Teach English in Jinling Zhen - Zibo Shi

Throughout a teacher’s career, he or she will undoubtedly run into many instances where students exhibit bad behavior. Such behavior will come in a variety of forms and be the result of a diverse set of circumstances. In these instances, the teacher must make crucial and calculated decisions: should he or she punish the student (or students) in question? Should he or she discipline them, and if so, how? When teaching and managing a classroom, such questions of discipline and punishment have the potential to make or break a lesson plan (or, at the most extreme level, an entire classroom environment). It is therefore critical that the teacher have a plan and general understanding of how he or she wishes to react in these situations. In this essay, I argue that it is necessary to discipline students when they exhibit bad behavior, but it is unnecessary -- and likely damaging -- to punish them. In determining what type of discipline is necessary, it is important to consider the type of behavior and to what set of circumstances it may be a response. The teacher should negotiate these circumstances when disciplining the student or students. First, I think it is important to differentiate between discipline and punishment. Both actions come in a variety of forms, but punishment generally indicates physical or verbal reprimands, often violent or humiliating in nature. If a student were disrespecting a teacher or becoming excessively disruptive in the classroom and a teacher wished to punish him or her for the behavior, the teacher could yell at the student in front of the entire class or physically hurt him (by spanking, etc). There are many reasons that a teacher should avoid these actions, including their ineffective and draconian nature, their potential to cause psychological harm to the student, and their capacity to foster distrust and resentment between the classroom and the teacher. Most crucially of all, though -- and relating to each of the aforementioned points -- the attitude of the teacher largely determines the environment and atmosphere of the class, and if the teacher loses control in front of the class, he or she instantly creates a negative, ineffective environment. Yet, when students misbehave in class, it is nevertheless important to ensure that poor behavior does not continue to disrupt the learning environment. Teachers should take care to compassionately but firmly discipline the student or students in question. Rather than reacting immediately and out of anger, a teacher should think through the situation and create a plan. If a student is being disrespectful or loud during a lesson, for example, the teacher could firmly assert that the lesson is ongoing for the whole class and that the whole class needs to hear the directions. If the behavior is attention-seeking in nature, the teacher could put the student in a pseudo-leadership role, like having him or her read a passage to the class. If the behavior continues, the teacher should ask to speak to the student outside of class, because embarrassing a student rarely leads to trust or desired behavior. In this meeting, the teacher should explain to the student why their disruptions are harmful to the classroom environment. For example, loudness or inattention can cause other students to miss directions and not get as much out of the lessons as they otherwise would have. In a subtle way, the teacher should try to ascertain if there are any extraneous factors leading to the disruptive behavior -- if, for example, the student is being bullied, he or she may act out more in class. If the student indicates that something outside of the classroom is affecting his or her performance, the teacher should react according to the severity of the situation. If the problem is within the scope of the classroom (like being seated too close to friends or people with whom the student has a poor relationship), the teacher may be able to alter the environment (by changing seating plans, etc). If the problem is outside of the scope of the teacher’s power, the teacher should contact appropriate staff. Additionally, it is important to be cognizant of cultural differences in these situations -- a student’s behavior may be culturally-specific, or he or she might feel uncomfortable disclosing certain information to someone in the teacher’s position, for example. In these situations, it is probably best to ask for advice from colleagues. After this conversation, the teacher should gently but firmly indicate that the behavior the student has exhibited is unacceptable, and that the teacher expects that the student will no longer behave in such a way. By this point, the student should understand why the behavior disrupts the class and why the teacher is enforcing rules about it. If the behavior continues, the teacher can modify this plan, eventually contacting higher-ups in the school if the student makes no attempts to change his or her actions. Even so, the teacher should not "punish" the student for the behavior, because punishment often creates distrust and demonstrates to the class that the teacher does not have control over his or her emotions. The teacher, therefore, should discipline the student in a way that accords with the severity of the situation. Effective discipline entails a relatively nuanced understanding of the roots of the problem and environments that exacerbate it. A successful and effective teacher should always be aware of the overall dynamic within his or her classroom and how it contributes to classroom behavior. Additionally, if a teacher works to foster trust and a sense of rapport and camaraderie within the classroom, it will help facilitate effective discipline because students will trust that the teacher is in control of the environment.