My Philosophy of Student Discipline: Respect

by Elizabeth D. Ainsley

If I had to narrow my philosophy of student discipline down to one word, that word would be respect. Respect is shown to different people in different ways. Peers receive a different level of respect than authority figures. No matter whom you are dealing with in a professional environment, respect needs to be given. Respect needs to be shown between peers, towards teachers from their students, and towards students from their teachers. A problem occurs when someone does not give others the respect that they deserve.

My philosophy of student discipline starts and ends with my respect for the students. As a teacher, I have to model the respect I want students to show each other and me by showing my students the same respect. I can model this regard by not embarrassing students when they give an incorrect answer to a question. I can show students consideration by listening to questions or comments that they have about lesson material. I also can regard students by making sure that no student interferes with other students’ learning or wastes class time.

Students can respect each other by demonstrating several common courtesies. Students should not infringe on another student’s privacy, safety, or good education. The students can show common courtesies to one another by being quiet and well behaved. They should also treat each other politely and fairly.

Students can respect teachers by being quiet when a lesson in being taught and by staying on task. Students should also interact with the teacher in a courteous manner, such as politely asking for help when it is needed. Students should also do what a teacher requests.

This situation is ideal, but realistically problems will occur. When students act disrespectfully, teachers must discipline them fairly and without bias. Discipline needs to be quiet and must not draw unneeded attention to the student or students causing the disturbance. Teachers need to discipline quickly and without too much distraction from the lesson. Sometimes direct discipline is unavoidable, but when disciplining teachers must waste as little valuable class time as possible.

When disciplining students, teachers must let students know what they did and why it was inappropriate. If students want to, they should be allowed to express their feelings and give an explanation of why they behaved as they did. It is important that students know that they are being punished for their behavior and not for any other reason.

Respect is the key in classroom management. When teachers and students show regard for the needs of one another it helps to prevent classroom management problems. When the respect does not occur, this is when discipline is necessary. Discipline should be handled in a considerate manner by not embarrassing the student but by giving the offending student a chance to explain themselves. By using respect as a guideline in a classroom, the class should move in a positive direction.