To not like "taking points away" for bad behaviour

[NapQueen]

At dds school they award Monster Points for good behaviour and choices.

Ive never been one for getting too involved in the schools choices, and remind dd (y1) to always do her best and make good choices regardless of points.

However this year (Monster points run through from the preschool upwards so dd has been in this scheme for four years) the class teacher has decided she will deduct monster points for bad behaviour.

Examples of this are kids not sitting sensibly on the carpet, kids fidgetting at their desks, kids dawdling. All stuff that i can well imagine is a total PITA when trying to shepherd 30 kids through the day.

Its the first time ive really heard them do something I disagree with. The points were earnt and should remain as an indicator of good behaviour. If the teacher wants to or needs to reprimand bad behviour why cant that be managed another way?

I think its quite a mean thing to do tbh and maybe a lazy consequence as it doesnt really challenge the misbehaviour.

Does your school do this?

What is it that you specifically dislike about it?

I’ve never done sticker charts or anything like that at home but it’s quite standard in school. (Or traffic lights etc)

It’s a visual way for a child to keep track of their own behaviour and see a comparison to the class.

If the child behaves badly I’m sure they will also be reprimanded by the teacher and an explanation give for points removed.

It’s a teaching aid

What other way would you suggest? Finding a consequence for bad behaviour that is a genuine deterrent but not humiliating or emotionally damaging for a class of 30 very different young children can't be easy and will never be perfect. Using a points system and taking points away seems pretty uncontroversial to me.

I agree. Points earned should never be taken away . it has nothing to do with thier previous good behaviour.
Having done parenting classes with cahms this was emphasised soany times. I have never done it with my kids.

So many times ( stupid phone)

I'm with you op. I think positive re-enforcement should be positive. Points added for being kind to a classmate shouldn't be negated by not sitting still on the carpet.
The traffic light system is different as nothing tangible is added or taken away. Everyone starts the day on green. Child doesn't sit still they go to Amber. Then listens and sits still back to green, keeps wriggling moves to red.
Many classes use both systems one for instant visual behavioural support.
Points for a longer term goal.
I think both are valid and useful, but once points are earnt they should be kept.

Become a teacher and show us all how it's done.

If it is only one teacher in the school who is removing points then it’s not very fair and I would take it up with the School as they are not using the reward system how it was intended.
(My DC’s school has a points system for good and bad behaviour - they are tallied separately but cancel each other out, so a child can be given 10 good points and 10 bad points but overall score would be zero).

It's a system that is proven to work and as long as the teacher is fair then I agree with it and used it in my classroom.

Really can't see a problem with it. The kids will learn pretty soon to behave and I'm sure they won't be too psychologically damaged

Snape approves this decision.

I agree OP its a mixed message. Rewards are rewards - how long do you have to be good for to actually keep the reward?

The teacher is basically saying 'If youre good once, but then also continually good for an indeterminate amount of time, you can have a point.'

This isnt fair and isnt appropriate for children who often need things to be on shorter time scales than adults.

I am a teacher. Doesnt make me right but I do have experience.

They do a similar system at my kids school, It works.

I think that it's a good reflection of the real world. If you do something good followed by something bad the bad dimishes the positive effects that the good thing will have on your life.

Also totally agree with EggsonHeads

It depends on how you look at it.

A) Removing a point for previous good behaviour because of bad behaviour - seems a bit unfair because, as you say, bad behaviour shouldn't negate good behaviour.
B) 'Adding' a negative point, which has the effect of reducing the total point score - seems reasonable to me
This.

Our students are given positive points for good actions, attitude and work.
Negative points get taken off that total so their record would look like this:
+1 good work
+3 act of kindness

• 1 not following instructions

+2 good homework -3 lesson disruption

I have no issue with totals going down for misbehaviour and no issue pulling children up for low level dosruption because if you clamp down on low.level disruption you can reduce most big things.

We have two totally different points system at DS school using Dojo. Anyone else have this?
So they get green dojo point: good
And red dojo points: bad

It's works because you can easily see where continual issues arise.

For eg DS has 45 green dojo points and 6 red. It's easy to check with the teacher (and with DS) why he got those 6 points, see a pattern (for him it's getting too excited and calling out).

I imagine the class teacher can also track behaviour better and decide on strategies.

I'm a secondary teacher so it's all different here.

faff
Ours is like that too (also secondary).
One of my old schools used ClassCharts and so do some local scbools.

Sorry I meant DS primary school use Dojo points but I'm at a secondary where it's all different.

We have Sims points which is similar-ish. 4 is good. This builds up to certificates and prizes. If you get a 1 in a lesson you get a tutor detention and a build up of these leads to head of year detention and so on and so on.

'If you're good once, but then also continually good for an indeterminate amount of time, you can have a point.'

It’s not an “indeterminate” amount of time though. It’s always. (surely?)

I expect my D.C. to always be good, to never lose points and to always remain on green.

The expectation shouldn’t be, “be extraspecially good occasionally to get more points and behave how you like otherwise”

The expectation should sure be “behave to the very best of your ability all the time out of respect for your teacher, consideration for your peers and because it will enhance your ability to learn.”

So what’s the reason for points then? Of course the aim for all our children is that they are kind, polite and hard working so that everyone is happy and learning. But ic everyone behaved like this all the time then rewards and sanctions wouldn’t exist.

In this instance a reward system does exist. Presumably the children aren’t, mostly, rewarded for consistent good behaviour but for specific things like being extra helpful, trying really hard and do on. When you reward a specific behaviour it isn’t fair to say ‘but who knows how long that reward will last’

This kind of system is particularly unhelpful for children who struggle to be sensible - ones who get giddy, are a bit immature or who get cross easily. They are left with s feeling of ‘why bother?’ when rewards are regularly taken away and effort isn’t recognised. Being ‘good’ can actually be quite hard work.