My first job interview was 5 years ago when I applied to be an assistant teacher at a private Preschool/Daycare. My boss was very clear on how she wanted to conduct her workplace, as she had been doing so for years. A question came up in the interview that I didn’t quite know how to answer. It still puzzles me. The question is this: “What are your views on discipline?”

I honestly didn’t know how to respond. I blurted something out about “balance” and that it was necessary, but I didn’t know really what I was saying, specifically. She liked my answer, and I got the job, andI learned a lot about discipline from that job.

I believe that positive reinforcements in way of treats is limited. Extrinsic motivators can only go so far. Teacher lean on these too often, and it often backfires. Time-outs are excessive and unhelpful. The purpose is to give the child time away from the situation, but ONLY as much as they need to calm down, and it should not be used as a point of ostracizing the student or making a spectacle of them.

As the teachers, we need to be the students’ advocates. The students will learn best when they feel that the teacher is teaching for their (the students’) benefit. It’s hard to feel that way when unnecessary punishments are administered. We cannot bend the rules, but we CANNOT be punitive punishers.

As I learned in my Early Practicum class, you need to set up rules that are clear and straightforward BEFORE you do anything else. If you do that, the semester should go much smoother, IF you follow your parameters that you set out.

Discipline is a very misunderstood concept, and it seems like very few people truly know how to properly administer it. I am still learning, and I hope that I can find the best balance soon. I believe that it is possible.

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