Philosophy of Discipline

My background may be different from many other teachers due to the fact that my prior
experience teaching was in the military. I learned what it took to be an effective leader in the
Army, but I also learned what poor leadership looked like. Military discipline works for the
Army, but I believe this approach is not realistic for a classroom setting. Army discipline is tough
and often harsh for soldiers and I believe this form of forced obedience was detrimental to
soldier growth. As a trainer, I was faced with the conflicting philosophies of iron fisted discipline
verses positive soldier motivation and I embraced positivity and self-determination in my
instruction. This approach was confusing for soldiers who were used to ineffective forms of
discipline and motivation. I believe that every soldier or student as they were both in my eyes,
has the potential to achieve their goals and I took pride in encouraging those ambitions. I quickly
realized that soldiers responded to my positive and encouraging form of instruction by trying
better not harder.
Confidence in ones ability is a powerful thing once it has been harnessed and properly
guided, the transformations my soldiers made not only impressed me but their unit leaders as
well. This transformation was the most rewarding aspect of my career as an Army instructor.
Establishing respect among my soldiers and students is the most important goal for me as an
educator because respect is not automatic, it is earned. Without respect, how can I possibly be an
effective leader? I want my students to not only respect my passion for teaching but also my
commitment to their growth as the future leaders of our world. Ideally, I would like the students
to be in charge of their own classroom discipline. I believe this can be achieved if students are
positively empowered and have respect for me as their educator.
I would hope that by the time a student has reached high school that they should know
the policies of the school and district regarding behavior and discipline but it would be naive to
think this way. If respect is a central theme in my class, then I expect students to show it to their
classmates as well. I want to have a classroom in which students feel comfortable in expressing
their views and opinions without the fear of ostracization. By allowing an open classroom, the
responsibility falls on the students to conduct themselves with class and maturity. Bullying,
verbal abuse, or any form of disrespect toward another student will not be tolerated and it will be
the students responsibility to enforce these rules upon themselves. Allowing students to set the
class rules and take charge of enforcing them gives the students a degree on independence which
is healthy to a positive learning environment. This form of independence however must be
earned. Ultimately, I want my students to walk away from my class with a greater self-efficacy
and confidence in their abilities with an attitude that is willing to embrace and overcome
challenges in both academics and in life.