You know, there are many aspects of education that I have not just seen clearly, how do we drive progress in educational and learning methods, and We continue to accept punishment as a way to control student behavior?.
It is evident that today, teachers face many 'disciplinary problems', and that there are situations in which they must act decisively. But is it really necessary to punish a child to copy or 'without recess' because he has not done his homework, or because he lifts more of the bill to the bin to sharpen the pencil?
I understand that organizing an educational complex is not simple, But looking at discipline only from the point of view of internal management implies that other variables are not taken into account, not even individual student factors. A priori, it would seem more sensible (I don't say easier to apply) to prevent inappropriate behaviors. It is not about 'taking away authority' from teachers, as some would say, but to get the collaboration of the students to achieve the proposed objective (order in the class, completion of homework), to provide special help to those children who show clearly conflicting behavior, and to begin to implement conflict resolution techniques, which would help the social development of children. little ones.
Even in serious situations such as peer violence, it is necessary not to lose sight of the fact that the integrity of the student should not be damaged, although it should repair the consequences of their actions
And it doesn't seem like the punishment has a lasting effect, or that serves the proposed purposesOf course it solves the problem at the moment, but it is not a long-term option. But on the other hand it is not positive for the students, do you want some example ?, 'that they send you to the class of the little ones' is a humiliation and can be a cause of the mockery of classmates, being forced to isolate themselves in a chair Without communicating with the rest of the class, it is inhibiting the need to socialize and interact with others.
But it's not a big deal!
They would say some, and yet I think that repeated punishments do make a dent in emotions, and even in student performance. And not only I think, because there are studies such as that conducted by Pediatrics, in which they said that behavior improves after recess, and that children can concentrate better if they enjoy the playground.
Many parents are in favor of punishments at school, and this may be one of the reasons they will last over time.What are we afraid of? Because it is nothing but fear that drives us to close our mouths instead of lending our collaboration to teachers, to position ourselves next to our children but without neglecting the educational institution. After all, our children only have us to defend them.
I do not applaud those parents who ignore the emotional demands of their children, but implicitly or explicitly attack the teachers because they have been punished.
Am I saying that students should not be 'corrected'?
In case anyone doubts it, I tell you that it is NOT what I intend: obviously it is difficult to teach a class if there are children walking in the chairs, replicating the teacher without waiting for the turn, or kicking classmates. Nor should violence be tolerated in the yard, or lack of respect for teachers.
Children must be guided by their families and educators, they must understand that to maintain the balance of society, others expect from them a certain behavior, but also that there will always be someone willing to listen to him if he has problems or to explain again that other people also have needs.
One of the disadvantages that we can find today, is that the presence of many parents is scarce, due to work reasons, and therefore there is little time to educate the children. But in any case perhaps a closer communication between the family and the school would be decisive to improve some of the problems that arise in the classrooms.
Not only children should 'behave'
I don't like to use these words 'behave well', because it seems to me that they imply that someone outside the person can act as a judge to decide whether I have behaved well or not. Besides, we only apply them to children, isn't it unfair? Is it that parents don't behave badly with them sometimes? And teachers? On the other hand, children, even if they are minors, must also be respected.
We better focus on those behaviors that can impair the functioning of a class, which can cause damage to people or objects, or that result in an attack on the dignity of other students or teachers. In this way you can define more clearly what we expect from the students from an objective point of view, and try to reach the goal together.
The solutions
I don't have them all in my hand, but I am convinced that a person can reach self-discipline (already in adolescence) if you have had opportunities to socialize, discern and acquire critical spirit. I have encountered groups of teenagers capable of self-regulation and of limiting themselves: these boys know their rights well, but they also know how to put themselves in the place of others.
Meanwhile (i.e. with younger children), positive reinforcements, conflict resolution, special aids for children who have manifest difficulties to function at the same pace as their peers, participatory assemblies, active surveillance in yards, can work very well. the total involvement of families, ...
And on the part of teachers it is useful to assume that they transmit knowledge but also form people, because whatever they do or say can serve as a model for children. The educational curriculum is full of necessary content, although surely there is a lack of space to attend to emotions.
It is difficult but (perhaps) not impossible, why not try ?, society needs many changes, and not all are attributable to the school's action. We must get used to dialogue, to understand others, and also to prioritize the well-being of children. I leave you with this interview with Eva Díaz, who is a school counselor, and tells us 'that punishments should be the last step to take, although they are not, and that prevention should be more influenced'
