When one walks into most classroom their eyes are immediately drawn to a large poster listing the rules of the classroom. …show more content…
It cannot be the goal of the teacher to break and damage the will. Ellen White (1923) writes about this concept extensively, however this quote best expresses her point of view. “The will must be trained to obey the dictates of reason and conscience. A child may be so disciplined as to have, like the beat, no will of its own, his individuality being lost in that of his teacher. Such training is unwise, and its effect disastrous.” (p. 57). Her point is that there has to be training of the will, otherwise the child will not have guidance and run about wildly, but one cannot aim to have all the wills in the classroom be the same. This is important for my classroom philosophy because I want to treat each child as the individual they are. Some of my favorite teachers were the ones who took time to learn about each of us and treated us accordingly. They were not concerned about breaking the will, but rather being a mentor and guiding us through …show more content…
All three authors agree that control and coercion is not the goal. Each student should be respected and each teacher should understand that the only behavior they can control is their own. Otherwise, teachers will become frustrated and angry at students, students will become discouraged and want to avoid school, and it will lead to a tense, unproductive learning environment. White (1903) writes “True education is not the forcing of instruction on an unready and unreceptive mind. The mental powers must be awakened, the interest aroused…Then, as inquiry was made, the instruction given impressed mind and heart.” (p. 41). Glasser (1998) writes on the topic, “If teachers do not teach in need-satisfying ways, then they almost all resort to coercion to try to make students learn.” (pg. 8). Controlling students is not my goal and I do not believe that it should be the goal of any classroom I am a part of. I want to instruct my students, but not coerce them. It is important for my future classroom to have an atmosphere of safety so students can discuss their