Oakland, CA
Giggles

Director's Description to School's Approach to Discipline

Discipline Philosophy:

Teachers and parents model the type of interactions with others that they want children to develop. The most effective way of teaching a child a desired behavior is to model it.

Our responsibility, as parents and teachers, is to model the behaviors we expect of the children. This includes interactions between adults as well as between adult's and children. Teachers help children resolve their differences by using words to express what is happening and what the child is feeling. Children deserve consistency in the messages they receive from the adult's in their lives. It is very difficult for a child to learn what is expected of him/her in a social situation if he/she is constantly being told, or shown, something different.

Teachers facilitate the development of social skills, self-control, and self-regulation in children by using positive guidance techniques, such as modeling and encouraging expected behavior, redirecting children to more acceptable activities, setting clear limits and intervening to enforce consequences for unacceptable, harmful behavior. Teacher's expectations respect children's developing capabilities. Teachers are patient, realizing that not every minor infraction warrants a response.

We require our teachers to take a pro-active, versus a reactive, approach to discipline. Creating an environment that allows plenty of choices is the first step. Duplication of toys; clearly defined boundaries of what is acceptable and what is not; an abundance of space; accessibility of adult attention; helping children attain the tools they need (ie. language and self control); and an understanding of developmental needs and frustrations helps to foster a pro-active approach. This type of an environment creates a feeling of security and respect for oneself, ones peers and teachers.

Director's Response to a Sample Discipline Scenario

Description of how teachers handle the following scenario: Child A and Child B are good friends and usually play together. One day, Child A decides to play with Child C and tells Child B, 'I don't want to play with you today. I'm playing with Child C instead.'


The teacher would acknowledge the right of Child A to play with whomever he/she wanted to play with. She would then explain how being excluded could hurt Child B's feelings and try to problem solve with the Child A,B and C developing a game they could all play together.

Montessori? Waldorf? Play-based?

What school type is right for your child? Is one model better than another? What does the research say?

View an example from the Savvy Source guide to learn more.

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