Often, as teachers or significant adults to children, we face daily the challenges that come with participating in the education of young children . Although it is true that a teacher spends years studying an education career to obtain all the possible strategies to implement with their groups, each group of children is different, each child is different, and year after year they face new possibilities .
When it comes to exercising discipline , whether we are parents or teachers, most of the time we do it from what we learned from what our parents taught us, from the parenting style they taught us, without daring to look a little further. The discipline that they used with us when we were children was based on following parameters established by adults , reaching their expectations, obeying certain rules, since otherwise we would have to assume punishments also dictated by the adult, which we could not refute and that in some cases directly affected our dignity and character.
Types of currents on breeding
Currently, there are several currents in parenting and education issues, from the most traditional to the most alternative such as Respectful Parenting, Parenting with Attachment and Positive Discipline . The latter has become more popular today, because it can be applied both at home and in the classroom, and it is not only a matter of respecting the interests, needs and rhythms of the child, but also of establishing clear limits with which the child agrees. agreement. What is positive discipline itself about? It is about teaching values and norms , in environments where affection and understanding reign; to correct inappropriate behaviors that children may present, from calm and reflection , to work with natural consequences to certain behaviors instead of punishments, and to positively reinforce those behaviors that we want the child to maintain to keep him motivated.
As adults we will always be an authority figure for children, however, rather than getting stuck in that role of authority figure, we must also place ourselves in the role of role model for our children. Let us remember that children, and especially in early ages, learn by imitation, like sponges that absorb everything they see, so if we want a child to learn to behave, we must first know how to behave ourselves. How can we ask a child not to yell, if when we want to get his attention we yell at him? It is somewhat contradictory, there is no better way for a child to learn than through example.
How then can we apply positive discipline in the classroom?
As a teacher, there are many things you can do. First, put aside the labels . Usually when a child exhibits behaviors that may be disruptive or inappropriate, we tend to label them as the “tremendous”, the one who “always misbehaves” and the one who “ignores”, or on the contrary, if it is a child who It is difficult to finish the activities or is easily distracted, we tend to say that I am lazy or distracted . Without knowing it, by placing all these labels we are reinforcing these behaviors, since unconsciously the message that we transmit is that they will not be something different from what we think of them . That is why it is so important to put labels aside, and focus on the child, on the human being in front of us. Secondly, as mentioned above, it is about modeling by example.If we are teachers capable of forgiving, reflecting, acting calmly and keeping the promises we have made, our children will most likely be too, because they will see in you as a teacher an authority figure who is not so different from them, who is also wrong but who is capable of using error as a learning opportunity and working on it.
Make sure you give them the freedom to solve their own problems , always with your supervision. If there is a situation of fight or confrontation in the classroom with some of your children, take them reflectively, so that they are the ones who solve the problem. Ask them questions that invite them to think a bit about what just happened, do not look for the culprits, let both children or groups assume their share of responsibility, and look with them for different options to solve the problem. For example, Maria hit Rebeca because she accidentally tripped her, causing Maria to step out of line while coloring her drawing, and from there, a big fight started.
In such a situation, normally, we would blame Maria and she would receive a punishment, which even upset she will have to accept. From positive discipline, what can we do? Call both girls aside and have a chat with them. Let each one tell you their version of events, and from there you provide a conclusion. Question them and have them put one in the place of the other . Ask Maria what would have happened if the situation was the other way around and it had been she who accidentally tripped Rebeca and ruined her drawing. Would you like to be beaten? Ask Rebeca, if you were Maria and someone else ruined your drawing, even inadvertently, what would you want that person to do? Maria will probably answer that she does not want to be hit for that reason, and Rebeca will tell you that the most sensible thing to do would be to apologize. Children have the ability to reflect on their actions, it happens that we often believe that this is not the case, and we simply do not give them the opportunity.
Finally, put on the label of respect , we cannot ask a child to be respectful, if he is disrespectful, either because we speed up his pace of development, or because we do not give him enough time to recreate, or because we scold him in public. and we never praise him. We repeat, the most effective way for children to learn is through example, and if they and their entire essence is respected, surely we are educating children capable of respecting themselves and others, who will later become respected and respectful adults. .
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