What if some of the strategies teachers use are actually doing things for children that children can do for themselves? What message are we sending to children about their capabilities when we step in and take over for the sake of time or moving on?
Most teachers want to create an environment that is warm and welcoming to the students who enter the doors of their classroom. As educators, we know that children learn best when they are in a safe environment.
But what if some of the things we think are no big deal really are a big deal to children? What if we are contributing to the very problem we are trying to prevent? What if our behavior is having unintended consequences?
Have you ever given a direction to a student or reinforced a rule or procedure only to be on the receiving end of a set of rolled eyes or a heavy sigh? Maybe even a comment or two just barely audible?
This kind of behavior coming from a student can really push your buttons.
You might even say, “Well, I can’t just let them be disrespectful to me and walk away. I have to correct that behavior.” Before we know it, a simple correction turns into a full blown battle for control.
Walk into any teacher store and you will find a slew of colorful stickers—Wow! Amazing! Great Job! You’re #1! Excellent! Smart Cookie! Good one! A++! We add brightly colored stickers or markings to student work as a stamp of approval, hoping children will continue this kind of work.
The problem is that it doesn’t tell children anything important. In fact, this kind of “feedback”—vague praise—can do the very opposite of what we are trying to accomplish.
Teachers make hundreds of decisions every single day—from the most trivial to the most consequential. Does the number of decisions we make have any impact on the quality of our decisions, especially at the end of the day? The answer is ‘Yes.’
No one sets out to make a bad decision, and yet we often end up making decisions we regret. We say ‘Yes’ to things we want to decline and we say ‘No’ to things we want to say ‘Yes’ to. Or we just give in. Why do we do that?