Linda Jarvis tells board "Discipline and academics go hand in hand"
By Bob Weaver
Teacher Linda Prine Jarvis told the Calhoun school board Monday evening, "In the light of striving for better test scores, we must realize that discipline and academics go hand in hand."
State officials say behavior problems, particularly in the state's middle schools, is a major problem that needs special attention.
Jarvis gave a three-year overview of Calhoun Middle-High School's Protect and Respect Program, a positive reward system developed to improve the behavior of school children. The report focused on 5th and 6th graders.
Calhoun's Protect and Respect Program is being used as an improvement model around the Mountain State.
Jarvis presented statistics about some students who are chronic offenders in 5th and 6th grade. Several of the chronic offenders received detention 30 times during the school year.
Some of the common behavioral offenses, breaking pencils, slamming books, shoving, using the "F" word, not doing homework, threatening other students, threatening teachers, "making love," hitting another student, passing profanity words on tablet, throwing objects, disruptive talking.
Other behaviors included name calling, hitting others privates, not reporting to detention, not filling out planner, moving around room, falling out of seat, dropping books, arguing, hitting, not having books and supplies, making loud noises, inappropriate touching, chewing, throwing beads, twisting another's arm and wrist, "flipping off," making faces, shouting at teacher, "This is stupid," among others.
The review of Respect and Protect shows considerable improvement, with students opting to be rewarded for better behavior, although serious problems remain.
In 2005-06 there was 2,355 referrals to detention, that number dropped to 800 in 2007-08.
In 2005-06 about 14 students received detention daily, dropping to 2.5 daily, with an increase to nearly 5 per day in 2007-08.
Jarvis said the increase is likely because the school could no longer afford to maintain a supervised in-school suspension room.
School board president Lee Evans said he is hopeful the board will be able to restore the in-school suspension room.
"We've really got to do more to turn kids around, who have problems," Jarvis said.
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