On Teaching: LEARNING THE SKILL OF GOOD BEAHVIOR

Written on February 18, 2005 A friend told me about a journal article he read recently, and I found what he said intriguing. He said the author made the point that behaving well in a social setting like a classroom is a skill, and, like any other skill, it must be learned through practice. As in math or English, some kids learn the skill quickly whereas some learn it slowly over a period of months and years. The author pointed out that, just as we wouldn’t scold a student for not mastering a math skill, we shouldn’t berate a student who is struggling to learn the skill of good behavior. It’s interesting to me that I have not often thought about it in that way. For as long as I’ve been teaching, I haven’t hesitated to scold a student who misbehaves in class. Just the other day, a boy stepped across a chair in a crowded classroom to get to a friend, and I instinctively barked at him in a harsh manner. What bothers me is that I’m sure I wouldn’t have barked at a student who couldn’t master the skill of using a participle in a sentence. The conversation with my friend offers me a different way of thinking about discipline. It helps me remember that firmness and gentleness can go hand-in-hand – that I can be firm when a student misbehaves, but firm in a kind and quiet manner. When a student doesn’t understand a comma rule after repeated explanations, I would probably smile and say, “Let’s try it again. I just know you’ll get this skill before very long” – and perhaps I can say a similar thing to an unruly student. Perhaps I can patiently (but resolutely) guide him back on the right track toward mastering the important (but sometimes difficult) skill of good behavior.