The other day I was leaving the post office and saw the smiles of people I passed as I thanked my daughter for listening and being such a good helper (she stayed by my side while in the post office). This is basic two year old discipline – I am teaching my daughter the proper way to act in public and when she does a good job, I praise her for it, confirming her actions to be appropriate.

The topic of praising students is a sticky subject and some teachers disagree with praising students for doing things they should do out of respect, and only thank students for going above and beyond the call of duty.

The problem with his concept, though, is that the job of teaching children to act appropriately in different situations, as I did my daughter at the post office, belongs to the parent. While many parents are willing to take the time to teach their children these skills, many put their children in daycare instead, and let someone else will take care of the discipline. Day care workers are not substitutes for parental teaching and many teachers find themselves with students who are not trained to act appropriately in the classroom.

In a recent post on why saying “good job” is bad, I addressed the idea that praise needs to be specific in the classroom. Indeed, praise needs to be specific, and hold the double purpose of both creating a positive classroom atmosphere and teaching the children the appropriate way to act in the classroom.

Do your students benefit from parental discipline or does that job end up falling to you as the teacher? Share your stories!

Related posts:

1. When Saying “Good Job” is Bad
2. Classroom Management: Lack of Parental Support
3. Lesson Plans that Prevent Discipline Problems
4. 101 Classroom Management Tips