Gaonomics

Ms. Moore, an educationalist, has agreed to let me post the following extract from a book called ‘Positive discipline’ by Nelsen, Lott & Glenn to share with the readers the benefits of a more positive and rewarding approach to education. The extract is followed by Ms Moore’s own professional comments as an educator.

I can’t stress enough my agreement with Ms Moore and how happy and fortunate we are as parents to welcome her in September 2009 in Tenby.

Enjoy!

Extract from the book called ‘Positive discipline’ by Nelsen, Lott & Glenn.

“We often hear the cry, “back to basics!” We agree. However, we disagree with many on the definition of “the basics.” We do not believe that the basics are reading, writing and arithmetic. We believe the basics are Courage, confidence and life skills, because with these, children have fertile ground on which to plant the seeds of academics and to live successfully in the world.
Reading, writing and arithmetic are not enough to prepare young people for responsible citizenship. All the academic knowledge in the world will not help those who lack self-discipline, judgment, social interest, ability to make good choices and sense of responsibility that enable them to act effectively in life. Unfortunately, our educational system today often does not provide young people with these skills.”

“The positive discipline dream…… We have a dream. A dream about schools where young people are treated with respect and have the opportunity to learn the skills they need for a successful life. A dream about schools where children will never experience humiliation when they fail but will instead feel empowered by the opportunity to learn from their mistakes in a safe environment. It is a dream about schools where students learn cooperation instead of competition, where students and teachers collaborate on solutions. It is a dream about students and teachers helping one another to create an environment that inspires excitement for life and learning because fear and feelings of inadequacy and discouragement are no longer part of the learning environment. The end result is an educational system that nurtures young people and gives them the skills and attitudes to help them be happy, contributing members of society.
Many teachers and students have realised this dream by using methods based on mutual respect. Mutual respect requires that adults see children as people and as unique individuals. Teachers who see students in this light do not treat them as robots whose only function is to be controlled and manipulated for their own good. They see students as valuable resources with worthwhile ideas and skills.”

Comment from Ms Moore:

This is an extract from a book called ‘Positive discipline’ by Nelsen, Lott & Glenn. As a teacher I always look to different ways in which I can support my students wellbeing as well as their academics. This book has a very positive stance on how to open up communications and give children the opportunity to participate in class decisions. Whether a teacher or a parent it has different ideas to help us adults deal with children. Based on developing mutual respect through positive discipline rather than discipline through control and punishment. This book tries to show that it is possible to turn negativity around, but it takes both time and commitment to change the atmosphere in our schools and classrooms. There are consequences of continuing with the approach of discipline through fear and punishment. There is an effect on children’s outlook on life and their willingness to learn new things. The book demonstrates studies in America that show mental conditions that carry on into adulthood.

“Dr. William Nicoll calls his first category Classroom-Induced School Phobia. This condition expresses itself through persistent, excessive worry about school and a fear of doing something or acting in a way that could be humiliating or embarrassing, possibly resulting in disapproval or rejection. The problem may be accompanied by headaches, stomach aches, decreased social functioning outside of school, verbalised fears of poor performance, fear of teacher, nightmares, sleep disturbances, depression and a refusal to attend school.

Dr. Nicholl sums up with a description of what he calls Adult Children of Dysfunctional Classrooms. These adults become agitated when faced with new tasks, responsibilities or challenges; they suffer flashbacks involving past classroom traumas, such as failure, perceived humiliation and loss of prestige. They may also avoid risk taking, experience feelings of inferiority or inadequacy or possess generalised anger and resentment towards educators.”

As a teacher I believe it is my responsibility to not just teach my subject but to care and show consideration to my students. We all have at least one bad experience as a result of student teacher interaction that we remember into adulthood. I would hope with the correct school environment and a positive discipline approach to teaching, children can recount their time at school as a good and positive experience. Having developed a long the way a love for learning and a lifelong quest to always better themselves. I continue even as an adult taking new courses, learning new things and wanting to share the important things I have learnt. I hope this article is a help to parents who want to know what should be the bench mark and the expectations in a modern school system.
 
Ms. Moore