By hit-and-miss attempts, but mostly by grace, the use of questions has climbed to the top of my list of classroom management techniques. Children have visibly and immediately changed their demeanor and body language at the gentle question, “Would your mommy* want you to do that right now?” Admittedly, the “right now” was a necessary addition for one especially determined young lady!
Supply yourself with an arsenal of questions along these lines:
· “Are you doing the right thing?”
· “Is that how we act in class?”
· “What do you need to change?”
· “How can you fix this?”
· “What can you do next time?”
Questions can encourage children to engage in the correction process and begin to learn skills that will help them self-monitor and implement corrections themselves.
The “last resort question” is one I have asked – and followed through on – only a few times: “Are we going to have to talk with your parents*?” Thankfully, the parents of my students want to know when their child’s classroom conduct has gone beyond the occasional wiggly Sunday or out-of-character outburst. The few times a problem has risen to this level, we have worked together in a careful coordinated approach. The child needs to learn self-discipline to succeed in an orderly world, but, more importantly, such incidents provide an opportunity to raise his or her consciousness of the power and pull of sin and the hope God offers in Jesus to overcome it. We really can’t resist following the desires we have for attention and admiration and getting our own way in our own power. Left to ourselves, we become excellent Pharisees or strong-willed Younger Brothers.
Similar to the question approach, our Scripture reading is prefaced by a simple direction: “Show me how children listen to the Bible.” Mouths hush, hands and feet stop, and respectful silence reigns. (And I wait quietly until this preparation is accomplished.) These are not Mrs. Ramsey’s words. God is speaking now, directly from His Word, and our best respect is for this moment.
Two other important tools are natural consequences and correction that fits the “crime.” Children grow from the opportunity to right their wrongs, when that is possible. For instance, we all know we are to walk, not run, from the sanctuary to line up for Children’s Church, but sometimes the desire to be first hurries little feet over the speed limit. Calmly directing a child back to a starting point and asking him or her to try again is both a consequence (he or she is now definitely not first!) and an effective correction of the behavior. Arranging natural consequences and providing appropriate correction can challenge our creativity but is always worthwhile.
In my suburban context, these approaches effectively address virtually all the discipline issues that occur. What are your tried and true methods for maintaining an orderly and welcoming classroom?
*Given the variety of family groupings today, it may be better to talk to some classes about their “grown ups” rather than specifically naming “Mommy” or “Daddy” or “parents.”
GAME: Play Ball!
Materials: A game ball or balls
(What kind and how many you need depends on the game you choose to play at the end.)
Whistle or bell or other attention-getter
Introduce the new game, Play Ball!, with your best teacher enthusiasm. Build up the idea that ball games are fun, we are going to play a brand new one, etc. Divide the class into teams. You can line them up, as for a relay, or stand them in groups. Place the ball or balls on the floor and shout, “Go!”
If the children respond with running, grabbing the ball/s, etc. use the attention-getter to restore order and continue.
· Ask the children what is wrong. (We don’t know what to do!)
· How do we usually know what to do when we play a game? (We learn the rules.)
· This game with no rules wasn’t much fun. Why not? (We couldn’t really play it.)
Guide the discussion to help the children discover the corresponding reality that without social rules, time with our friends isn’t much fun, either. None of us enjoys playing with a friend who hits us or cheats at games or calls us names or breaks our toys. Our class is like that, too. When we bother the person next to us or say silly things to make everyone laugh, it is harder for everyone to learn, and we can’t enjoy our time together.
God tells us, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” What would that look like when we play with friends? What is “loving your neighbor” when we are in a class at church or school? Do we always want to act in a loving way to others? Will God help us if we ask Him?
Finish with a real game of your choice that has a few simple rules – a game you know or one you make up!
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