Sample Behavior Contract

A tale of two realities

The proliferation of mass media brings examples of athletic misbehavior to our attention on a daily basis. Newspapers with their "jurisprudence" sections and the daily sportswire, television, talk radio, and internet sites compete with each other to trumpet the latest assortment of domestic violence, drunk driving, gunplay, and NCAA violations.

For every Kenny Britt (left), there are several players who never run into any issues.

This cacophony of "athletes as thugs" reporting would lead one to believe that off-field athletic conduct has disintegrated into lawlessness and out of control behavior. Fans compare current athletes to the pristine days of yesteryear and bemoan the decline in the standards of conduct. The problem with highlighting every misadventure of thousands of high school, collegiate and professional athletes and coaches is that it unfairly maligns the overwhelming majority of players who lead disciplined, law-abiding lives as role models.

The "good old days" were a myth. When athletes in the 1950's beat up their wives, had multiple affairs, engaged in drunken revelry and destroyed property, sportswriters covered for them and did not report it. Writers followed a "gentlemen's code" and left private conduct private. These writers were heavily dependent on access to players and—subsidized with food and travel by football owners—did not report that a starting quarterback was a racist, philandering, alcoholic wife beater. The universally read daily newspaper was the main source of information for fans and acted like a fan club for sports.

The repetitive news cycle of 2011 takes the same story and delivers it a hundred times a day. One incident is magnified by repetition. After seeing LAPD officers beat up Rodney King on videotape thousands of times, the impression is created that the LAPD beats up black motorists all day every day. Ryan Leaf may have had his problems, but after seeing the tape over and over of him yelling at a reporter in the locker room one time, it created the impression that Leaf was belligerent and disturbed every day.

Remember when Governor Howard Dean elevated his speaking tone in a post-primary speech? It was repeated hundreds of times and completely undercut his image as a potential Presidential contender.

When this process occurs with athletes, it creates a lifetime impression based on limited behavior and distorts the overall picture of athletes as a whole.

Parent Contracts: Student Behavior Contracts

Student behavior contracts are a great way for parents, teachers, and students to work together to create a successful plan for establishing the best behavior from each child. A behavior contract can be used for students with disruptive behavior problems that need to be addressed or just as a general classroom rule set for all children in a class to help maintain discipline and order. There a number of sample behavior contracts available online. They range from simple, this is what is expected and these are the specific consequences for when the rules are not followed, to awards that can be earned through continually making good choices. No matter the type of contract that is being used, the parent, student, and teacher all need to be involved in creating the behavior contract, all need to agree to each part, and sign the contract saying they agree. If the student behavior contract is being used to correct behavior you should also set up regular meetings to access how it is working, what, if any, changes need to be made and to get a general feeling of how well it is working and how each participant feels about it. If the child has a number of behavior problems that need to be addressed, you may want to start with one behavior and as the child masters each one, add another. This will help keep the child from becoming overwhelmed or feeling like s/he is being picked on. The key to success with any behavior contract, be it student behavior contracts, parent contracts, or any other form, is consistency. Make sure that expectations are very clear and that consequences all well defined as well, then follow through every single time . If there is any question as to whether or not the consequences will be carried out, your chance of success diminishes greatly. This may seem overwhelming at first but it is the only way to achieve a successful outcome. Always make the process as positive as possible. Don't focus on negative behavior, choose to focus on the positive behavior that is expected. Reassure the child that you are there to help him/her be the best they can be.

School discipline, best practices for administrators

Teaching Kids With Mental Health and Learning Disorders in the Regular Classroom, How to Recognize, Understand, and Help Challenged (And Challenging) Students Succeed

Discipline Survival Guide for the Secondary Teacher

The New Elementary Teacher's Handbook, Flourishing in Your First Year

The General Educator's Guide to Special Education