Behaviourbible.com – diary

Hi again. 

I often remember when I was doing my teacher training that the message seemed to be that we had to make things fun and enjoyable for the children by providing endless stimuli and resources that would fire their imaginiations.  As I listened in lectures I found myself thinking, ‘Am I training to be a teacher or an entertainer?’

Sure, education and learning should be fun, but I think we’ve provided so much stimulus for children and that we’ve inhibited their ability to think for themselves and use their imaginations.      Travelling back further in time to when I was little, I remember my mum getting a grocery order delivered to the house each month.     The order was delivered in big cardboard boxes that had contained quantities of boxed cereals.    I couldn’t wait to get home from school on grocery day – the boxes had been emptied, the groceries put away and then left to be used as toys.  They became houses, boats, cars and anything else that fired my imagination.  It’s like the story – give a child a toy and they’re more interested in the box it was packed in than the contents…..

How on earth did I get on to that theme…?  Oh yes, I know, but it hasn’t gone in the direction I intended.  Food for thought though?  No, what I intended to say does come under the ‘teacher or entertainer’ heading but in a different area.  I spoke to a teacher about suitable consequences for a boy who had to remain inside at lunchtime as his bad behaviour excluded him from playing outside with the others.  The teacher said that the boy had to stay in to avoid trouble (good preventative behaviour management strategy) and that he could find jobs for him to do, or he could draw or play on the computer. 

Now, ask yourself, is the teacher on the right track?  We are looking here at a boy whose inappropriate behaviour prevents him mixing with others without causing mayhem.  The teacher should not be wasting his time providing ‘entertainment’ for the boy – he should be giving the message that outside in the playground with his classmates (but behaving well) is the better option.  Be careful that you aren’t rewarding bad behaviour by providing an alternative activity (that may be rather enjoyable) rather than a consequence.

If you’re not quite sure what the answer to this problem is then you’ll find all you need to know in Behaviour Bible.  I follow my own advice every day when managing children with a history of behaviour that would make your hair curl.  Anyone can learn to manage children’s behaviour effectively and confidently – it really isn’t difficult.

Thanks for reading, Liz Marsden @ Behaviourbible