Educational Leadership - October 2010

since. Instead of buying into peer pressure that it’s uncool to be a good student, students are proud to try to excel.

Why do students respond so well? Why have I not had a discipline issue in the school in the last three years where a student did not “take ownership”?

A focus group of students said that because they saw adults at Tupper acknowledging that everyone makes mistakes, they know the adults won’t treat isolated behavior episodes as the end of the world, but as opportunities to recover and become better people.

The notion that people learn from their mistakes makes students feel safe to take responsibility.

year, but now I don’t. If I stay here, I
know I can succeed.”
Even though these students did
not go through the complete ROARS
education and probably found the
idea lame, the powerful culture the
code engendered in the school enabled
them to relax from the constant
tension of saving face, having to look
tough, and feeling forced into violent
behaviors. In this atmosphere, stu-
dents don’t easily find a social group

‘Fessing Up

Changing the Culture
of Bullying
What about students who
come to the school in their
senior year, often because
they have been transferred
because of fighting or drug
infractions? Last spring, I
met with a “rough and ready”
group of boys who meet this
description to discuss how
they could avoid importing
their less socially respon-
sible behaviors to Tupper.
The students came to the
meeting acting suspicious and
defensive because they were
expecting a lecture. They left
relieved that I was genuinely
interested in their ideas. I was
floored when one announced,
“I love this school. No one
bullies anyone else and no one
fights.” Another followed with,
“For the first time in my life
I’m passing all my courses.”
And another, “I used to want
to go back to my old school to
graduate with my friends this
that supports antilearning behaviors,
so they can better focus on education.

The ROARS code doesn’t prevent all discipline problems, but it has certainly changed how adults and students react to infractions. One day, about 20 minutes into lunch, an irritated teacher called me to come to his wood shop where he was grimly keeping everyone, including himself, from lunch, because no one had confessed to setting a fire when he’d stepped out of the room. Walking down to his classroom, I was frantically trying to think of a way to get a confession and get everyone to lunch.

When I arrived at the class I was none the wiser,
so I threw up my hands and said, “This is a ROARS
issue. No one is having any fun, or lunch, right now
because no one has taken ownership for this.” In a fit
of exasperation, I looked at the miserable faces of the
25 grade 9 students and began, “Well I don’t expect
anyone to put up their hand, but…” and up went a little
hand. Taken aback, I said “Are you taking ownership?”
The student nodded unhappily. “Great! Thank you.
Everyone else can go to lunch!”
Two things that happened next really surprised me.
First, every student leaving the room walked by the
student and thanked him, often placing a comforting
hand on his shoulder. Second, after I’d talked with the
student about safety and given him some community
service, one of his classmates came by my office and
asked me, “Ms. Whishaw, you were sort of lenient
on John. Was that because he told the truth and took
ownership?”
I hadn’t really parsed it out, but I realized that the stu-
dent’s owning up encouraged me to help him close the
circle—acknowledgement, taking responsibility, making
amends. “Yes, indeed,” I replied, “well spotted!”