Running Head: WARMTH AND CONTROL

Warmth and Control: Balancing Teacher Roles in the Elementary Classroom Matthe !tern Mc"ill #ni$ersity

Warmth and Control % am than&'ul 'or this o((ortunity to re'lect in some detail u(on my 'irst 'ield e)(erience* While it ill +e intention to mo$e +eyond dichotomous thin&ing a+out hat % may ha$e li&ed or disli&ed, it seems to me that my -&nee./er&0 reactions can (ro$ide 'ruit'ul s(ring+oards 'or a critical e$aluation o' my o n $alue system and its im(act on my inter(retations o' the goings.on at school* As as mentioned in our seminar discussions, - hat e see is o'ten determined +y hat e ant to see0 1Borich, 2334, (* 45* Accordingly, % ill use these 'irst im(ressions as starting (oints, +ut my ultimate goal ill +e to see +eyond them* The most salient theme % o+ser$ed as the inter(lay among the $arious roles that teachers are e)(ected to 'ul'ill simultaneously* %ndeed, the 6E7 s(eci'ies that -teachers are no called u(on to ta&e on ne roles***instead o' transmitting &no ledge, the teacher +ecomes more o' a guide, su((orting students0 1"ou$ernement du 6u8+ec, 2339, (* :5* Mostly, % itnessed a $acillation +et een t o ma/or, sometimes con'licting roles: teacher as $alidator and teacher as authority 'igure* Although most teachers 1as ell as student teachers5 incor(orated some measure o' +oth into their a((roach, it a((eared to me that, 'or many, their (rimary 'ocus as either on creating and maintaining order or on res(onding (ositi$ely to the students* 7ar&ay 123925 states that -a teacher;s classroom con$eys a +alance o' armth and control0 1(* 9<5* What is es(ecially interesting to me is that a 'ocus on one o' these t o 'actors seems re(resentati$e o' a much more 'ar.reaching $ie o' the orld and o' hat is most im(ortant* %t s(ea&s to the larger =uestion o' hether the (rinci(al (ur(ose o' education is to 'oster a sense o' con'idence, em(o erment and sel'.direction in students or, rather, an a+ility to co(e ith the rigorous trials o' a com(licated orld* 7ar&ay relays that, 'or most (eo(le, -the (rimary (ur(ose o' schools is to im(art to students the academic &no ledge and s&ills that ill (re(are them either 'or additional schooling or 'or 1

Warmth and Control the orld o' or&0* Ho e$er, he s(eci'ies that there is another school o' thought that -em(hasi>es (ersonal gro th0, (utting -the indi$idual 'irst and society second0 1(* <?5* % o+ser$ed +oth o' these teaching a((roaches in action @ one +ased on order and disci(line, hich seemed to +e geared to ard teaching the students res(ect 'or structures +eyond themsel$es 1society, institutions, authority, etc*5, and another +ased on a''ection and rein'orcement, hich a((eared to +e (rimarily 'ocussed on culti$ating a sense o' (ersonal com(etence and con'idence among the students* !urely there is $alue in +oth a((roachesA ho e$er, it seems to me that they are o'ten at cross. (ur(oses, and that children are o'ten con'used +y their relationshi(s ith adults ho are sometimes lo$ing and &ind to ard them, and at other times suddenly angry, curt or harsh 'or reasons that they may not 'ully com(rehend* By &ee(ing a close eye on my o n reactions, % noticed a (o er'ul a''inity to ard the arm, a''ectionate a((roach* Certainly this sheds some light onto my core $alues and 'uture teaching style* As 7ar&ay e)(lains, -each school is uni=ue* Each has a culture o' its o n . a net or& o' +elie's, $alues and traditions, and ays o' thin&ing and +eha$ing that distinguishes it 'rom other schools0 1(* 9?B5* The culture o' the school community % itnessed as one o' relati$ely smooth order* Transitions throughout the day +et een lessons and lunch.time, getting dressed to (lay outside, etc*, ne$er seemed to engender serious con'licts or issues among the students* That +eing said, many o' the teachers seemed to need to ado(t a terse, no.nonsense tone in order to accom(lish these tas&s* %ndeed, in order to get e$en the most +asic lesson across, there as consistently a need to remind students to remain =uiet* On one occasion, a sta'' mem+er admonished students 'or giggling hile she read a +oo& to them* My instincti$e reaction to this as to 'eel sorry 'or the students, deeming that their natural reaction o' giggling glee'ulness should not +e su((ressed* Ho e$er, % could not hel( +ut ta&e heed o' 2

