Nick Maloy MusEd 356 Choral Methods I

The CARE and Feeding of Students Ester, Don P. September, 2000

The article by Ester mainly concerns the establishment of a consistent discipline policy that helps with effective classroom management, while caring and providing for the needs of the students in the classroom. The biggest point I noticed was Esters differentiation between a teacher who uses the CARE approach and a teacher who is considered a student pleaser. I thought this was probably the most important point of the article. Having come from a program where the teacher would probably be considered a student pleaser, it is important not to follow my own experiences and fall into that category. I dont however, believe this will be an issue for me, I tend to be very consistent about discipline, but Ive never felt as though students were nervous around me or feared me. Enforcing consistent discipline does not mean being unfriendly, and I think that is one of the finer points in this article that is important. By using the CARE approach students can respect their teacher, while knowing that they are not a friend but rather a mentor. I think that the CARE approach is probably the most effective way to create a discipline policy for the classroom that is fair and firm, while still allowing for a creative and open atmosphere.