Implementing Conscious Discipline in Middle School

Real Talk for Real Teachers with Dr. Becky Bailey and special guest Diane Phelan

Episode Summary

Have you ever thought Conscious Discipline was just for younger children? Do you work with middle school students and struggle with managing behavior and classroom disruptions?

The middle school years present many challenges for students. They are experiencing many life changes internally, struggling to find a sense of belonging with friend groups, and are often because of their age expected “to know better” when it comes to behavior. Middle school teachers often struggle with misbehavior in the classroom due to having the perception that teens are just disrespectful.

Listen in as Diane Phelan, Principal of Keller Middle School, shares her story of implementing Conscious Discipline in middle school resulting in decreased referrals, increased academic scores and a shift in the school culture. Learn steps for getting started, overcoming teacher resistance and how to build relationships with students who change classes and have many teachers throughout the day.

Essential Takeaways

Relationships are the key to helping teachers, students, and families transform their skill set and willingness to learn new ways of solving problems. Noticing both staff and students and what they bring in each day with them enables the administrator to create an inclusive school family for all.

Steps for Tomorrow

• Greet every child at the door every day making a conscious effort to notice what the child is bringing into class each day
• Build connections with students each day
• Take the time to teach the students about the brain and breathing strategies for calming

Important Links

• What is Conscious Discipline
• Learn more about Keller Middle School
• Unconscious Discipline Worked Fine for Me: A Middle School Teacher’s Transformation

Product Mentions

• The NEW Conscious Discipline Book – Expanded & Updated

Show Outline

• :20 What is Conscious Discipline
• 1:49 Conscious Discipline in middle school and introduction of guest Diane Phelan, Principal of Keller Middle School
• 3:30 Bringing Conscious Discipline to middle school
• 6:28 Resistance to Conscious Discipline from teachers of older students
• 7:55 Begin with the staff, rolling out CD in middle school
• 10:28 Teacher life transformation story who was repeatedly cut from other schools
• 12:58 Story of “tough girls” group transformation
• 16:22 Comparison of discipline referrals before and after Conscious Discipline
• 18:00 Academic results of implementing Conscious Discipline
• 19:10 How is the school culture now that Conscious Discipline has been implemented
• 20:49 Exposing parents and families to Conscious Discipline
• 23:07 Building student/teacher relationships when students change classrooms all day
• 27:17 Steps for tomorrow

Thank You for Listening

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On behalf of our Conscious Discipline family, we wish you well.