I'm not going to lie, when I started the book I was a bit hostile! It could have to do with the fact that I'm re-learning how to "love to read" but it also could be that my mind kept saying "I've done this work, what else could I or the teachers fit onto their plate". I was in the "GREAT, another guy trying to sell me the magic pill" mode.
As I continued to read my anxiety and hostility began to fade. I became engrossed in the 3 Plans. It makes so much sense! I was raised in a Plan A (A for adult) family. What mom and dad said was it....they always won! By the way I was so excited to become a mom just for that fact....I could always be the winner!!! Boy how times have changed! Plan C (C for child) was never allowed at my house. My parents were steadfast and strong, I don't ever remember winning because they just gave up and gave in.
I can also compare those two plans with my own classroom. As I started teaching I wanted to win, I wanted those children to do what I asked, to do what I assigned, and to pay attention (and pretend they were having fun even if they weren't). For most of my students that seemed to work. For a handful Plan A became a fight which wore me down and Plan C happened by default. It wasn't working. Without even recognizing it I slowly moved to Plan B (B for we BOTH win).
I'm happy to have read this book and have these plans presented in this format. The information has helped me to evaluate what I want and what the student wants. I'm looking for those win-win situations. I'm remembering that teaching has become a job of service, less of "being part of the family". I've always heard that the "customer is always right", and our students are in fact our daily customers. Teaching them has become a balancing act of giving them what they need, preparing them for the day to day, allowing them to be "right" while still accomplishing conforming them to the day to day. No wonder the teachers go home tired..every choice made requires thought and purpose. I'm proud to be a part of this difficult profession because the work we do WILL mold the future!
*Note: My blog is not grammer perfect, it's my thoughts. Feel free to do the same...this is not for a grade. :)
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I have to agree that I was not thrilled at first about reading another book about discipline. I have read several books on the subject and have not found the material to be all that useful in the long run.
ReplyDeleteOnce I took the time to really read the material about Plan B it makes a lot of sense. I agree it is the way we should be working with students and their lagging skills on a regular basis. Most students have not learned the skills to deal with the issues they are struggling with on a daily basis. If as a teacher I only used Plan A I would never help that student to learn how to deal with the issues they face. Plan B explains how to help the student come up with strategies to help themselves. Ideally that is just what we want to do for our students. We want to teach them how to solve problems for themselves.