The Myth of the Quiet Classroom

Imagine a parent walking down the hall with the school principal. As they pass Mrs. Ahmed’s
classroom, they hear some quiet talking, a few light giggles, and some shuffling sounds that
indicate movement occurring on a regular basis. Next they came to Mrs. Khan’s room, and to
their surprise, they hear nothing except the teacher’s voice. The room is quiet and still. Mrs.
Khan seems to be in full control of the situation.
What kind of impression, we might ask, would the parent and perhaps even the principal have?
Most likely the parent would think that Mrs. Khan must be an excellent teacher and a first rate
disciplinarian because of the order and quiet in his classroom. On the other hand, this same
parent might be tempted to feel that Mrs. Ahmed was a mediocre teacher.
Interestingly enough, the opposite could be true. It might be that Mrs. Ahmed’s classroom was a
little noisy because things were happening- students were learning to work together, they were
moving about the room because it was necessary in the learning experience and they were
enjoying what they were accomplishing. On the other hand it is possible that Mrs. Khan is an
authoritarian who is able to generate enough fear in her students to keep them absolutely quiet.
Many people equate quiet classrooms with good discipline and moderately noisy classrooms
with poor discipline. The assumptions are false. In saying this, I am not suggesting that
moderately, noisy classrooms always have good discipline. It is true; however, that discipline has
a better chance of developing in a classroom not dominated by an authority figure.
Perhaps the better test of good discipline is not how quiet and orderly it is when the teacher is in
the room, but what happens when he leaves the room for an indefinite period of time. Under such
circumstances, some very quiet classrooms that the presence of an authority figure has held
under restraint become very disorderly, while some moderately active classrooms do not change
much in the absence of the teacher because the students have been learning to control themselves
in the teacher’s absence.
In short, a quiet classroom when the teacher is present is not an indication of good discipline. In
some cases the very worst type of discipline may be occurring.
On this point, I say that the parent or teacher who… trains the child to self-control will be the
most useful and permanently successful. To the superficial observer his work may not appear to
the best advantage; it may not be valued so highly as that of the one who holds the mind and will
of the child under absolute authority; but after years will show the result of the better method of
training. Teachers, who are gratified that they have almost complete control of the wills of their
scholars, are not the most successful teachers, although the appearance for the time being may be
flattering.
We cannot fully evaluate successful discipline in the present. The ultimate test is not how the
young people act when in the presence of authority figures, since in a few short years they have
become beyond the reach of parents and teachers.