Teach English in Doucun Zhen - Xinzhou Shi

Discipline in the classroom Taking in consideration the nature ofvthis essay, I felt compelled to start this essay by asking a few reflective questions: Why is it important to create an environment imbued with discipline in the classroom? Who are the protagonists that will create such an environment? To what extent does the teacher have a role to play? I will start by exploring some of these questions and surely others will emerge as we advance in our reflection. Why is it important that the environment of the classroom be imbued with a sense of harmony and discipline? I feel that the idea of harmony, discipline and other related issues like rules, regulations and laws have far more profound implications in our daily life as individuals, a community of people, (co-workers, neighbours, families, friends), as an institution, (like schools, governments…), as a society (with all its inherent forces) and even as citizens of this planet. I have realised that my daily life is regulated with some basic but vital rules and laws. This includes the very fact that I need to breathe and that my body needs appropriate food and water; the very fact that as a social being I need to be connected to others around me, that I need to feel useful through my work, my talents and by cooperating with others. As an institution, the need to be at the service of the people, to facilitate their life and to create an environment based on trust and honesty, where people wholeheartedly follow the laws and regulations by relying on the source of their authority. It seems,that the way we follow or are subject to some rules are very natural, sometime even without a profound consciousness- like breathing- even though this is one of the most vital laws pertaining to life. For others rules and regulations, the more we understand the reasons, the more we are inclined to follow them, like having a healthy lifestyle, eating well and regular sports activity. To follow regulations and discipline consistently and regularly, with increasing consciousness, one would need more than just a limited understanding of the reasons behind them. It is important to understand the nature of these rules and regulations. Where are they coming from? Where are they taking us? What is the very reason of their existence? How are they operating (their mechanism)? Maybe another factor helping us to create such an environment with consistency would be our motivation, our love and commitment to contribute and achieve a purpose which transcends our own existence. I would therefore come to the conclusion that creating such an environment imbued with harmony and discipline would help us achieve much more than having discipline in a given space (family, workplace, classroom…) but an environment where people create ownership of what and why they are doing it, people who are conscious about the necessity and impact of such rules and regulations who are ready to strive together to create it and maintain it over a long period of time despite any challenges occurring on the way. More importantly we could then speak about self-discipline coming from inside and not forced by any outside element like teachers, school, governments… Who are the protagonists to create such an environment? We have seen in many instances people would feel the rules and regulations as a “top down” process, the people who have to align themselves to laws do it without a strong feeling of ownership. The relationship and the connection bounding them is based on one who gives order and the other who has to submit willingly or unwillingly to the decisions having been taken by the instances of authority (schools, teachers … etc...). By exploring these examples, my understanding is not that we have to expect that rules and regulations are to be decided by the people who have to implement them, like students in the classroom, employees of a company…etc. The idea is to learn how all the parties involved could enter into a process of reflection, accepting and deeply understanding the necessity of an evolving framework on one hand, and on the other hand the necessity for people who have to implement the rules to choose and decide about parameters within this framework. One image that is very clarifying for me is the work of a painter. The painter has to decide about every single line and dot he uses in his painting, while at the same time he or she is working inside a frame which has its own dimension. In the case of the painter the dimension of the frame could not evolve with the passage of time. It can’t get bigger or even change its form, but in the case of students and teachers, of employees and employers, the framework decided upon could evolve with the passage of time through the experiences and insights they have gained. To what extent does the teacher have a role to play in creating such an environment? I feel that in any given organisation, there are primary rules to be respected and some secondary rules that could be explored by both parties through a healthy process of reflection and consultation. Even in the case of the first category - the primary rules- there is a huge benefit for the teacher to discuss this with the students, allowing both sides to achieve unity of thought about its necessity, impact and benefits in a long run. As to the secondary rules, within the framework, given by the school and teachers, the students could be given the latitude to choose after a collective process of consultation. The healthy exploration of primary rules, and reflection and consultation on the secondary rules at the beginning of the year would be key for all the parties to gain strong ownership and to create an environment imbued with self-discipline.