Memo from my assistant principal:
"Teachers who permit this behaviour usually argue that gum chewing is a minor issue and there are more important things worthy of concern. In fact, gum chewing isn't the issue at all. The issue is whether or not teachers understand how to work as members of a professional collegial team. The difference becomes clear upon closer examination of the issue. When gum chewing is disallowed across a school environment, it's because the staff made a decision to eliminate this nuisance behavour by consistently enforcing a ban. This decision was approved by the principal and written into the school rules. Then, one or two teachers arbitrarily decide to do their own thing and allow their students to chew gum. By doing so, they ensure that a behaviour which was supposed to be a non-issue throughout the school is now going to be an issue in everyone's classroom but theirs, thereby deliberately sabotaging the efforts of their colleagues. In addition, the model for the students in their classes deliberate defiance of school rules and over disrespect for authority. This isn't called gum chewing; it's called UNPROFESSIONAL CONDUCT."
Real Discipline by Ron Morrish
"Teachers who permit this behaviour usually argue that gum chewing is a minor issue and there are more important things worthy of concern. In fact, gum chewing isn't the issue at all. The issue is whether or not teachers understand how to work as members of a professional collegial team. The difference becomes clear upon closer examination of the issue. When gum chewing is disallowed across a school environment, it's because the staff made a decision to eliminate this nuisance behavour by consistently enforcing a ban. This decision was approved by the principal and written into the school rules. Then, one or two teachers arbitrarily decide to do their own thing and allow their students to chew gum. By doing so, they ensure that a behaviour which was supposed to be a non-issue throughout the school is now going to be an issue in everyone's classroom but theirs, thereby deliberately sabotaging the efforts of their colleagues. In addition, the model for the students in their classes deliberate defiance of school rules and over disrespect for authority. This isn't called gum chewing; it's called UNPROFESSIONAL CONDUCT."
Real Discipline by Ron Morrish
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