Re: How does your school handle detention?

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How does your school handle detention?

by curiositycat

Sep 15, 2010

I teach in the middle school division of a K-12 independent school. Teachers rotate detention duty. One of our male science teachers does a great job being really stern with the kids and monitoring them while they pick up trash during lunch. Our more "cuddly" female Latin teacher has detention duty this semester, and she knows she can't pull off the stern, pick-up-trash system. She's wondering how other schools handle detention without it being too onerous for the teacher in charge. Is just sitting silently in a classroom during the lunch period enough of a deterrent?

Thanks!

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RS We have Sat morning detention. Once assigned, students must attend. Teachers rotate who will be supervising (and we are paid a small hourly rate). Once parents realize that their child will miss a game, they really come down ont he student, not the administration. I am not sure if lunch detention is tough enough, what about before school for an hou...See More

Sep 27, 2010

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Florita Hello,

I am at the point where I feel that ANYTHING to get the students to think more about their consequences is a good idea. We have detention on Thursdays. The same teacher does it each week and receives a small hourly rate. We are small school and busting at the seams, but I for one would volunteer for a Saturday Detention rotation. I ...See MoreHello,

I am at the point where I feel that ANYTHING to get the students to think more about their consequences is a good idea. We have detention on Thursdays. The same teacher does it each week and receives a small hourly rate. We are small school and busting at the seams, but I for one would volunteer for a Saturday Detention rotation. I say this because in addition to After School Detention, we also have In School Detention I think every other Friday. The students usually don't want to be sent to ISD, but they often treat ASD like it's the hang out spot (even though they can't talk). One day last week I was writing a student up, and her peers said, no, don't go this week, I won't be there until next week.

I just am desperate for anything that will make the students take responsibility for their actions and actually CARE about something. I am teaching my heart out. I plan quality, standards based lessons and differentiate the activities. I review constantly and remediate yet try to also challenge the brighter students. It's not easy. It just seems that I spend more time trying to pick up and wait on the bottom 20% of the class to catch up than advancing the other 80%. Today out of 30 students, only 8 attempted the homework. It's like they just don't care about zeros anymore. I also think your lunch detention would be a great idea too. Where can I sign up?

On 9/27/10, RS wrote: > We have Sat morning detention. Once assigned, students must > attend. Teachers rotate who will be supervising (and we are > paid a small hourly rate). Once parents realize that their > child will miss a game, they really come down ont he student, > not the administration. I am not sure if lunch detention is > tough enough, what about before school for an hour? > > On 9/15/10, curiositycat wrote: >> I teach in the middle school division of a K-12 independent >> school. Teachers rotate detention duty. One of our male >> science teachers does a great job being really stern with >> the kids and monitoring them while they pick up trash during >> lunch. Our more "cuddly" female Latin teacher has detention >> duty this semester, and she knows she can't pull off the >> stern, pick-up-trash system. She's wondering how other >> schools handle detention without it being too onerous for >> the teacher in charge. Is just sitting silently in a >> classroom during the lunch period enough of a deterrent? >> >> Thanks!

Sep 27, 2010

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the scientific method On 9/15/10, curiositycat wrote: > I teach in the middle school division of a K-12 independent > school. Teachers rotate detention duty. One of our male > science teachers does a great job being really stern with > the kids and monitoring them while they pick up trash during > lunch. Our more "cuddly" female Latin teacher has detentio...See More

Sep 29, 2010

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At Our School Our detentions are once a week, after school for 30 minutes. Students who are in sports do not get to play that week if they receive a detention or a suspension. If a student receives 3 detentions and then get another they get a suspension. Detentions should affect the students' conduct grades. If they get less than a C in behavior, I believe they ...See MoreOur detentions are once a week, after school for 30 minutes. Students who are in sports do not get to play that week if they receive a detention or a suspension. If a student receives 3 detentions and then get another they get a suspension. Detentions should affect the students' conduct grades. If they get less than a C in behavior, I believe they get kicked off our sport teams, and a C in conduct will knock them off the honor rolls. Our coaches are very strict about good behavior and grades during school time.

Two teachers volunteer for detention duty at the planning meeting previous to the school year. One from the lower grades and one from middle school. I believe that they are relieved from morning duties if they volunteer. The middle school teacher takes the lower grades and the primary or intermediate teacher takes the upper grades.

Lunch detention doesn't work unless they have to pick up trash or do something disagreeable as mentioned in a previous example. In another school I was at, it become a real breakfast club sort of thing. Pretty soon, nearly the whole middle school had lunch detention. They didn't mind since all their friends were there too. They didn't behave in there either.

Students are either to sit straight up with their hands folded or they have to write lines. If they misbehave during detention - they get another one. The parents are given at least one day notice of the detention. After-school detentions work pretty well if the child is in sports or other extra-curricular activities, or if the parent has to make two trips because there are other siblings to pick up or if they have to stay and wait for them. The inconvenience encourages the parents to lean on the kids to behave. I believe kids who go to the on-premises extended care miss out on snack and playtime which happens at that time. For the kids who walk home and are latchkey, or have no other siblings in the school to be picked up, detentions have less impact, other than conduct grade reductions. If the parents don't really care, then the kids don't either. Eventually the kids and parents who don't care are asked to leave the school if the problem persists.

At our school, the two teachers who take on detention rather enjoy it. They feel children need to behave and since they don't mind being the enforcers the quality of supervision is consistent. Rotation of detention duties is a bad idea when, as mentioned in the previous example, some teachers are too lax. The detention teachers luck out sometimes when there aren't any detentions that week. So not having to do morning duty and not having any detentions is a nice benefit. All our teachers have to stay after school until 3:30, so the detention teachers aren't really putting in extra time. If there aren't two many detainees, they can still grade papers as long as they keep their eyes on them.

On 9/15/10, curiositycat wrote: > I teach in the middle school division of a K-12 independent > school. Teachers rotate detention duty. One of our male > science teachers does a great job being really stern with > the kids and monitoring them while they pick up trash during > lunch. Our more "cuddly" female Latin teacher has detention > duty this semester, and she knows she can't pull off the > stern, pick-up-trash system. She's wondering how other > schools handle detention without it being too onerous for > the teacher in charge. Is just sitting silently in a > classroom during the lunch period enough of a deterrent? > > Thanks!

Oct 3, 2010

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