Avoid entereing 'the game' of disruptive behaviour

New Teachers Café from yesterday was inspirational. In this forum we tackle matters which are really important for teachers who are new to the field of teaching.

Michelle made an important point which sometimse we tend to take for granted. Namely, that as a teacher you have to know your learners by name in order to create a positive atmosphere for teaching and learning. At the start of this year my learners tasked me about this (knowing their names) and the agreement was they will never answer any question posed by me if I don’t call a learner by their name. This really forced me to know their names, fast.

Another thing that gave me a wake-up call was lack of consistency. As teachers we sometimes become inconsistent and expect the learner to behave according to a particular pattern that we have not made a point of deliberately instilling in the students.

Mr. Du Toit touched on the important point that as teachers we are "enticed to enter the game" with the way discipline is played out in our classrooms. However, teachers should never be baited to enter the game, for as soon as a teacher enters the game, know that you have already lost. You may think you have won it but will always lose by seeing measureing behavioural challenges from students as something that one needs to win at. Any sign of wanting to enter the game creates a loop-hole for learners to see ways to disrupt a lesson, which deprives other students from having an uniterrupted education. We should never let our personal conduct interfer with a lessons - discipline in not a matter of being in power nor is misbehaviour to be interpretted as a attack on the teacher. Teachers sometimes tend to be carried away by discipline issues.

Another thing that I would like to highlight  is that our learners need to be acknowledged and recognized to boost their confidence. Moments of positivity change the balance of things. By focussing on those learners who sometimes need attention with their discipline we are creating loop holes, making well behaved learners less recognised for the good that they do. Instructions need to be displayed  and clear every time to save time in our lessons.

In conclusion we are trusted by the parents with their children. Let's treat them like they're ours.