NCJ Number
182273
Journal
Reaching Today's Youth Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Dated: Winter 2000 Pages: 17-20
Date Published
2000
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Effective discipline is less about punishing than it is about teaching responsibility; this article provides six strategies for helping youth learn responsibility.
Abstract
One strategy for developing responsibility in a youth is to establish sensible limits. Limits draw the line between what is acceptable and what is not. They provide safe boundaries that allow students to explore and define themselves. In school, limits are rules that reflect values about important behaviors. Another strategy for encouraging responsible behavior is to confront misbehavior with dignity. Students must be confronted in a dignified way when they go beyond set boundaries. Positive confrontation can be facilitated by having a mentoring process in place. A third strategy is to provide healthy, viable choices. Choices should be offered as substitutes for unacceptable behavior. Since unacceptable behavior stems from some need, discipline should teach an acceptable way of meeting that need. Students should also be helped to learn from the consequences of their choices. They must be taught to be insightful about the nature of the consequences that flow from negative behaviors, consequences that hurt oneself and the achieving of positive goals. Other strategies for developing responsible behavior through discipline are to elicit a commitment to change negative behavior and to develop a sense of remorse. 3 references