On a recent afternoon at Nystrom Elementary School, fourth grade teacher Rodney LaFleur asked his class to read along with him during a lesson on the American Revolution. Before he could finish, he noticed one boy who didn’t have the reading material on his desk staring across the room. LaFleur told him to pay attention, and the boy pulled out the crumpled reading assignment.
“Go to the closet,” LaFleur, 25, told him. The student had been warned already that day to stay on task, and LaFleur was frustrated. The open closet, filled with textbooks, dodgeballs and signs about managing emotions – “write about it” and “stretch or exercise” – is where LaFleur sends students who are disruptive and off-task.
