Beating Goliath
to address student needs in this regard
before we could expect students to
concentrate on academic concerns. We
focused on three strategies.
Consistent Routines
We understood it was important to
create an ordered environment for
students to feel safe. We implement
consistent schoolwide practices—and
adhere to them—to produce a sense of
dependability.
For example, we teach students that
when they’re in the cafeteria, there’s a
time for eating and a time for talking
with friends. We designate this by
placing one of two cups on each table.
During the first 10 minutes of lunch,
red cups indicate quiet eating time. We
then place green cups on each table to
signal talk time. Adults teach students
this procedure, along with all other
schoolwide procedures, by stating it,
role-playing, using verbal reminders,
creating class books that illustrate the
process, and showing videos of students
engaging in the expected procedure.
Conscious Discipline Practices
Previously, discipline issues at Fern
Creek had subverted its academic focus
and undermined the school climate.
We felt that traditional approaches to
discipline weren’t productive with the
students we served and that we needed
a more child-centered, brain-based
response.
The school administrators decided
that the practices outlined in Conscious
Discipline ( www.consciousdiscipline
.com) would be a good fit for our stu-
dents, and the entire staff was trained
in the model. Becky Bailey (2000), the
creator of Conscious Discipline, noted
that the goal of the program is “to
provide systematic changes in schools
by fostering the emotional intelligence
of teachers first and children second”
(p. 11). Specific routines, rituals, struc-
tures, and skills empower staff members
with greater understanding of our popu-
lation’s needs and provide strategies to
address those needs.
