Students' Independence Day (II)

First point that I need to clarify is that this is not a post where I talk about how to make students into total independent learners.

One thing that I have discovered is that people (including myself) needs constant reminders, this applies strongly to children as well.

Here are some things that I do with my kids.

I try not scold them in front of other classes or students. Children feel embarrassment too. I make it clear to them I do not like to embarrass them too.

At the end of the morning assembly, or the end of the day, I will tell them about what went right and what went wrong. As time goes by, I will ask them about what went right and wrong instead.

I do not stop their misbehaviours immediately (unless it is very serious and needs immediate intervention). I expect them to control them themselves and I convey this to them. Children usually know what are the right and wrong behaviours when you ask them about it. After the misbehaviours, I will give my feedback to them and that I expect to see improvements on the next occassions. I think I might feel embarrassed that my students are temporarily misbehaving but it would be worth it if they can be more independent in the future.

To quote: Teachers are responsible for the lifelong happiness of students.

One example is the lining up during morning assembly. I will tell them about my observations after the assembly. i.e. too much space in between, lines not straight. I will ask them about the consequence of their actions. I will also tell them what exactly they can do to improve on the situations. i.e. make sure your shoulders and aligned with the one in front (Sometimes its not that they do not want to follow your instructions, but they do not know how to go about carrying it out). They are children, not little adults.