Why Everyone Should Have to Teach…Once — Part 4

Rachel Fisher

Mar 16

A Word About Discipline in the Modern Era

A friend of mine was getting her degree in Education and started her student teaching. She was placed in an elementary school and within her first two days an angry six-year-old girl threatened her life. (In case you read my last post, I’m not trying to pick on this age group, all age groups have their moments.)

Now, some might find this amusing: the idea of a little one popping a hip or arching an eyebrow and thinking she can scare a teacher. They’d laugh it off. But did you know that there have been elementary school students who’ve brought guns to school? It’s no laughing matter.

Some would think, “Well, I wouldn’t put up with that nonsense.”

Ok. So what’s your move?

• Putting your hands on a child in any way is forbidden, AS IT SHOULD BE.
• Confinement, yelling, threatening, or intimidating can all be fireable offenses. (Yes, teachers can be fired. It’s just not as common/easy as in the corporate world.)
• You could send her to the Principal’s office, but that just kicks a can down the road, because she’ll be back in your classroom in no time and you’ll butt heads again (and again and again) if you can’t fix the problem.
• You could call her parents, but there’s no guarantee that they will see the situation from “your side.” Plus, you must consider the fact that children who are acting out may be doing so because things aren’t great at home. Or they may have a behavioral disorder that makes it harder for them to control their impulses. Which makes it all the more important that you control yours!

So now what? What’s left in your “go-to” disciplinary toolbox?

I have no idea what this is…but I’m certain that it’s also “out” as an option.

OH! And remember that while this is happening there’s an entire classroom of other children whom you have to direct and manage, which leaves you little/no time for a deep dive into “teachable moments.” You have to find a way to establish both understanding and correction quickly and move on.

The truth is that loving, consistent guidance and discipline takes incredible skill, practice, and patience. And this skill set is not even part of what parents think of as a teacher’s core responsibilities. They think of the academic side of what teachers do, but the academics can’t happen if the classroom is in chaos.

The next time that a child you know makes you want to tear out your hair, close your eyes and imagine that on repeat all day long and you’ll have a better idea of what teaching can be like, on a bad day. The good news is that great teachers handle this with aplomb and manage to have many more good days than bad, but it’s not without intense effort and commitment.

And in case you think I’m moralizing, you’re right. In the moment when you’re about to make a sweeping, negative generalization about teachers, I want you to close your eyes and imagine yourself in a classroom, being challenged by a student or group of students, and think of how thankful you are that someone chooses to do this every day — to accept the challenge of molding young people into grownups for a living.

I promise that it will change the way you think about “education” forever.