Reflection 9 Classroom Management/Discipline

“Intelligence plus character-that is the true goal of education.” In my opinion, Gloria Stevinson is saying that the end result of education in any system is producing capable intelligent students as well as respectable law-abiding citizens. One aspect in the process of producing these individuals is discipline. Discipline can come in many forms and it can be handled in many ways. Students as well as teachers can handle discipline positively or negatively. A student knows when they are misbehaving, a teacher won’t just go off on an unsuspecting student who is quietly paying attention or doing their work. A student is usually warned or given prior opportunities to behave better. Once the teacher decides to discipline the student, the student can react positively, and say “yes, I deserve this discipline.” Or the student can react negatively, and deny any wrongdoing. Teachers can be positive in their discipline and not berate or intentionally embarrass the student. But on the other hand, a teacher can be negative in their discipline when they purposefully embarrass a student in order to make themselves look dominant.
It isn’t just the reactions to discipline that are important but also the discipline itself. Detentions are the norm in most high schools across the country, however they are not always the best option when dealing with a difficult student. In my experiences, a student who is frequently purposefully misbehaving is a student who is seeking attention. Sometimes giving the student a detention is exactly what that student wants, and by giving the detention you are just reinforcing his behavior. Perhaps a better option would be to tell the student to sit outside the classroom and therefore, not be able to disrupt the class any longer. A trip down to the principles office is another option that could be applied, however, if the behavior was nothing more than childish misbehavior, I feel that ignoring the student altogether or just sending the student outside the classroom can be beneficial. The misbehaving student is getting much attention all alone.
There are also different programs of discipline, which we were introduced to and discussed in class on Monday night. Assertive discipline, positive discipline, choice theory, and congruent communication are all different programs of discipline and classroom management. If I were to choose one of these programs to implement in my own classroom it would be a mix between assertive discipline and positive discipline. I like the teacher being in control part of assertive discipline but I also know that I will give students chances and conduct myself in a professional manner. I know that I will be tested but I feel that with my personality I will always try to keep the best interest of the student in mind. I would like to be positive and not embarrass students while at the same time providing the discipline and structure that is required.
Intelligence plus character is the combination that will make students successful during and after they finish school, and it is the responsibility of teachers too!