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Describe your discipline philosophy. Do you think you are disciplining in a way that nurtures your students?
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My discipline philosophy has changed over the years. If a student has not followed a rule or has made a poor decision, I take time to pull the student aside and talk with them about their actions. I allow for them the opportunity to identify the action, apologize, and repent. This gives them the opportunity to grow and it does nurture them to make better decisions in the future. I am not without consequence. If there are repeated actions then, consequences will be given, but not without the opportunity to correct the actions first.
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The students must be given clear expectations and they should be held to those expections consistently. Yes I do.
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I have very clear lines. They know what these lines are. If they cross them, they do receive discipline. I try to be as consistent as possible.
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Discipline is always intended to bring students back to the heart of their actions. How do their behaviors reflect the character of God in them? The goal of discipline is to align students’ hearts with what God wants for them, and how He intends for them to live in a world that would encourage a lot of poor behavior. Discipline should help students reconcile with themselves, classmates, and their teachers.
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I discipline with Biblical concepts in mind. Restoration and heart change are always the goal, rather than punishment and behavior change. I tell students and parents all the time that poor behavior isn’t the more concerning thing we are talking about when discipline becomes necessary, but rather the condition of the heart that produced the poor behavior. I am not willing to stand idly by while students embrace thinking that leads them away from God’s precepts and into troubling behavior. I want them to understand that their heart is driving their actions.