Philosophy of Discipline
There are several different theories out there on discipline. I don’t personally believe that any one theory works in every situation. That is why I believe it is important to have an eclectic approach to this subject. You have to choose an approach that fits your personal educational philosophy. There are many aspects of the assertive discipline that I like. Canter states that teachers have the right to insist on behavior from students that meets the teacher’s needs and that encourages the positive social and educational development of students. Asserting yourself as a teacher I believe is very important for the students as well as your own personal sanity. The student should never feel like they can walk all over you. When you are assertive it becomes very clear what you want from your students and it also shows that you are willing to take the action necessary to meet your needs. There is not a lot of gray area when it comes to assertive discipline and I like that. It is very important to have the parents support you while using this theory. Although this theory does have many weaknesses and I don’t believe that it is right for every situation. The part of the logical consequences theory that I like is that when a child is using attention seeking behavior that is unacceptable it is ok to ignore them. This shows them that there is a right and wrong way to get attention. Another part that I like somewhat contradicts my assertive discipline approach. Avoiding power struggles I believe is sometimes very appropriate. This squashes rebellion because there is no one to rebel against. Logical consequences also allow me to have a sense of humor. Such as the smoking fox story in the book. I would have found that extremely funny and I would have definitely laughed out loud instead of blowing up like the teacher in the story. An important aspect of this theory is mutual respect. I am big on respect. I will always show someone respect until they prove to me several
Cited: Edwards, Clifford. Classroom Discipline and Management. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2004.