How a teacher views his role in helping to prepare students to be productive citizens is in part a reflection of his values about behavior, and its rewards and consequences. Without absolutely putting the reader to sleep with all the theoretical arguments and opinions about how behavior is best managed in a classroom, this page will focus on one of the most widely used, yet very controversial systems - assertive discipline. What follows is a brief synopsis of assertive discipline, an opposing point of view, and then, of course, some links to sites on the Internet where you can find more information. The name most associated with assertive discipline is Lee Canter. For Canter, students obey the rules because they get something out of doing so, or conversely, understand the consequences of breaking the rules.
Assertive discipline is likely the most widely used discipline plan in schools.
Teachers who use assertive discipline say they like it because it is easy to use and is generally effective. Assertive discipline is not without critics. One of the most interesting of these is John Covaleskie. His ideas about discipline are quite different from Canter's. These differences are important to understand, because they go to the heart of not just student behavior, but also to what schooling is for in the first place.