Constructive Guidance Statement

Elise Doyle

Principia College

12/6/19
 When a student does something wrong, it is not just a punishment doled out in

response. It’s about a conversation with them, when I notice that one of my kids is laying their

head on their desk, I ask if they slept well last night. I ask about how they are feeling with what

we are learning. If they are bored, we look into what would make it more interesting. There are

some days where I had a student that just didn’t want to do the work because he was tired. I

found out that he didn’t sleep much the night before. There was no way that he was going to

complete his work if basic needs were not being met (Fields, Meritt, & Fields, 2018). This was

proven by Abraham Maslow’s theory on the Hierarchy of Needs. If I had just punished the child

and told him he should be working, instead of talking to him and discovering what was

underneath the surface, it may have discouraged him. No understanding would have been

found, leaving both parties frustrated.

I believe that constructive guidance should be used as often as possible in a classroom. I

practice this by avoiding words such as “don’t”, “no”, and “stop”. I rather use statements such

as “use your walking feet” when a child is running in the classroom. When a child is talking to

their neighbor, I remind them what they should be working on, or even better I ask them what

they should be working on. This allows them to communicate whether or not they know what

they should be doing. If they do not, I can elaborate.

Metacognition is also something I want to help children with. This concept plays back

into having a conversation with the student, asking them to think about their behavior and

asking questions so they think about why a behavior occurred. This can also aid students in

their ability of thinking before doing. When a child understands why they think the way they

do, it will allow them to develop a better understanding of themselves. “If students haven't
been actively engaged in building explanations, reasoning with evidence, making connections,

or having the opportunity to look at things from more than one perspective, then there would

likely be significant holes or gaps in their developing understanding” (Ritchhart, Church, &

Morrison, 2011).

Narrating is a good tool to use with children. It allows them to come to a conclusion

about a behavior or action, rather than you telling them if it is right or wrong (Drummond,

2019). In this situation, a child may learn better because they understand for themselves what

they should or should not be doing. Using “I notice” statements is key.

I plan to work with students from all walks of life. Different backgrounds, cultures, and

economic statuses. James Albert Banks focused a lot on this philosophy. This means that my

classroom would have a very open and understanding feel to it. I would want myself and the

children to express tolerance. Tolerance isn’t just dealing with or being patient with a behavior

expressed by a child. It is searching for an understanding of why a child behaves the way they

do and being empathetic towards it rather than “putting up” with said behavior.

My role as an educator is to create that safe environment. A safe environment is a place

where a student can express what they are struggling with emotionally or intellectually. I want

my space to be one in which kids can be vulnerable and make mistakes in order to learn from

them. “As a teacher, you will sometimes see defiant behavior, angry outbursts, and signs of fear

that stem from sorrowful stressors in a child’s life” (Fields, Meritt, & Fields, 2018). I want to be

a facilitator of learning rather than a dictator of knowledge. When you are a facilitator of

knowledge you work with students to help express what they have learned. You do not just
throw information at them and expect them to regurgitate it in a specified manner. There

should be various ways in which a teacher assesses because kids will each display their

knowledge in a variety of ways. Allowing students to be assessed in the manner best for them

helps them build confidence and a better knowledge of themselves. This is because if you are

aware of how you best learn you can communicate that and be confident in your strengths. If

you are only given one way to be assessed, and you are not good at that form of assessment,

you may end up thinking you are incapable academically or just don’t know the content.

Allowing for multiple forms of assessment gives a teacher the opportunity to truly know if a

student understands the classroom’s content. This prevents misunderstandings and students

getting frustrated or feeling insecure. “Insecurity puts the brain in fight-or-flight mode” (Fields,

Meritt, & Fields, 2018). Once a student is in a fight-or-flight mode, they no longer feel that

sense of security and may act out.

The last part of a classroom that I will bring in is a good attitude. I will be excited about

what I am teaching. This is because when I am excited about what I am teaching, it gets the

students excited too. I want the students to know that I want to be there. I want to help them.

When I have a positive attitude towards the students, it communicates that I am open and

willing to listen to them and their needs. This promotes the conversations and open

communications of what a student needs.

 References

Drummond, T. (2019). Enterprise Talk: A Handrail. Retrieved December 5, 2019, from

https://tomdrummond.com/leading-and-caring-for-children/enterprise-talk/.

Fields, M. V., Meritt, P. A., & Fields, D. (2018). Constructive Guidance and Discipline: Birth to Age

Eight. New York, NY: Pearson.

Ritchhart, R., Church, M., & Morrison, K. (2011). Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote

Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.