As adults disciplining children, we frequently find ourselves saying things like, “You should know better than thaaat!”  The assumption that children somehow know what is expected of them often leads us into a destructive cycle of negative disciplinary actions.  Children are not born knowing  all of the intricacies of how to meet our expectations. They must be taught.  The responsibility for this teaching falls upon the community as a whole and, most specifically, upon parents and educators.  The Russian Jack Learning Community is committed to a positive school wide discipline policy in which: 

• Behavioral Expectations are Defined:  These expectations are more specifically stated in the Rights and Responsibilities handbook as well as in postings throughout the school. 
• Behavioral expectations are taught to all students in the building and are taught in real contexts. The goal of this teaching is to take broad expectations (like Respect the Learning Environment), and provide specific behavioral examples (Follow Staff Directions). Behavioral expectations and problem-solving skills are taught through ASD’s Great Body Shop and Anti-Bullying Curriculums.  In addition, teachers and administrators teach Cooperative Learning, Kelso’s Choices and mediation techniques to help students develop problem-solving skills. 
• Appropriate Behaviors are Acknowledged: Once expectations are taught, students at Russian Jack are acknowledged when they meet them.  Russian Jack acknowledges students through a number of formal and informal initiatives including awards assemblies, Moose Club 200, earned privileges, and the simplicity of a personal thank you. The goal is for each student to receive positive adult interactions four times as often as they receive negative interactions. 
• Behavioral Errors are Corrected Proactively: When students violate behavioral expectations at Russian Jack, clear procedures are in place for communicating to students that their behavior is unacceptable and what the predictable consequences of that behavior will be. Please see the next section for specifics on discipline procedures and consequences.