PRO-ACTIVE TEACHING BEGETS PRO-ACTIVE DISCIPLINE

In reality, the better days of a teacher are the days when his/her students behave in class, i.e., a teacher can teach the lessons with less effort on discipline but with great participation and positive learning outcomes. For a teacher to have these glorious days, there must be a predetermined plan which should be adapted. Teachers should get rid of the idea that discipline is done in a fierce manner so that the objectives set for the day may be achieved. The end of discipline must be understood. It is to train the students to have good manners such as taking responsibility, politeness, respect, obedience, etc. In this course of action which is necessary in every learning situation, a good discipline plan works out. In my own experience, I have come across with proactive discipline after a few years of “trial and errors”. Negatively, to try one and discard it after a failure took a lot of energy and produced stress on my part. I have learned from one seminar the tenet of proactive discipline. Well, there might be no perfect plan, but at least, an effective plan based on proactive thinking and action works.

Proactive discipline is a kind of discipline which encourages sense of responsibility, building of self-esteem, trust and confidence among the students. It builds a strong foundation of a good relationship between a teacher and his/her students. A classroom that lacks discipline or control before a situation happens could be a worst nightmare of a teacher. This happens when a student takes the chance of provoking his/her teacher. The teacher’s reaction is ignited and chances would be that the teacher shouts and scolds that student causing the provocation. Who is now out of control at this time? The whole class eventually know quickly that their teacher has lost his/her composure. However, the outlandish attitude shown by the teacher can be avoided when he/she is proactive. A proactive attitude is characterized by preparedness, organization of the lesson, cooperation and compassion.

If a teacher is prepared, he/she has readiness to greet the students everyday. Aside from this, the teacher always informs his/her students about what will happen within the day and tomorrow. In other words, there is a clear cut direction generally involving the whole class. A teacher who organizes his/her lesson plans has a daily routine. There is no time wasted and every time is a productive time for both teacher and students. The teacher lists down what are the necessary things for the day and takes all of these in class. Besides, he/she designs in advance the lesson plans. In the light of a proactive classroom control, it starts with setting the tone of the classroom in a few minutes, before behaviors can become problems. If a teacher misses the opportunity for a smooth beginning of the class, more time is needed to settle things down. Normally, a teacher aims to have a participative class. Therefore, there is a need to also collaborate with other teachers and with the administration. A teacher needs not to be the only one who “swims” in the middle of an unpleasant situation. It means to say that the administrators are able partners to follow up warnings, reminders, and other disciplinary resources. A compassionate teacher is quick to respond to the needs of his/her students. A solution to any problem is well-thought and provided with an appropriate action and right timing. Therefore, quo vadis, teachers?