Teaching as a Way of Discussion

Teaching as a Way of Discussion

I found this article extremely enlightening. One thing that I am really nervous about in my classroom is when we are having a discussion, how can I keep the students on track and be respectful of me and their fellow student? I don’t like to yell at people. I don’t like to be angry at people. I know that when I am teaching, I will more than likely be angry at some of my students. Some might need to have consequences for their actions. What I would love is to have a perfect classroom full of perfect students. More than likely, that won’t happen, but how can I manage the students that are disrespectful? What about when a student is wrong? As teachers, how can we tell them they are incorrect without offending them and then they won’t want to participate anymore?

I want my classroom to be a safe zone for my students. There will be students that are not from a good home where they may not feel safe. If I can’t create an environment where they feel comfortable and respected, I would be doing them a disservice. I know it will have to be something that will have to be worked on. I hope my students will feel that they can voice their opinions. I really liked what was said on class on Wednesday about the best teachers know how to push their opinions aside because not everyone thinks the same way as I do. On page 9 of the hand out the author speaks to this point. She/he says that “paying close attention to another’s words is no small feat. It calls on all of our resources of intelligence, feeling, and moral sensitivity” (9). She/he also talks about losing ourselves in others words and being mindful of what they are trying to say.

Everyone classroom and every student are different. I think there is really no way to answer my questions without actually having my own classroom with real students. Good teachers will be able to assess the situation and create a solution to problems they have in a discussion based classroom.