Today I was able to witness the disciplinary acts of my teacher during extended learning time (ELT). I always make it a habit to observe these types of situations in order to see the various techniques that are used to handle the many situations that will arise when I have my own classroom. This situation was like many that I've seen before and I thought the teacher handled these circumstances very well.
The child was not on task throughout the ELT session and my mentor teacher asked him to return to his homeroom. My mentor teacher also told the young man that he could come during recess to finish the lesson. When my mentor teacher concluded by asking the young man to come the next day with a new attitude, the young man responded "I'm not coming tomorrow." My mentor teacher had the young man stop and come to the front of the room as he addressed the situation. After a two minute showdown the situation was finally setteled and my mentor teacher had made his point.
After the class started their work, I supervised as my mentor teacher walked across the hall to speak with the young man's homeroom teacher. When he returned, we had a brief conversation about the events that had just transpired. My mentor teacher stated "I shouldn't have done that," in regards to calling the child out during class. But why not? By the child's actions, I could tell that he was not seeking attention. I also felt as though my mentor teacher had made his point not only to the young man, but to the entire class. This is always a touchy topic. I've been told that my first year will be filled with mistakes. But if I make an effort to always learn from all of the situations I face and I remember to always make positive progress, I won't mind occasionally saying, "I shouldn't have done that."
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