Spring Oaks Middle School
Core Beliefs
On Teacher and Student Interactions
2010-2011
Staff members at Spring Oaks Middle School agree on the following core beliefs and will use these beliefs to guide interactions with students and drive discipline decisions across the campus. These core beliefs lead our attempts to individualize disciplinary procedures and to help students see reasonable connections between their behavior and the resulting consequence.
We believe that preserving and/or enhancing a student's self-respect and dignity is crucial to a successful disciplinary action.
- Every attempt will be made to maintain the dignity and self-respect of both the student and the teacher.
- Students should have an opportunity to tell their side of the story whenever consequences appear to be unfair.
We believe that students should be allowed to solve the problems they create, in their own way and with adult guidance, provided the solution does not make a problem for others.
- Students will be expected to do most of the thinking to solve their problems.
- School problems will be handled by school personnel. Criminal activity will be referred to the proper authorities.
We believe that discipline should be considered an opportunity for personal growth and a chance for students to learn new behaviors rather than considering it a punishment.
- Students will be given opportunities to make decisions and live with the consequences, be they good or bad.
- Teachers will view student misbehavior as an opportunity for individual problem-solving and preparation for the real world as opposed to viewing it as a personal attack on school or staff.