ABSTRACT
New teachers receive professional development on student discipline. Almost every school house has a go-to book, set of instructional videos, or annual conference that newbie or rookie teachers are ushered to as part of their mentoring process. Once the original thrust of information about discipline and classroom management is complete, talking about discipline in a school often becomes taboo. Administrators do not like discussing it with teachers because any professional development that encourages increased ownership of discipline problems inside of the classroom, as opposed to in the principal’s office, has the potential of making administrators sound unsupportive. Teachers do not like discussing discipline with administrators because if they give the impression that they cannot control their own class, they may wind up with an increase in administrator attention or a negative mark on an evaluation. As a result, a critical segment of schooling and professional development is often swept under the rug for any teacher who is not new or who does not display overt deficits.