Warmth and Control the 'act that the le$el o' (eace'ul order my cohort and % o+ser$ed in the school ould not ha$e +een (ossi+le ithout the esta+lishment o' clear rules o' conduct* To me, it +egged the =uestion o' hether a (eace'ul learning atmos(here could +e created without adults needing to +e im(atient or harsh ith children* Curther to this, it led me to onder hether % ould +e a+le and illing to e)ecute hat is e)(ected o' me as a con$entional classroom teacher, i' it necessarily in$ol$ed sometimes +eing a harsh disci(linarian* The notion o' ha$ing to act im(atient or unlo$ing ith a child seems (ro'oundly uncom'orta+le to me @ (ossi+ly untena+le* O' course there must +e room 'or 'alli+le humanity, and e are all susce(ti+le to 'eelings o' angerA +ased on my current 'rame or& o' non$iolent communication, ho e$er, % 'eel that s(ea&ing in an aggressi$e manner to anyone, let alone a child, should +e 'ollo ed +y a sincere and thought'ul a(ology* D+arra 19BBE5, 'or one, em(hasi>es that e''ecti$e teachers -stimulate student moti$ation through FtheirG enthusiasm0, rather than through coerci$e or didactic means 1(* 4<5* "i$en this, % am led to onder hat alternati$e methods % ill choose in order to -control0 a classroom, hether my a((roach ill in$ol$e radically di''erent methods that e''ecti$ely e)clude the notion o' -control0, and hether % ill ultimately 'ind mysel' see&ing ays o' +eing in$ol$ed ith children learning outside o' con$entional classroom settings* Recently, hile reading Why We Do What We Do +y (sychologist Ed ard L* Deci, % came across some $ery (ertinent research that % +elie$e o''ers some in$alua+le insight into this to(ic* Deci (oses the =uestion -ho can autonomy su((ort and limit setting coe)istH0 %n other ords, he addresses the 'undamental need to achie$e a +alance +et een structured order and indi$idual e)(ression* %t seems that an e)(eriment run +y 7ro'essor Richard Ioestner o' Mc"ill has sho n that setting rules or limits in a ay that -con$eys an a((reciation o' the childrenJs (ers(ecti$e0 can -ha$e a li+erating e''ect0, inciting children to listen ithout undermining their enthusiasm or moti$ation 1Deci, 9BBE, (* :?5* This

Warmth and Control is hugely ins(iring to me, +ecause it suggests that there is al ays a ay to s(ea& to children that is not controlling or coerci$e, +ut rather a((eals to their o n ay o' seeing and doing things* Deci (uts it as 'ollo s: -By aligning yoursel' ith the (erson +eing limited, recogni>ing that he or she is a (roacti$e su+/ect, rather than an o+/ect to +e mani(ulated or controlled @ it is (ossi+le to encourage res(onsi+ility ithout undermining authenticity0 1(* :?5* To me, this is at the $ery cru) o' my +urgeoning teacher identity and (hiloso(hy o' education @ 'or % 'eel that, i' a childJs natural curiosity, e)(ression, and lust 'or li'e are undermined in the (rocess o' rule.setting and the maintenance o' order, then the $ery heart and soul o' that child can +e dee(ly @ (ossi+ly irre(ara+ly @ hurt* !ten+erg 123935 (uts it succinctly +y stressing the im(ortance o' mo$ing -+eyond reactionary teaching +eha$iour0 to ard actions that ta&e our dee(ly held $alues into account 1(* ??95* Accordingly, in my 'uture role as teacher, it ill +e (rimordial that % 'ind strategies that manage to create (eace'ul order hile (reser$ing a dee(, a+iding res(ect 'or the ell.+eing o' my students*

Warmth and Control Re'erences Borich, "* 123345* Why o+ser$eH and seeing +eyond (ersonal e)(eriences and e)(ectations* %n Observation skills for effective teaching 1Eth edition5* 1((* 9.4A :9.E45* Colum+us, Ohio: 7earsonKMerrill 7rentice Hall* Deci, E* L* 19BBE5* Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self-Motivation. Ne Dor&, ND: 7enguin Boo&s* "ou$ernement du 6u8+ec, MinistLre de lJMducation* 123395* Changes in Teaching 7ractices* %n Teacher Training* 1((* ?.B5* Retrie$ed 'rom htt(:KK *mcgill*caK'ilesKostK'ormationNensNa*(d' eco!ing

7ar&ay, C*W*, !tan'ord, B*H*, Oaillancourt, P*7*, !te(hens, H*C*, Q Harris, P*R* 123925*

a teacher* 1:th edition5* 1((* 9E.23A 9?:.9?RA 9?B.9:BA 2<2.2<EA 2B4.?325* Toronto, ON: 7earson Education Canada !ten+erg, I* 123935* %dentity or& as a tool 'or (romoting the (ro'essional de$elo(ment o' student teachers* "eflective #ractice$ %%1?5, ??9.?:<* D+arra, M.A* 19BBE5* A loo& in the mirror* The &!erican Music Teacher$ ''1:5, 94.2?*