1. Principal Interview: Student Discipline
Dr. Michael Hickman
Pulaski County Public Schools
Critzer Elementary School
Assistant Principal
Prior experience:
Pulaski County High School
Critzer Elementary School
100 Critzer Drive
Pulaski, VA 24301

2. What are the challenges of Student Discipline?
Helping children to understand that they have a choice in their actions.
The expectations from teachers as to how they believe the principal “should” handle the situation.
The time that is spent on discipline that takes away from other aspects of school leadership.

3. How does discipline effect the overall school climate?
When there is a lack of discipline, children are confused as to the boundaries that are appropriate in the school.
It is important to help children deal with their mistakes in a positive way. Positive discipline helps to create a positive school climate.
Positive discipline encompasses sitting down with the child and having a conversation about the situation. The principal corrects through counseling.

4. What is your personal leadership style/philosophy related to student discipline?
Talking with the students and working with them on the logic behind the decisions that they have made.
My training is based out of “Reality/Choice Therapy.” This training was developed by William Glasser. The emphasis on this program is to help students connect behavior with consequences. This is done with rational conversations, class meetings, contracts, and clear rules.
Connected to Choice Therapy is the aspect of Positive Approach to Discipline (PAD).

5. How do you involve parents in student discipline?
I like to call, or meet with parents, to keep them informed in the discipline process.
It is important to work with parents to aid in helping the child to understand the consequences to their actions.
The more rapport that you can build with the parent, the more support you can get to help with improving student behavior.
Help the parents to see that you are not “against” them or their child, but that consequences to actions are a reality of being a part of a community.

6. What are legal issues related to discipline?
Under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), schools must report certain incidents. The state gathers data on the frequency of the incidents.
The data from the reporting of the principal is gathered and made into a report and is tied into the adequate yearly progress of the school. School’s must meet requirements for being a “Safe School.”
Principals must accurately record the student infractions of school policy. There must be a record of what the child did, and what was done in response to the infraction from the administration.

7. What are effective strategies that you have used related to student discipline?
Helping students to see that you want to give them a chance. I want them to know that the behavior that they have chosen was not appropriate, but I will support them to make better decisions in the future.
I believe that children respond best when they are treated with respect. When they feel that they are being treated fairly and listened to, they tend to respond to discipline and correction.
I believe that the core of discipline is not focusing solely on the behavior, but helping children to understand what is leading to their actions.
Meeting with the student and having positive conversations with them to seek to improve their decision making.

8. How do teachers feel about educational leaders approach to discipline?
Building trust with the teachers is the most challenging aspect to discipline.
Many teachers feel as though I am being “soft” on the student or not handling the situation in the way they want it handled.
Teachers must remember that there are things about the student or the student’s family that impact my decision on how I handle the child. The teacher is not always aware, or as concerned, with how that impacts the decisions that are made.
Helping the teachers to know that I want to support them as their principal and what they are doing in the classroom, but I must also work in the best interest of the child. I must work to get them to trust me in the decisions that I am making concerning discipline.

9. Principal Interview: Student Discipline
Michael Greco
Pulaski County Public Schools
Critzer Elementary School
Principal
Prior experience:
Floyd County Public Schools
Critzer Elementary School
100 Critzer Drive
Pulaski, VA 24301

10. What are the challenges of Student Discipline?
The greatest challenge to discipline is convincing teachers that you are supporting them.
Working with children to change negative behaviors that are reinforced and taught in their home life.

11. How does discipline effect the overall school climate?
It is important to realize that school’s have a “feel” to them the second that one walks in the door.
You want to build a culture of safety and boundaries, while promoting a place that is flexible and warm as well.
Try to land in the middle between being too strict or too loose.

12. What is your personal leadership style/philosophy related to student discipline?
I like to use a more “low-key” approach to discipline. I want children to experience someone who is calm and collected when I am talking with them in a discipline situation.
Help children to better understand the boundaries of the school and classroom. They must know that there are consequences to their actions.
Talk to the children, and try to get to the root at what is driving their actions.

13. How do you involve parents in student discipline?
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate. Make sure you are building rapport with parents.
Get parents involved in the process. Do not leave them in the dark about their child’s behavior, what the consequences are, and how they can support the child to make better choices.
I live by a principle: “He who tells the first story, tells the best story.” Talk to the parents before the child tells “their” story to the parent that may be misleading.

14. Respecting a child in discipline goes a long way.
What are effective strategies that you have used related to student discipline?
Respecting a child in discipline goes a long way.
Children know and can sense if you care about them and want to help them to improve their behavior and not just “punish” them.
Follow through on the consequences that you have set for the child. You must be a person who will go through what you have said you would go through.
Let parents know what is going on and make a connection with them.

15. How do teachers feel about educational leaders approach to discipline?
Building trust with the teachers is the most challenging aspect to discipline.
Educate teachers as to more of what you know is going on in the total life of the child.
You are the ultimate leader in the school and some decisions must fall on you to make. Teachers will not always agree with every decision that you make.
Meet with them and have a conversation to better explains at why you arrived at decision concerning discipline.