Behavior Management Plan
St JaRhon Haywood
TED 414
Dr. Sapp
Summer 2016
Behavior Management Plan
The Silly Swearer
The Student & Behavior
It seems as though over eighty percent of my students are chronic cursers. I can name a few students in particular but they all have the same problem. Now, don’t get me wrong it’s not like Curse Fest 2016 or something, but when they aren’t working like little angels I hear their filthy language. My students are in high school, about ages fourteen to eighteen.
The Purpose of the Behavior
There isn’t one singular reason my students swear the way they do, but rather a combination of many. I can tell you one reason why I used to swear was to make myself look cool, or to make people laugh. Actor/Comedian Bill Cosby has been proving for decades that you don’t have to curse to be funny, so that just greatly discredits my reasoning (work with me here). Some of my students curse because they don’t know the answer, “Man I don’t know this sh*t!” Another hand full of my students’ vocab isn’t up to par because they may honestly not know any better. We’re first exposed to language at home so if you grew up around cursing parents then the odds of you soaking up such language are astronomically large. In an article by Allison Aubrey she exclaims, “Who’s to blame? ‘We have met the enemy, and he is us.’ The “us” are parents. (2008)” One final reason I can conjecture about my students’ vernacular is the need and want for attention. “Positive attention is the best attention,” as I always say because apparently our youth aren’t getting enough of it. The next generation knows if they want to get my attention they can either raise their hand, or curse real obnoxiously.
Teacher’s Responses
Two classroom teachers were asked what they did when the Silly Swearer creeps up on the premises, here are their responses:
· “…used to make them do push-ups or jumping jacks. Have them stay after class if they continue. Mr. Clark is very aggressive with stating that cursing is not allowed in his classes. He has them write standards.”
o Ms. R. Scott, MUSD, 5th year teacher
· “I tell them I am their supervisor and that they are my employees. Until it is okay for me to swear around my supervisor, the principal, you all WILL NOT be allowed to do so around yours. And that’s that.”
o Ms. S. Billows, LAUSD, 7th year teacher
Strategies to Modify the Behavior
Have a one-on-one talk with the student: Take the student aside and ask the student why he/she is engaging in this behavior. This allows the student to reflect on their own behavior. By stopping your instructions to acknowledge the behavior (sometimes almost immediately) in front of the class is exactly what the student wants. Out of all the lessons I taught last year the most effective one, by far, was when I took all of my students outside to discuss classroom issues. The ladies were on one side, and the young men were on the other. I was the facilitator, but the format was sort of mixture of between a seminar and a debate. Students were literally crying by the end, it became extremely emotional.
Swear Jar: I am only deeming this appropriate since one of my kids said another instructor on campus accepted quarters for bonus points. Charlie Sheen actually helped me invent this one (it’s not drugged fueled, I promise). Students sign a waiver (syllabus) at the beginning of the semester stating that if they, or their parents do not agree with the swear jar activity, they can suffer the ramifications and repercussions. Every time a student (and teacher for that mater) swears they must put approximately $1.00 USD into the swear jar. The swear jar will continue accumulating interest (in this case hopefully not) every day for the rest of the year. Every Friday Mr. Haywood will donate the contents of the swear jar to the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) or the school store.
Develop a non-verbal signal to alert the student when the cursing crosses the line: Instead of reprimanding the student during a lesson, develop a non-verbal cue with the student to let them know that they are acting up and need to settle down. They need not be trippin’.
Stand near the student: When giving a lesson, walk towards the student, stand near them, or make eye contact with them when giving instructions. Your presence will help quiet them down and will make them aware that you are watching them closely.
Provide the student with positive attention: If the student is strongly seeking your attention, provide positive reinforcement if they are doing well. This will help the student to understand that they do not need to act negatively to get your attention.
Bonus Points: All of my students start off with a certain number of bonus points for the day. If I hear them curse I remove them. However, I’m a 25-year-old male who occasionally…okay maybe every day…listens to rap music, so I drop a silly swear word or two. If and/or when that does happen and the students hear it, all of my students’ bonus points are reinstated for the day and are immune from being taken away again for the day. ACCOUNTABILITY AMERICA! I don’t expect them to make this change overnight, so I do allow them to say damn and hell.
Online Resources
http://behavioradvisor.com/CursingStrategies.html
http://nocussing.com/
References
National Public Radio. 2008. “Why Kids Curse.” Retrieved Aug. 9, 2016 (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89127830)