Every parent wants to believe that their child behaves appropriately at all times. But truth of the matter is kids always test their boundaries to see what they can get away with. Kids test their boundaries, the most at two times, when they are with their parents and at school. As a parent are you going to discipline your child the same way that you would discipline them when you become the teacher? This is an important question to think about before beginning the home school process. All parents want what is best for their child, especially in their education.
I have taught many subjects in the public school system from elementary school through high school and you know what I have discovered? The best classrooms are the ones that are well-managed and well-disciplined. In education, there is no substitute for good discipline techniques. It is what makes the difference between an adequate education and a great education. So what do you want for your children, an adequate or great education? Well, that’s a dumb question, right? We all want our children to have a great education. Now we the parents must learn what goes in to that great education…a great discipline plan.
As the parent you know your children better than anyone. So you will be the perfect person to create a discipline plan for them. Most discipline plans are the same in the principles but each person makes them fit their teaching style. Below are the five principles that make a good discipline plan but remember to tailor it to how you teach and how your child learns to make it a great discipline plan.
1. Law of the Land
You must lay down the lay down the law of the land. This does not sound so fun, it isn’t.
Who would you rather be? Parent A- yelling and screaming all day and their child still does not work. Or…Parent B- a plan developed for discipline ahead of time that is shared with the child. Of course, we would all love to be Parent B because it sets a more successful picture in our heads. But the truth of the matter is Parent B had a plan and that plan was shared with the child so that they knew what was expected of them ahead of time. The laws that need to be laid down in advance are:
A. Schedule of the day-time- school begins and ends/ breaks during day
B. Classroom Rules
C. What needs to be done daily – goals
D. Rewards and Consequences
Let’s break these down…
The most important thing is making a schedule and sticking to it. It adds structure to your child’s day. When children know what to expect and know that you will not deviate you can avoid the craziness in the classroom.
Classroom rules need to be established and enforced. In the beginning be strict but as the rules are obeyed loosen up slowly. If children start to misbehave, go back to being strict.
Every day you need to let your child know what the goals for the day are. Whatever doesn’t get finished within the school schedule becomes “homework,” if needed. This will help the child to stay focused on getting the goals done.
You know what works for your child in the rewards and consequences department. You can also have your child help you with this so that they are excited about the rewards and obey the consequences. Children will feel that they are more involved in their education if you let them help with this.
2. Consistency is Key
Once you have your plan written down, communicated and in place…STICK TO IT!!! Once you have your plan, be consistent in how you implement your schedule. This is an important part of your classroom discipline. Being consistent also extends into your academics of the day. For example, if you use goal cards to communicate the daily classroom goals then you need to be sure to use them daily to be consistent.
Consistency also extends to classroom rules. If you do not consistently enforce the rules you have set forth then the children will not behave. This is especially true for parents who are teaching more than one child. When you teach more than one child at a time you need to be careful to enforce rules equally and not to favor one child over the other. If you don’t you are setting yourself up for disaster.
Being consistent where you home school is also very important. Along with a schedule the children need to know where in the house the “learning” takes place daily. Most of the academic day should be spent there. Not that you can’t take your children to other places to learn. But the main part of your day should be spent in that learning center.
The key here is just to be consistent. In whatever you do…be consistent. Classroom discipline relies heavily on sticking to what you have come up with.
3. Key to Individuality
Consistency is the key to classroom discipline. But consistency has its limitations. Where consistency ends individuality takes over. What is individuality? Individuality in education is where you work with a child’s strengths to improve their academic success. This is done through learning styles. The learning styles are kinesthetic (hands-on), visual, and auditory. The main thing is not to limit your child. Find your child’s strengths and work them into your curriculum. Your child will be much happier and more successful if you do.
4. Ease Into It
As far as classroom discipline goes this one is easy but is often missed. Many home school parents who allow “breaks” due to holidays believe that their child will be able to just pick up where they left off. It was only a month or two. Big mistake! The fact is that students need so “recall” time to be re-introduced to the information presented. It will take a couple of days. During these couple of days make the activities fun. If you ease your child back into the academic setting then everything will go much more smoothly. Classroom discipline depends on it.
5. Stick to It
If the last section was the easiest in regards to classroom discipline this will be the hardest. Stick to your plan. Be consistent in everything that you do from the beginning of the school year to the end. This doesn’t mean that you can’t take breaks during the holidays. Many families believe that the holidays are a very important time for family. So take a break from the academic learning and start teaching your children about family traditions. This also doesn’t mean that you can’t take field trips. You can take field trips that are planned earlier in the year. If you plan your school year properly ahead of time it will lead to a much more consistent year. It will make your life a whole lot easier throughout the year.
