Discipline With Purpose

Saint Jerome Catholic School believes in Discipline With Purpose,
a development approach to teaching self-discipline.

The program is based on 15 self-discipline skills that provide adults and students with a common way to talk about growing and becoming self-directed. The skills are developmentally appropriate to show how they can relate to one another in a positive manner.

The goal of Discipline With Purpose is to promote self-discipline.

Saint Jerome Catholic School believes each student is responsible for his/her own behavior and in maintaining a Christian atmosphere within the school. Respect for oneself, others, authority and property, and the maintenance of a safe and healthy environment in which to learn is at the heart of Saint Jerome’s philosophy of discipline. Students are to behave in a manner, which is morally responsible and brings credit to themselves, their families, and the school. Parental support is an important part of the school’s discipline policy.

Basic Skills

Prompted: Birth-K
Internalized: Grs. K-3rd

Listening
Following Instructions
Questioning
Sharing: Time, Space, People and Things
Exhibiting Social skills

Constructive Skills

Prompted Grs. K-3rd
Internalized Grs. 3-7

Cooperating with Others
Understanding the Reason for Rules
Independently Completing a Task
Exhibiting Leadership
Communicating Effectively

Generative Skills

Prompted Grs. K-7th
Internalized Grs. 7-12

Organizing: Time, Space, People, Things
Resolving Mutual Problems
Taking the Initiative in Problem Solving
Distinguishing Fact From Feeling
Sacrificing/Serving Others

Grouping the Skills

The skills are grouped into three categories. While children of all ages can be taught something about all fifteen skills, during some phases of a child’s development it is best to focus on certain skills.

The first five skills are called Basic Skills. They are difficult for children in Kindergarten through the end of grade 3 to demonstrate on their own without help. The most basic of all skills is Listening. The symbol for the Basic Skills is the handshake. It reminds us that people need people in order to get along in an institutional environment.

The second five skills are called Constructive Skills. Children in grades 4-7 are developmentally ready to learn these 5 skills. The symbol to represent the second set of skills is the liberty bell, since learning the rights and responsibilities expected of members of our society requires citizens to use Constructive Skills.

Five additional skills are learned from grades 8-High School. The last five skills are called Generative Skills. The demonstration of Generative Skills requires a more comprehensive world view. People are motivated to demonstrate these higher level skills when the needs of others can be recognized and are considered to be important. The symbol of the transmitter reminds us that people who want to make changes in the institutional or democratic environments must transmit what they know to transform the world in which we live.

Please refer to the Discipline With Purpose website for a more comprehensive explanation of this program.