Behavior & Behavior Management

This week I was challenged to find my inner teacher, I have to say that I have gained SO much more respect for all that they do. Our teacher this week was Michelle Grimes who is our leaders sister (I miss my sister!) and she talked about behavior and behavior management. Michelle has taught both 4th and 5th grade in an urban school district for fourteen years and has so much knowledge in this area.

This 1st thing that we were challenged with was to think about the difference between DISCIPLINE and PUNISHMENT and list characteristics for each. I never really thought about there being a difference, but this is what I came up with.

        Punishment                                             Discipline

        fear                                                          focused on prevention

        impatient                                                 patient

        all about rules                                         training

        focuses on the problem                         future focused

        past focused                                           understanding/compassionate

        negative focus                                        open to conversation

        short term                                               working through problems

                                                                        long term

Discipline is not a negative thing. God disciplines us, and it's because he loves us. He doesn’t keep remembering the things that we have done over and over again.  

One of the things that I really appreciated Michelle doing was having us work through different situations dealing with children's behavior.  Instead of giving us the situation and pointing out behavior problems and solutions she opened it up to discussion. I learned that there are 4 main reasons for behavior: Revenge, Attention, Power, and Avoidance of Failure.  It was really challenging to put myself in the teachers/leaders position and think of ways to work through the different behaviors. (Dad, Vicki, I have a whole new respect for school social workers!)

Throughout the week I had to work on applying this to my own life and not just look at things through a teachers standpoint.  When we had to make a lesson plan teaching a specific skill or behavior I took a bit of a different approach and planned a bible study that spoke value into the lives of teenage girls coming out of prostitution. 

I am so thankful for this week of teaching, and I know that it is going to be so very beneficial. <<Both in ministry & everyday life>>