Positive Discipline - Yes!

Ok, it has been awhile, but as the school year began my life got too hectic to even think about posting a thought. Meanwhile, I was fortunate enough to attend the Utah Montessori Council Fall Conference featuring the author, Jane Nelson, who has spearheaded the "Positive Discipline" model of working with children to resolve problems and issues. It was a fantastic reminder of the ideas I read about many years ago when I first began teaching in a Montessori environment.

This article relates some of the ways this method can be implemented in the classroom but one of the main reasons I feel so strongly about the humanistic philosophy of conflict resolution is that the kind of adults we are helping to create and nurture are the real focus. When Nelson was speaking she asked the audience of Montessori educators and parents what kind of people we hoped we were cultivating. The list of possible characteristics was endless: compassionate, peaceful, cooperative, happy, productive, responsible, curious, educated, generous, literate, healthy, etc. The list kept growing throughout the day.

Because these are the kinds of adults we are hoping to see walk through the door one day, we need to keep in mind what we model for them now. If we continually model that they have no rights, no integrity, no responsibility, no ability, and no choice because we are the grown-ups and we know best, how can we possibly expect them to one day be able to function without our never ending stream of advice and great knowledge? Of course, if they are in danger or cannot resolve an issue, we will be there to help and guide them, but can't we give them a chance to think about their problems and come up with some possible solutions on their own?

Sometimes I really need a reminder of what the point of all this is anyway. Thanks, Jane Nelson! The web site also has many interesting resources that are not only for teachers, but also for parents and families: Positive Discipline.