaper, January 22, 2020

By Mary Kate Murphy, Staff Writer

From their first days of preschool or kindergarten, children have a lot to learn: not just reading, writing and math, but how to be good students in the first place.

Increasingly, schools are reconsidering discipline: both how they address students’ behavioral lapses in the classroom and how generally to encourage good conduct before issues even arise.

This year, Moore Montessori Community School is testing out a new “non-punitive” program devised to give students a productive role in what happens after an emotional outburst or conflict with another student.

Designed by the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector, it’s called a “system of justness” that ultimately keeps students in the classroom. Traditional approaches to discipline usually involve consequences like repeated trips to the principal’s office, not to mention suspensions, that add up to hours of missed teaching.

“We’re doing the complete opposite. It’s about coaching teachers on how to deal with behavior in the classroom, versus sending them out when they’re having a hard time,” said Markisha Young, Moore Montessori’s director of student support.

“At the end of the day, that’s what we want students here doing: we want them here, working and learning. We don’t want any distractions from that.”

To read complete article: https://www.thepilot.com/news/charter-school-takes-alternative-approach-to-discipline/article_9630a09a-3d52-11ea-b29f-6b6e14422831.html