Teaching Teachers about Guidance: Lessons from the Field

Abstract

Effective teaching about guidance for children should probably begin with comprehensive treatment of the needs and attitudes of teachers (Kowalksi, Pretti-Fronteczak , & Johnson, 2001). Many teachers come to a workshop or course on guidance (which they may term “discipline” when describing it to others) expecting to learn a magic formula that will instantly transform their class of very active, noisy, inattentive little ones into a picture perfect school room full of young men and women hanging on their every word. This is because teachers label themselves as good teachers if their class fits their idealized image of a quiet, orderly learning environment. Teachers’ perception of themselves depends upon this pacific view. A visitor who walks into the classroom at a noisy moment may receive an apology on behalf of the room’s chaotic mood or the children’s unruly behavior. In fact, the view is often mirrored in the eyes of these visitors. New teachers struggle particularly with this perception and will often leave the profession early if they cannot “get their class under control” (Wisneski, 2000). For this reason, teachers often need to perceive themselves as good “disciplinarians” long before they judge their success at successfully imparting knowledge.