Group Discipline and Consequences While Traveling

Group discipline is hard enough if you are in your classroom, however when you're at school help is merely down the hall in the principal's office. When on an organization trip, usually the decision on which to do should come right down to you because the leader. The simplest way to protect yourself from the strain of this type of decision would be to be sure that your school or organization includes a very straightforward conduct policy and that it specifies what the results are if these rules are broken. It is not enough merely to state this policy verbally. Put it on paper and require that participants and their parents sign off onto it before you leave. The first choice should take copies of the signed documents along on the trip.

Once you have the conduct agreements signed, cross your fingers and say just a little prayer that you will not need to utilize them. Certainly, in the event that you travel a whole lot with minors, ultimately you'll have a problem. Hopefully your policy has different degrees of consequences for different infractions, but regardless of the policy dictates is everything you must do. Even though this means hiring a cab and taking the student to the airport at 6am to be sent home for hiding cigarettes in her suitcase. It really is when this ultimate scenario plays out that the real group leader is tested. No group leader really wants to send home a participant or perhaps a student, particularly when this will bring about additional cost for the student's family or for the sponsoring organization. Failing woefully to continue and execute certain requirements of the conduct policy will literally and completely destroy your reputation as a leader. It could hurt for a while, but adhere to your principals and always continue with any consequences you present. You will end up a stronger and much more respected leader because of this.