Academic subjects are not the only things that students should learn from school. They also need to be taught values. Learning how to interact effectively with other people, especially the other kids are important too. One of the values that children should learn in school is the art of self-control. Harnessing a child’s willpower will contribute enormously to his character when he grows up.
Some teachers may react that teaching self-control to students is far outside their assigned tasks, but the truth of the matter is, they are already educating the children about the subject, in the most simple and useful ways. The simple act of telling the children to stop talking in class, answer a question, or sit properly in chairs are already basic lessons in self-discipline. It can also be formally called classroom management.
The curriculum used by teachers in their classes is also a form of self-discipline. The curriculum contains the lessons and the homework needed by the students to learn their subjects. The students learn to adhere to a work patterns. They will know when to submit a particular task, or when to study up for an exam or recitation, It is a semblance of control in their lives; without the curriculum, students will just slack off and try to do things their own way, which is not acceptable, or not valid educationally.
Lack of self-control makes students engage in disruptive behavior. When a student fails to submit a particular paper, or chooses not to follow his teacher’s orders to stop talking why lecture time is a sign of disruptive behavior.
The most important thing that a teacher should remember when it comes to handling kids with disruptive behavior is that they should monitor their own emotions, aside from those of the students. The actions of students with disruptive behavior can become quite contagious with others – meaning, the teacher might end up losing control of his emotions, which goes against what he is trying to instill among the kids.
Some teachers may choose to adapt the rewards and punishment system when it comes to teaching discipline. Although it may work for a short or long term, it has a serious downside. The system does not teach the children how to become responsible for their own actions. A classic instance is when a teacher is out of the classroom, or is on leave.
The students will suddenly revert to their unruly ways, because they feel that they do not have any obligations to behave even if the teacher is not present.
Discipline requires give and take. The teacher cannot just keep on imposing rules without considering how the students feel. In order to make them follow to rules and behave accordingly, the teacher should establish the feelings that students do have control over their turf. This will make them feel less threatened and will lead to more cooperative, not submissive, behavior, which is a good thing for both teacher and student.
Communication is very important when trying to establish a peaceful relationship with children and at the same time is conducive to giving orders without the children resenting it. If students feel that they are very helpless under the orders of their teachers, there is a great possibility to rebel against authority – the teachers. This is the rationale behind the fact that majority of the students mostly get along with teachers that do not employ Draconian measure in disciplining kids. The stern but outgoing professor will always score more cooperation with the students compared to the strict, uncompromising teacher. In order to be effective in installing discipline, a teacher must not only lead by example, he should also gain the respect of students by knowing how to get along with them without being too friendly and yielding.
