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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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Our school has a philosophy of discipline that helps each students see that we care for them not just as a students but as a person as well. Thanks each instance of discipline is a door where they can grow, mature, and grow in their relationship with the Lord wherever they are at.
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The purpose of discipline is to make disciples, or followers of Christ. At the beginning of the school year I like to tell my students why I discipline and the necessity of it. I point to the scriptures of Proverbs 3:12 which tells us that the LORD disciplines those he loves, and Hebrews 12:11 which tells us that discipline is painful but produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. When students understand these reasons and that we all need disciplined, I think they will have an easier time accepting it. They need to know that teachers are not disciplining to be mean, but out of love.
When I discipline a student, I want to be more consistent about telling them why. If they are doing something to hurt another student, physically or emotionally for example, I need to tell them that we are brothers and sisters in Christ and Christ desires us to have unity and encourage one another. I want them to see that that have choices they can make everyday to build others up or tear others down and make our classroom better or worse. I want them to see me as a guide that directs them to the right path that will bring blessings.
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My discipline philosophy is built around respect. I will respect you, and then you will respect me. I think sometimes we do the reverse. With teenagers, the role is reversed. I tend to do way less discipline because of this philosophy.
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I expect the students to behave based on the Golden Rule. I also expect them to realize that they are representing Christians everywhere each time they speak or go out in public and they should recognize that responsibility. We are to be the salt and the light. That doesn’t mean only when you feel like it or when it is convenient for you. Learning to behave that way as a matter of habit, will help them immensely as they go out into their lives in the future.
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As a Christian, my discipline philosophy is rooted in Scripture. I may not always execute perfectly, but I use the Scriptures as my point of reference. The key is to be gracious in my correction and offer a warning, but if I’m not seeing the student follow-through, there is a consequence. (In Kindergarten, this meant changing their card color). The action that the elementary student takes to move their card, I believe, helps them in feeling accountable. I feel disciplining them without being harsh or manipulative or showing any kind of favoritism, but rather disciplining in a biblical manner is indeed nurturing. Holding the child accountable for their actions also nurtures their spirit, as we want to see them grow into well-functioning people who take responsibility for their actions. At the end of the day, we may discuss how we can make better choices tomorrow and offer encouraging words as we see them off. Christ corrected in a loving way and is the perfect role model in how we conduct our own classroom.