Discipline, class control!

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    Wow, this is the week for discipline questions! Emails from teachers and parents asking about 2-4 year olds.
    Our hope is that our lessons are so much fun and so engaging that we do not have behavior problems but sometimes, we have to deal with it. When it comes to a situation that someone might get hurt (like throwing a drum, hitting or pushing), its handled as a very serious situation, saying “That is NOT ok, I do not want anyone to get hurt.” My daughter was very aggressive at this age and we were always having to say sorry. Very embarrassing! I attended many years of parenting and education classes and learned that this is very typical for the this age group. The little ones are learning about social interaction at this age and the important thing is that the adults stay calm, do not over react and teach logical consequences for unacceptable behavior. If a child throws an instrument or hits with an instrument, they should lose it. If they are pushing, they need to stay away from the children so no one is hurt. For the hurt child, it is important the adult stays calm. The more upset the adult is, the more frightened and upset the child will be. If the child sees a calm adult, the child will remain calmer with the situation. (This is easier said then done. I always seemed to overreact when one of my children were hurt for any reason! – my husband will tell you! Ha) If the child was not seriously hurt, quickly getting back to music making is the best medicine.  
5 comments
  • Lynn Kleiner
    Lynn Kleiner My weekly elementary tip of the week for classroom control: Use the students names, especially when you think they are not really with you on the lesson or they are distracting others. For example, saying "Justin, is that what you were thinking?" after...  more
    November 15, 2010
  • Lynn Kleiner
    Lynn Kleiner I read an interesting article that said research has clearly shown that attending a child care center gives most preschoolers a boost in pre-reading and math skills. However, it also often results in "negative social behavior," especially when a child sta...  more
    January 6, 2011 - 1 likes this
  • Tammis Donovan
    Tammis Donovan Boy, I would sure agree with you and with the research about the child care center kids having "negative social behavior"s. My family daycare where the children have grown up together from infancy tends to be tougher to teach in since the children are 1)...  more
    April 19, 2011 - 1 likes this
  • Lynn Kleiner
    Lynn Kleiner The beginning of the school is the time to lay out the expectations for the year. Children do best when you are clear and consistent. Think out the classroom rules and consequences. My one rule is RESPECT.
    Respect the teacher (do not play or talk...  more

    August 8, 2011