HOW BEST TO HOLD STUDENTS ACCOUNTABLE

JULITA B. AMURAO

Why does it throbbing teachers to hold students responsible?

Why are some so quick to ignore misbehavior, look the other way, or make excuses for it?

Accountability is important, right? So what’s the problem? Teachers are slow to hold students accountable because… It can be stressful and at times seem more trouble than it’s worth.

They fear that strict accountability could make students resentful and therefore increase bad behavior. Holding students accountable hasn’t worked well for them in the past; the same students break the same rules over and over again. Ignoring misbehavior can seem like a better, less stressful option. They have deep compassion for students with tough home lives and can be reluctant to hold them accountable. They don’t want students to think they’re mean.

I understand these concerns. They’re valid and can feel too big to overcome. But it’s possible to hold students accountable for every incident of misbehavior while eliminating these concerns.

Accountability requires a particular attitude on the part of the teacher. It is a way of thinking that produces (in the teacher) behaviors that eliminate the concerns associated with holding students accountable. Acquire the attitude, and accountability will work the way it’s supposed to. This accountability attitude is easier to remember if condensed into a single strategy is a personal reminder that student misbehavior is not about you. It’s about them. You’re not the one who misbehaved. You didn’t decide to play around and be silly during literature circles. You didn’t make fun of another student. You didn’t leave your seat without permission. So why should you carry the burden or suffer any consequence. Breaking classroom rules is a choice students make. The responsibility for making such choices lies solely with them.

You are bound by your classroom management plan and therefore have but one choice when a student misbehaves: enforce a consequence. In holding students accountable, you’re doing what is best for them. Once your students understand the first three points, accountability will become much more effective a reminder for you that you’re doing the right thing despite how difficult some students have it outside the walls of your classroom.

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The author is Master Teacher I at Francisco G. Nepomuceno Memorial High School, Division of Angeles City