Michael Lamb

EDUC 558 Independent Reading

Fall Semester 2011

Discipline with Dignity New Challenges, New Solutions Based on my reading and analysis of the book Discipline with Dignity, the intent of this paper is to extrapolate the authors definition of classroom management, identify and discuss the authors primary tenets regarding classroom management, and evaluate the authors message via the parallels to the theoretical and practical lessons presented in our course texts ad discussions. More importantly, I will convey how the insights and strategies from this reading will be integrated into my own preparations as a classroom teacher. First and foremost, the authors define classroom management as having three dimensions: prevention, action, and resolution. Founded in the belief that most discipline problems stem from unmet student needs, prevention begins with the teacher implementing classroom strategies and practices designed to meet their basic needs. A well prepared teacher is one who clearly states what he expects and what is expected from him; one who strives to know his students and their families, creating a classroom culture that fosters care, respect, and dignity. A teacher should be consistent, fair, and predictable, most importantly by modeling expected appropriate behaviors while allowing even the most disruptive students to preserve their dignity. The goal of discipline with dignity is to develop student responsibility through mutual respect, shared decision-making, and responsible thinking by modeling behaviors and providing opportunities to assimilate and adjust to positive new behavioral skills. With that said, the authors primary beliefs regarding classroom management are that they need to be a flexible system of prevention and intervention tools. From Kindergarten through High School for nearly ten months of 6 hour days, teachers are packed into a confined domain with upwards of twenty-five students. Disruptive, inappropriate behaviors are a near guarantee to surface, some students having sporadic episodes while others exhibiting chronic tendencies to disrupt. How the teacher responds will dictate the nature and direction of the teacher-student

Michael Lamb

EDUC 558 Independent Reading

Fall Semester 2011

relationship and the overall climate of the classroom community. The authors believe that in order to preserve dignity while minimizing class downtime, teachers need to manage their own behavior and attitude, always leave an out for the students. Teachers need to have intimate knowledge about their students including family condition, likes, dislikes, goals, and dreams. Teachers need to provide opportunities for students to own their behavior. The most effective rules and consequences are ones that the students were involved in creating because the likelihood of compliance increases due to a collective vested interest. Expectations and consequences need to be consistent, predictable, and fair. By fair, the authors stress that fair does not mean equal. Teachers who customize their classroom to reflect the diverse needs of their students; who come prepared each day with lessons infused with their students interests and a clean slate for yesterdays transgressors, and who run their class like a business are most likely to derive both personal and job satisfaction, not to mention reducing stress levels. In response to your question Do the authors lend support to what I have learned as a culmination of the reading from out textbooks and class discussions? the answer is a resounding yes. This book has mirrored many of the philosophies, strategies, and beliefs we have been enlightened to during the course of the semester. The complimenting characteristic of this book, that helped me better understand my coursework, has to be the real life scenarios and authentic teacher-student dialogues. Unlike the case studies read, presented, discussed, and debated in class, these scenarios and dialogues left no room for speculation. In class, we discussed Maslows Hierarchy, non-verbals, proximity, touch, attention-seeking personalities, power struggles, environmental factors, relationships, even cognitive and moral development, to say a few. The authors reiterate these variables with teachers driven toward fulfillment of their students unmet needs, knowing your students, working to improve the students position by

Michael Lamb

EDUC 558 Independent Reading

Fall Semester 2011

allowing them to own their behaviors and actions while modeling desired replacement behaviors. The most common theme I have notices is the element of relationships. Not just teacher-student but also peers, teacher-parent, co-teachers, administrator-staff, PTA, and the community served by the school. In my preparation as a classroom teacher, Discipline with Dignity has provided me personal reassurance that as long as I can keep my attitude and behavior in check and genuinely do whats best for my students well being and development, I will always be a walking model of moral character. The most important technique that I view as a must use is to make a daily promise to view my students inappropriate behavioral characteristics that illicit negative feelings, responses, views, even potential bias as potentially positive attributes. For example, instead of allowing negative self-talk to taint my views about a student who is chronically disruptive, high strung, short-fused, and attention-seeking, I will substitute more positive adjectives such as an overambitious contributor whose immense passion for life often manifests in both a positive and negative light leading to sporadic, yet predictable executions of poor judgment. I am not perfect and to expect perfection from my students is wasted energy. Preparation to be successful in life cannot be obtained by educational gains alone, rather it requires students to possess control over their actions, feelings of competence that they can succeed, and a connection that gives them the sense that they are are valued members in the classroom community.