The “Trouble” with School Behavior and Discipline Policies in Neoliberal Times

Acknowledgments

When I reflect on who I wish to thank for assisting me in creating this book, I return to those memories of adults who taught me the values of social justice, respect for others, fairness and accommodating difference. These were the teachers who took the time to understand the child, even when the child was either too restless or too still.

These were also the teachers that engaged and motivated me in my journey as secondary school teacher and later as academic and research scholar. Significant mentors and role models in this journey include John Smyth, Peter McInerney and Robert Hattam, whose dedication to social justice advocacy and activism in school and community renewal have not only been inspirational but have also shown that change is indeed possible during neoliberal times. These are the wise “elders” of my journey. The “young(er)” gurus who have connected us all and continued to show me the way have included Stewart Riddle and Andrew Hickey, whose dedication to reclaiming the relational and continual drive for democracy provide hope for education into the future.

The School Exclusions Policy and Practice research team, Education Futures, University South Australia, have provided essential support to continue researching within the educational field of school behavior and discipline. I thank Jamie Manolev for recommending contemplating writing a book all that time ago, and I thank Anna Sullivan for leading and keeping our team “on task” toward completion of this important project that I know will have national and international impact.

I also wish to acknowledge teaching colleagues and those students I interviewed from both case study schools who provided the stories to bring their own understandings, experiences, insights and versions of school managerial reform and discipline policy enactments; from the classrooms, into the world, for others to be informed. I am confident that these voices will resonate and linger in shaking things up for a long while.

Barry Down has been my greatest mentor of all time. He has been patient, professional and encouraging since the very first tutorial of his I attended in 1995. I was not keen to participate in the compulsory units required for completing the degree that I had delayed and ignored, because in the past, I could find no relevance. I was not interested in history, politics, and critical social theory; and yet these components of that course, and the scholarly and academic journey that Barry continued to mentor, have formed the solid and secure framework of this very book!

Shirley Steinberg has been the radical “big sister” and wise scholar I always wanted in my life and “thank you forever,” Barry, for introducing us. Also, thanks to both Barry and Shirley, I now have supportive critical scholars, friends, and families from afar that I continue to be inspired by after meeting them at the 10^th Annual Freire Project congress in Bilbao, Spain in 2018.

Barry and the team from Education Futures, University of South Australia also introduced me to my copyeditor, Kate Leeson. I want to sit down and have an appreciative conversation with my new “best friend,” Kate, in person, to express my absolute gratitude. I am in awe of her graceful, intuitive, and thorough feedback and expertise.

I would like to thank Alison Jefferson, Joshua Charles and Naviya Palani, editors from Peter Lang Publishers for navigating my manuscript toward final production and of course I am deep in appreciation of Shirley Steinberg, Series Editor, for providing this amazing opportunity to have my work “out there” [keeping] “my inner world awake” (C. W. Mills, 1959, p. 217).

Finally, I acknowledge my dear family and friends who have continued to encourage me to finish the chapters contained within this book over the duration of half my lifetime. I am indebted to you all for your support to have it completed before my 70^th birthday party!