henric
05-15-2012, 08:22 PM
15/05/2012 10:04:00 AM
by Sameer Vasta
A story about a teacher in Florida using a dog cone for discipline makes us wonder: are our teachers properly equipped to deal with issues in the classroom?
Teachers throughout the years have used many forms of discipline to keep their classrooms in order. While some have been uncommon and innovative, a teacher in Florida's Pasco County really broke the mold when she used a dog cone as a form of punishment.
Laurie Bailey-Cutkomp is accused of using a "cone of shame" to discipline eight children who were acting up in her ninth-grade class last month. The cones are generally used for dogs after injury to prevent them from licking their wounds. Cutkomp has been put on unpaid suspension and is currently awaiting a hearing to determine her future standing as an educator.
In order for punishment to resonate and have any effect, it must be harsh enough that the student and her or his peers will remember it, but not too harsh that it punishes the children and not the behaviour. Putting on a "cone of shame" only serves to embarrass a child. It may seem comical, but the cone is based on humiliation rather than behaviour modification.
Luckily, we haven't yet heard of a teacher using a dog cone for discipline here in Canada, but it does force us to ask if our teacher education — all teachers go through regular professional development throughout their careers — is equipping educators with the tools and tactics they need to maintain order and to discipline their students effectively.
It's clear that Cutkomp's approach to discipline didn't really address the issues of her students, and relied on public humiliation instead. Let us make sure that our teachers are better trained for dealing with discipline by focusing on the problem, and not creating more of them.
by Sameer Vasta
A story about a teacher in Florida using a dog cone for discipline makes us wonder: are our teachers properly equipped to deal with issues in the classroom?
Teachers throughout the years have used many forms of discipline to keep their classrooms in order. While some have been uncommon and innovative, a teacher in Florida's Pasco County really broke the mold when she used a dog cone as a form of punishment.
Laurie Bailey-Cutkomp is accused of using a "cone of shame" to discipline eight children who were acting up in her ninth-grade class last month. The cones are generally used for dogs after injury to prevent them from licking their wounds. Cutkomp has been put on unpaid suspension and is currently awaiting a hearing to determine her future standing as an educator.
In order for punishment to resonate and have any effect, it must be harsh enough that the student and her or his peers will remember it, but not too harsh that it punishes the children and not the behaviour. Putting on a "cone of shame" only serves to embarrass a child. It may seem comical, but the cone is based on humiliation rather than behaviour modification.
Luckily, we haven't yet heard of a teacher using a dog cone for discipline here in Canada, but it does force us to ask if our teacher education — all teachers go through regular professional development throughout their careers — is equipping educators with the tools and tactics they need to maintain order and to discipline their students effectively.
It's clear that Cutkomp's approach to discipline didn't really address the issues of her students, and relied on public humiliation instead. Let us make sure that our teachers are better trained for dealing with discipline by focusing on the problem, and not creating more of them.