"As
a teacher I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the
decisive element in the classroom. It is my personal approach that
creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. As a
teacher, I possess tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or
joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I
can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations it is my
response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or
de-escalated, and a child humanized or dehumanized." Haim Ginott
Before
students can engage in the learning process, they need to feel safe and
accepted. As an educator, my goal is to create that atmosphere in my
classroom. One way of achieving this goal is to have a strong classroom
management philosophy. From the first day of class, it is important
for students to understand that they are all expected to follow the
classroom rules. In addition to the original set of rules, I will have
my students participate as a group to come up with additional rules and
procedures. I feel that if students are included in establishing rules
and procedures, they will feel ownership of those rules and be more
likely to follow the rules.
Ronald
Morrish stated that discipline is “about teaching and learning, not
scolding and punishing.” Another important idea from Ronald Morrish is
that discipline should not be what you do when students misbehave but
what you do in advance so that students don’t misbehave. That should be
the goal of any classroom management strategy. The goal of my
strategies is to foster an academic environment in which all students
can succeed.
I
borrowed from Linda Albert’s Cooperative Discipline idea to implement
my strategies. I will teach the strategy, enforce the strategy,
reinforce the strategy, and involve students and parents. I will
communicate my management strategies to both students and parents. The
rules and procedures will be posted in the classroom and reviewed as
often as necessary. Students will understand that I will enforce these
rules and procedures consistently and fairly. Most importantly, I will
model the behavior that I expect from my students.
I will use several different strategies to
redirect students before a situation can escalate including creating a
consistent classroom routine so students know what to expect every day;
nonverbal cues such as eye contact or physical proximity to students;
and positive narration to bring attention to positive behavior instead
of negative behavior. If a situation does arise, I will first give a
verbal reminder to either the entire class or a specific student. Next,
will be a verbal or written warning. Any warning to an individual
student will not be done in front of the classroom. The idea is not to
embarrass the student, but to correct the behavior. If the behavior
continues, the student will receive a detention. Finally, if I cannot
correct the behavior with these steps, I will refer the student to the
office. Each step along the way, I will keep in contact with the
parents and ask for their assistance with the situation.
Finally,
I will encourage my student in self-discipline and being responsible
for their actions. I will provide them with green/yellow/red cards to
use to let me know if they are on task or need help. I will not expect
more from them than I am willing to give of myself. I will let them
know that I am there for them and that I believe in them. I will
encourage them to take pride in their work and to always do their best.
I will support my students in standing up for themselves and others. I
will model kindness, respect and acceptance for my students. I will be
an inspiration to my students and allow them to inspire me.
Campbell, D. (2012). Discipline Without Anger. New York: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.