I am an obedient student. I do what I’m supposed to and rarely talk in class. And still, when a few students get out of control, I get punished along with everyone else because of the other students’ poor behavior choices in class. 

I don’t think group punishment is fair, and, honestly, it gives students another reason to hate school.

It makes the tension in the classroom rise with the students who know they did something wrong, the students who are under control, and the teacher who is trying to gather his or her frustration.

I realize that collective punishment is used because sometimes it is the only thing the teacher can do. 

And in some cases, it works, but doesn’t usually last long. The problem comes back the next day or week.

Then students begin to feel that there is no point in behaving well because they’ll get punished either way. 

It can be demotivating or even frustrating for the students who are usually well-behaved. 

For example, certain privileges are taken away as a result of an issue, which is not fair for any of the people who were not at all involved.

Penny Rabiger from Teachwire said, “It’s not like we close entire roads because some people drink and drive.”

Managing a class is probably one of the hardest things for a teacher, especially if they’re new to the job.

To help, teachers can include students in deciding solutions.

You’d be surprised; sometimes students come up with more stern consequences than the teachers currently use.

Teachers should take the specific people causing problems and speak to them individually about the consequences.

We need to work together to solve attitudes and other issues so that the classroom environment is better than it often is.