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- Newsgroups: k12.chat.teacher
- Path: sparky!uunet!uvaarpa!vdoe386!gwhiting
- From: gwhiting@vdoe386.vak12ed.edu (Ginger Whiting)
- Subject: Class Discipline
- Message-ID: <1993Jan23.003836.846@vdoe386.vak12ed.edu>
- Organization: Virginia's Public Education Network (Richmond)
- Date: Sat, 23 Jan 93 00:38:36 GMT
- Lines: 30
-
- There has been much discussion about class discipline on the
- network lately. After almost 20 years of teaching in an "open
- concept" classroom I have found that Lee Canters Assertive
- Discipline plan works really well. My parents and my students
- know what to expect. (I presently teach 2nd grade in a city
- system.) The kids have told me in journals and year end evaluations the reasons
- they like it. Bottom line seems to be that it is fair, and
- that they like the oportunity to be praised and ackowledged for
- following the rules. The plan allows children to take
- responsibility for the CHOICES they make concerning their
- behavior. It is all too easy for us as adults to say "NO"
- "Don't" "Stop" to children. It takes longer to say "I like the
- way you...." or "Thank you for following the directions the
- first time.." But those positive comments are coveted by all
- children and they will work for the positive recognition that
- is the foundation for assertive discipline.
-
- What's in it for me? What may seem like a little more work
- until you get organized. But when I go home I remember the
- good things about the day instead of what went wrong. I focus
- on the positive instead of the negative and that makes me want
- to go back day after day...even when the media seems to always
- be telling me what a bad job public schools are doing. And the
- parents respect me and cooperate willingly because they know that
- child will be treated like all the other children. They also
- know that classroom problems will be presented to them as they
- occur and there will be not surprises at evaluation time.
-
- Ginger Whiting
-
-