Suffolk school tries positive approach with discipline

SUFFOLK

Tim Kubinak recognized one student for wiping off the dry-erase board after a lesson on divisibility. Later, he gave tickets to his entire math class, telling them "good job on homework today" because everyone completed the assignment.

After lunch, Kubinak, a teacher at John Yeates Middle School, slipped another ticket to a boy who cleaned the cafeteria table.

"It keeps positive behaviors rolling, and it eliminates the negative stuff," Kubinak said.

Three years after adopting a discipline plan that is being considered for all the city schools, teachers are seeing fewer discipline problems and students have a better idea of what is expected of them, Yeates Principal Daniel O'Leary said.

"I think it's changed, really, the climate of the building," he said.

The program puts a spotlight on good behavior. Students earn praise for simple acts and are rewarded with red "Charger Cash" tickets, which can be redeemed for homework passes, school supplies, admission to events and other items.

"They're pretty cool," sixth-grader Kylie Hess said of the tickets. "If you have a certain amount, you can attend the school talent show or basketball games."

The strategy in place at John Yeates - a state initiative called Effective Schoolwide Discipline - is also used in Portsmouth, said Kimberly Yanek, an instruction and behavior specialist for the program who is based at Old Dominion University.

Effective Schoolwide Discipline and similar programs used nationwide work because they pair modeling of appropriate behaviors and positive reinforcement, Yanek said.

"We don't just assume that students know what we expect from them," she said.

Another Suffolk school, John F. Kennedy Middle, introduced the method to students last year but did not kick off the full program until this month. Principal Vivian Covington said she's already seen a drop in discipline referrals there.

"Instead of focusing on the negative things, we're talking about the good things the students are doing," she said.

The rest of Suffolk's public schools are looking into using some form of the program in the future, said Doug Dohey, the division's coordinator of middle school instruction.

At John Yeates, administrators handled about 175 fewer discipline problems in 2007-08, a 14 percent reduction from the previous school year. O'Leary credits the new discipline plan and his teachers' willingness to participate.

For the second year, students with repeated discipline problems will receive added support through mentors, O'Leary said. This time around, students without behavioral problems but in need of a self-esteem boost also will be included.

"It's a trying time for the kids," O'Leary said. "They're growing. They're developing. They just need another adult to lean on."

Hattie Brown Garrow, (757) 222-5562, hattie.brown@pilotonline.com