I was unable to get her back on track. However, as I thought about it I realized that she had made every choice in the situation. I had offered her choices and explained what the consequences of her continued choice to talk would be, but she still chose to talk. Reinforcing her good decision at the end of the situation was meant not to control her behavior but to remind her that she is capable of making good choices when she wants. I also believe students should be responsible for managing their own behavior.
Children are perfectly capable of taking responsibility for their own actions.
I do not mean that as teachers we should expect the same behavior out of a fourth grade student as a second grade student. There are some developmental differences that prevent this from occurring. However, all students can learn to take responsibility for what they know is right. My experiences with fourth grade students illustrate that students at any age are able to be responsible in some way. For example, the students in my room and my mentor teacher had a discussion at the beginning of the year about talking.