Conscious Discipline

Conscious Discipline 

Conscious discipline is a relationship based discipline. It is an emotional-intelligence program to help respond instead of react to conflict. Conscious discipline teaches us to think through things.

Within conscious discipline one must know that rules do not govern behavior. We cannot change people. We need to know that discipline needs to be effective instead of the traditional punishments. Conscious discipline teaches students to solve problems and to not avoid conflict. It teaches students to self-regulate their own behavior and when students self-regulate they will be aware of what their body is doing.

How do you use Conscious Discipline in the classroom?

Create a safe place

Teachers can create an area in the classroom where students go to cool down and to self-regulate. In this safe place, teachers can add pillows or stuff animals to help students. It is also important to include mirrors with the emotions on one side and the mirror on the other. This allows students to look at themselves in the mirror and figure out what they are feeling. They will have a picture of the emotion to understand what they are feeling when they look in the mirror. The student will go to the safe place to let out their emotions and self-regulate. The student comes back to the rest of the class and picks up where the class is at. This decreases interrupts and allows the student to learn to self-regulate instead of the teacher doing it for them. 

Choice Board Greeting 

Allows students to say how they feel, but choice how they will walk out their day. 

Create a school family 

Teachers can create an atmosphere of family. Teachers can establish routines and rituals to do with the class daily. This benefits the teacher just as much as the student because the teacher can learn where the students are at that day. 

Breathing exercises

Breathing exercises helps students to calm down and focus. 

Benefits

- Increased academics

- Composure

- Encouragement for the student and each other

- Learn to make smart choices 

- Empathy towards others

- Learn the consequences for ones owns actions

What I learned and how I will implement it in my classroom:

It is important to know that if you, the teacher, decide to implement conscious discipline in your classroom you must go ALL IN. When you decide to implement conscious discipline, remember that it will take a lot of your time at the beginning but know that the benefits are worth it. There are so many resources available for teachers to learn more about conscious discipline and how to start to implement it in the classroom. It is important to teach your students to self-regulate and deal with conflict. For one, it limits the amount of tattling you will hear in the classroom and most importantly it will benefit them in the long run. I know I will use breathing exercises, create a family in the classroom, morning routine of greeting and meeting together, and create a safe place in my future classroom. 

For more information, go to consciousdiscipline.com