Blog - Sound Discipline

18Nov 2021 by Mary Power

#EducatorsAreShowingUp

Our Inspiring Story this month (and probably next month too) is you!

Whether you are an educator in Washington or Oregon, or somewhere in Indiana reading this on your laptop in the dead of night. Educators – we see you. You’re showing up. When school was abruptly cancelled on Friday, November 12, many more people became aware of the pressures on educators as they navigate the third school year impacted by the pandemic.

This week, a teacher confided in one of our staff that she had yelled at one of her students because they answered a FaceTime call during class. …

17Nov 2021 by Mary Power

Shifting from Power-Over to Power-With When Working with Young People

In the News, Point of View, Teachers, Uncategorized

“If I could wave a magic wand, my students would understand how thrilling it can be to take control of their learning. My co-workers would understand how much more of an enriching experience it is for both us and the humans who are our students to buy in to their learning.”

- - - Sara Wozniak-Randall, 7th grade Pacific Northwest History, Dimmitt Middle School

Sound Discipline’s work is about power. Our work invites adults who work with youth to shift from practices based in control and compliance to practices based in shared power. The principles of shared power are basic to …

12Oct 2021 by Mary Power

What Happened to You?

Brain Science, In the News, Point of View, Trauma

When I was a kid in the late 1960s and early 70s, I attended St. Rita’s school in a little town called Sierra Madre. The culture was corporal punishment and shame. It wasn’t until 5th grade that I had a teacher who did not use physical violence or terror. None of this seemed unusual. My experience was common. We found ways to navigate and survive. Kids’ stories of themselves and one another were shaped by shame and fear – those stories shaped the course of our lives. My story was that adults could not be trusted. I did not respect …

12Oct 2021 by Mary Power

Lunch time! How Bryn Mawr Elementary Creates Community in the Lunchroom

Connection, Inspiring Stories, Routines, Teachers

We all have distant memories of a loud, chaotic lunchroom, where students often had their heads down for being too loud and left lunch a bit dysregulated and less ready to learn. At Bryn Mawr Elementary, the staff has creatively addressed one of the key sources of stress for all schools this year – how to manage the lunchroom in the wake of a pandemic.

Lunch time at Bryn Mawr Elementary

They wanted to create opportunities for students to learn and be part of community throughout the day, and that included lunch time. The classified staff met in August to …

16Sep 2021 by Mary Power

Gathering Student Input Helps Create New & Effective Solutions

Feelings and emotions, Inspiring Stories, Teachers

Redwood Elementary in Grants Pass, Oregon is one of the schools in our District Partnerships pilot program. Last school year, the school’s data team collected data about student behaviors that were most challenging to the staff. One of the challenging behaviors was defiance.

Initially the team started thinking about it from the teachers’ perspective, wondering what other tools could be used to deal with student behavior that appeared defiant. Before they implemented any tools, they decided to gather some information from students. Teachers talked to students individually and had class discussions. What they learned surprised them. As students shared, a …

16Sep 2021 by Mary Power

Repackaging Consequences Does Not Create Equitable Learning Communities

In the News, Point of View, Race and Equity

As the new executive director of Sound Discipline, I spend a lot of time studying everything I can about education equity, and social emotional learning.

A few weeks ago, I read an article that I found disturbing: “How Novice and Expert Teachers Approach Classroom Management Differently.” Citing a 2021 study, the author asserts that it “reveals the ways in which new and experienced teachers think about discipline – plus 5 takeaways for managing your classroom effectively this year.”

I posted it on Sound Discipline’s internal Slack, asking colleagues, “Does this article bug you?” Here are highlights of …

23Aug 2021 by Mary Power

Third Annual “Designing Our Own Learning” Summer Intensive

Inspiring Stories

This summer Sound Discipline hosted our third annual “Designing Our Own Learning” (DOOL) intensive summer program. For a look back at the first two years of the program, check out Facilitator Alan Wong’s post on the College Spark Foundation’s blog.

For two weeks in August, diverse students and teachers from Evergreen High School and Dimmitt Middle School joined together online with Sound Discipline facilitators to build authentic community, develop youth leadership and advocate for equitable practices within schools.

DOOL 2021 students, educators and Sound Discipline staff.

Built on a strong foundation of community and trust building, the DOOL 2021 process …

20Aug 2021 by Mary Power

The Problem with ‘Learning Loss’ Part II: My Conversation with Jessica Calabrese-Granger, Chief of School Improvement in Renton, Washington

In the News, Online Learning, Teachers

“Discipline is an outcome; engagement is an opportunity.” -Jessica Calabrese-Granger

In my last post at the close of the 2020/21 school year, I shared my conversation about ‘learning loss’ with Regina Elmi of the organization Supporting Partnerships in Education and Beyond (SPEB). We discussed that while much of the collective conversation in education was on the topic of ‘learning loss’, there have been unexpected gifts of distance learning – time with family, the chance for kids to focus and go deeper on a passion, closer sibling relationships, and authentic bonds between classroom teachers, and students and families. Regina’s experience reinforced …

10Jun 2021 by Mary Power

Lakeridge Elementary Engages in Culturally Relevant SEL Content Schoolwide/ K-5th grade

Inspiring Stories

This month we are featuring some important work being done by two educators at Lakeridge Elementary School in the Renton School District. Jenna Middleton, SEL coach, and Angela Varela, counselor, began with a few questions – What could it look like for our students to receive culturally relevant and responsive lessons? How could we incorporate opportunities for reflection after these lessons every month?

These two educators have dedicated this school year to crafting supplemental resources and additional content for Lakeridge students— based on the social emotional learning standards. Using a different topic each month, classroom teachers are given a set …

09Jun 2021 by Mary Power

The Problem with ‘Learning Loss’ Part 1: Outcomes vs. Experiences

In the News, Point of View, Racial Justice

“The learning loss narrative does not bring us together. It’s not the teacher’s fault; it’s not one school. It’s a systemic problem that goes back to before the pandemic.” – Regina Elmi, Co-founder of Supporting Partnerships in Education and Beyond

As the country emerges from a global pandemic, we at Sound Discipline are paying attention to the conversation in education and policy circles about ‘learning loss.’ Applying the lenses of test scores, academic milestones, and SEL metrics, state and district superintendents are feeling and passing on the pressure to quantify and replace standards-based content not delivered in online …