Setting Limits in the Classroom is a book that promotes a non-judgemental

plan of classroom management that focuses on causative consequences rather than

punitive and personal methods of dealing with misbehaviour. The authors posit that
troublesome students are not necessarily defiant or spiteful. They explain, Strongwilled students do most or their learning the hard way. That is, they have to
repeatedly experience the consequences of their choices or behavior before they
are willing to accept our rules and authority (p. 90-91). Referred to as aggressive
researchers, these strong-willed children make up a minority of the class; but are
the ones that require us to master our management theory and policies.
The authors bring multiple case-studies of teachers attempting to manage
misbehaviour by repeating, pleading and begging. By doing this, children learn that
cooperation is optional, not required. They also learn to ignore our rules and push
us to the point of action to clarify what we really expect (p. 111). This is a point
that is reiterated many times; disruption is ended by following through with action,
not verbal sparring. Furthermore, students are more likely to respond favorably
when offered clear and limited choices. A sense of saving face and independence
is offered when a student is given the option to back off from their misbehaviour in
an acceptable way.
The authors prefer consequences that are referred to as logical. Instead of
punishments that appear as intended to scare and be overbearing, most often,
teachers are instructed to separate the students from their environment and from
their disruptive opportunities. Time-outs, for example, are a consequence that
sends all the right signals to children. It stops their misbehaviour. It removes them
from their audience and payoffs for their disruption, and it helps children restore
self-control quickly so they can return to instruction (p. 247). If time-outs appear
to be ineffective, the teacher is encouraged to be persistent and try again. Like the

authors exhort, Dont assume the procedure is ineffective when students persist in
their testing or continue to violate your rules. More likely, they need to collect more
data to arrive at the conclusions you intend (p.256).
Finally, teachers are recommended to set up a Recess Academy for students
that need to practice desired skills such as raising a hand when asking questions, or
not disrupting when the teacher is giving a lesson. Once again, this is not to be
considered a punishment, but a logical consequence of a student that needs help
mastering a desired behavior.
On the whole, I agree with the sentiment of keeping consequences
automated and impersonal, however I did not agree with some of the applications.
The authors frown upon writing names on the board, keeping daily behavior lists
and standing over students that are disrupting in order to impress upon them
your presence. I think that a name on a board is tantamount to an action (in
contrast to verbal repetition), and this can be as much of a followed-through action
as the authors preferred time-out. I also believe that daily behavior logs can be a
great tool for tracking progress for a student and can be very useful for troublesome
students to find motivation by watching their improvement or deterioration and, if
anything, can get excited to do even better. Lastly, I think that proximity is a
wonderful tool for a teacher to manage behavior without uttering a word;
preventing a break in the lesson flow.
I would love to be able to implement the two-step timeout suggested in the
book, but I dont feel comfortable imposing on other teachers by sending students
to their class on a regular basis. I am going to try out the timeout method in my own
classroom, but I have reservations about this since the size of my classroom does
not really afford a quiet, isolated place for a student to go to.
My disposition has always been more of a logical and somewhat permissive
nature, but I am learning to change that. My two years of teaching, I won over my

students by interacting with them, and I was able to repeat this successfully. My
students knew that I wasnt the type to ever blow up at them, and through logical
consequences they could identify with my expectations. However, this year I have a
very difficult class; most of my students have I.E.P.s and many of them are on
medication or have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. I realize that its extremely
important to master behavior management skills for this type of class. My
permissive nature will not carry me through the year successfully. I have come to
the conclusions that if my students are aggressive researchers by testing limits, I
have to be just as much of an aggressive researcher at mastering behavior
management skills!