Editor's Note

Keeping the Peace

Marilyn Milloy, Editor-in-Chief

I can’t remember the first time I held out my hand to let a teacher whack it with a ruler, but I am certain it was not the last. Down South, back in the day, it was the rare student who escaped this ritual of “research-based” discipline. The rules were simple: pick a fight, say a nasty word, talk unkindly about somebody’s clothes (or heaven forbid, their mom)—and, as the old folk liked to say, your goose was cooked. 

Despite the fear that loomed, it was never clear to me that the ruler really worked for my classmates and me; we were repeat offenders, all. Yet somehow—and this owed as much to the civility of the times as anything—school life did tool along in relative peace. 

The world, of course, is a different place now. As our September 2005 cover story notes, educators grapple with a whole lot more than flying spitballs and schoolyard spats. Discipline problems often confound to the point of sapping the spirit. How do you show you’re in charge (and care, too, thank you) without being mocked or ignored? What do you do with all that attitude, all those bare midriffs, all that ugly hallway banter? 

The good cheer here is that there are answers—really, many—and they don’t entail lining up the class with a ruler in hand. They’re common sense, innovative tricks of the trade that come by way of your colleagues who’ve lived and learned. We serve them up to you in this issue with hopes that as the school year kicks off, you’ll step into the classroom feeling empowered and hopeful—and that you stay that way until the last bell rings.  

Call it our welcome back gift. Ponder, use, discard what you don’t need—and then write, call or e-mail , and tell us what’s working and what’s not. We love hearing from you because it’s what makes this vast community of educators, well, a community. So be in touch. But above all, have a great year. We can’t wait to share it with you

Photo: gettyimages