Close the Six Exits off the Road to Responsibility
Improving Student Behavior Requires a Proactive Approach
The six essential concepts of Responsibility-Centered Discipline work together to keep students moving forward in taking responsibility for their actions. By mastering these concepts, educators can recognize and effectively close the "exits" students use to avoid accountability.
1. Benefit for Changing Behavior
Students are motivated by personal long-term and short-term benefits for changing their behavior. Highlighting these benefits reduces the chance of the student exiting responsibility with thoughts like, "Why should I?" or "What's in it for me?"
2. Emotional Control
We must only require of students what we are willing to model ourselves. If teachers maintain control of their own emotions, students cannot exit responsibility by claiming, "She yelled at me, too" or "Why do I have to be respectful, if he's going to act like that?"
3. Clear Expectations
Displaying the school's foundations in every classroom and hallway reinforces what is clearly expected. Pointing students to shared expectations of respect, hard work, and honesty minimizes the times you will hear the exit: "I didn't know."
4. Consistency
When all educators are skilled in using consistent frameworks and use them reliably when working through challenging moments, we eliminate the exit: "Other teachers let me do it."
5. Leadership in Challenging Moments
Educators who work through challenging moments without giving away their leadership show profound respect for students. Handling issues directly rather than saying, "Go to the office," strengthens the educator's authority and eliminates exits such as, "Can I just go to the office?"
6. Response-Ability
When students are allowed time to generate solutions for their own problems and to articulate and implement those solutions, true accountability occurs. This keeps responsibility with the student, rather than shifting it back to the educator, and eliminates exits like: "See! I told you it wouldn't work!"
Empower your Educators and Students
Equip your staff with the tools they need to foster true accountability and positive student behavior across your entire school.
– FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS –
What does “closing the six exits” mean in Responsibility-Centered Discipline?
Answer: The “exits” are common ways students avoid accountability (e.g., “Why should I?” “I didn’t know,” “Other teachers let me,” “Can I go to the office?”). The six concepts close these exits: Benefits for Changing Behavior answers “Why should I?”; Emotional Control modeled by adults blocks “She yelled at me, too”; Setting Clear Expectations prevents “I didn’t know”; Consistency across staff shuts down “Other teachers let me do it”; Leadership in Challenging Moments reduces “Can I just go to the office?”; and Response-Ability (students generating and implementing solutions) counters “See! I told you it wouldn’t work!”
How do I use “Benefits for Changing Behavior” without resorting to rewards?
Answer: Highlight authentic short- and long-term personal payoffs students care about — better relationships, smoother class time, increased trust and readiness for future goals —rather than transactional rewards. Understand the currency of the student, then connect the desired behavior to what he or she values. This answers “What’s in it for me?” in a way that builds ownership, not entitlement.
What does modeling emotional control and setting clear expectations look like day to day?
Answer: Adults consistently model the same respect, calm and self-control they require from students. Expectations are made visible and routine: post the school’s foundations in rooms and hallways, reference them before activities, and redirect by pointing back to shared norms (respect, hard work, honesty). This prevents the “I didn’t know” exit and removes excuses like “Why should I be respectful if the teacher isn’t?”
What does “Response-Ability” look like in practice, and how does it build accountability?
Answer: Give the student time to think about the behavior challenge, then prompt him or her to create his or her own plan to fix the problem. Follow up to reinforce the plan and reflect on results. Because the student designs and implements the solution, accountability is strengthened —preventing backsliding and the “See! I told you it wouldn’t work!” exit while deepening responsibility for choices and outcomes.
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