Some authority figures in education believe student behaviors to be "childish" and "disruptive" and "ignore that the curriculum powerfully influences student interest and involvement."(Kohn, 1996, pg. 191) The children are only reacting to how they are treated, and often times I see teachers and their tempers get out of hand. Instead of creating a classroom community, they create a classroom camp, complete with tedious activities and busy work. Instead of valuing student input in their learning, the learning is done for them in the sense that the teacher is telling the students what to fill in the blank. In a first grade classroom, discipline is essential to a working environment. There are several children in the room who are set to have emotional outbursts the second their self-esteem is shaken. A good discipline plan should be one of care for the students. Accountability has been a large movement in our school over the past decade. The expectation of accountability can be passed down to the students. If they work together within their own frame of rules, governed by a classroom consensus, then they may feel more comfortable to share, and write, and think, and do all of the things educators want students to do. We all have to make hundreds of decisions in our day, and it sis through these decisions that we can invite students to look at themselves and their own decisions. Teaching students meaningful decision-making skills empowers them to think critically of the world around them (Kohn, 1996, pg. 192). Emotions play a large role in classroom discipline, and we as teachers often find ourselves wishing to say the right words in order to get our point across in a non-threatening way. Reminding students of their part in a community of learners involves the other students as well. Teachers and students share a different connection than how students relate to other students. The level of respect shifts from the students being expected to respect the teacher, to the students respecting others by way of discussion about how behaviors should be carried out in the classroom. At the beginning of the year, host a series of rule making seminars with your students so that perhaps they can choose which versions sound the best in a tally-vote system. Feeling safe in the classroom, both physically and emotionally, is the main goal of my future classroom. I guess I share some of Alfie Kohn's beliefs when it comes to classroom management.
References
Kohn, A. (1996). Beyond Discipline. Education Week; 189-204.
References
Kohn, A. (1996). Beyond Discipline. Education Week; 189-204.