Re: Punished by Rewards

[Sharon McLarney <Luv2Read22@AOL.COM>]

I am posting this to the list only because this is something I feel VERY
strongly about, and I want my voice to be heard and to see if I am really off
base.


I do not know where your part of Pennsylvania is, but no school or classroom
that I have  ever heard of or have visited has been like you have described,
at least not to such extremes.

I am going through my School District of Philadelphia Orientation this week
and I am revisiting all this stuff I learned in college.  Anyone who rewards
good behavior, but does not punish bad behavior is, plain and simple, not a
good teacher.  Any teacher who has no consequences for breaking the rules
simply must have a chaotic room.  In a room that is chaotic, there is little
instruction. A teacher who does not punish simply does not teach-- they are
telling kids every 2 minutes to be quiet, stop tapping the pencil,  stay in
their seat, etc. I do not know of any teacher that does not punish students
for rule infractions. Any teacher without rules and enforced consequences is
not doing their job, and perhaps, shouldn't have a job.

I do not have a problem with rewarding students for good behavior (we reward
them for good school work with good grades, why not for good behavior?)
 Plain and simple, we are not policemen.  We are not there to "punish" kids--
we are there to also boost them up, and improve them, and educate them.  It
is my personal opinion that if I reward good behavior it will foster MORE
good behavior  in that student as well as in another.  And when I say award,
I mean a certificate, sitting at the teacher's desk, passing out papers,
having the class mascot sit on their desk, going to lunch with the teacher,
etc.   If the kids are good, this my life easier, their life happier, the
classroom atmosphere healthier, and I can actually TEACH something and have
the students learn.

Children SHOULD pay the price for breaking the rules-- there are consequences
for all of our actions.  I also believe that children should be be rewarded
for doing the right thing.  Children should see there are consequences for
good AND bad behavior.

Just my humble opinion, brought on by hours of research into effective
classroom management for my new classroom this year.  And also coming from  a
very eager teacher, who can not wait to get into the classroom.  I hope this
makes sense as I tend to get very excitable about things I feel strongly
about.

Sharon McLarney
Graduate, Drexel University, Library and Information Science (with no school
library job this year : (
Teacher, McMichael School
Philadelphia

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