Classroom Administration Based mostly on Love, Not Energy
“You want energy solely while you wish to do one thing dangerous, in any other case love is sufficient to get every thing executed.” ~Charlie Chaplin
As a youthful instructor, I spent lots of time studying concerning the training of younger kids. That is how I got here to study such child-centered fashions as Reggio Emilia, Montessori, Waldorf (Steiner), and democratic free faculties. It is how I got here to know the foundational concepts of Dewey, Piaget, and Vygotsky, and extra up to date thinkers like like Bev Bos, John Holt, and Mister Rogers. However to get to these concepts I needed to reject most of what of passes in our career as “greatest practices.”
“The alternative of Love isn’t hate, however energy.” ~C.S. Lewis
What I’ve come to reject is the concept of adult-centered studying. What I’ve rejected is the concept that adults should by some means management kids to ensure that them to study. What I’ve rejected are approaches that place grownup energy over kids on the middle as a substitute of affection for kids.
“They worry love as a result of it creates a world they can not management.” ~George Orwell
Any mannequin that begins with a curriculum devised by adults “for their very own good” is about energy over kids, not love.
Any mannequin that values tidiness and order beneath the rubric of “classroom administration” is about energy as a substitute of affection.
Any mannequin that assumes that kids will study little of significance with out “educating” is about energy.
“So as to get energy and retain it, it’s mandatory to like energy; however love of energy isn’t related with goodness, however with qualities that are the other of goodness, equivalent to satisfaction, crafty, and cruelty.” ~Leo Tolstoy
You understand you might be studying about energy when the sentences start with “Have the kids (do that or that) . . .” or “Get the kids to . . .” or “Inform the kids . . .” These are statements of command, the hallmark of each technique that depends upon energy.
“When love guidelines energy disappears. When energy guidelines love disappears.” ~Paulo Coelho
Strategies based mostly upon energy could be recognized by their inflexible schedules, each every day and developmental, during which everybody should continuously fear about “falling behind.”
Energy predominates in locations the place adults search to arrange kids for some future life fairly than permitting them to reside the life they’re residing.
“The place love guidelines, there isn’t a will to energy; and the place energy predominates, there love is missing. The one is the shadow of the opposite.” ~Carl Jung
Love doesn’t dictate; love doesn’t handle; love doesn’t want tips and ideas for manipulating kids. Love is about connection. It’s about relationships. It’s about listening. It’s about acceptance. It’s about this distinctive and delightful individual. As Mister Rogers wrote, “To like somebody is to try to simply accept that individual precisely the way in which she or he is, proper right here and now.” That’s the place child-centered studying begins. Love doesn’t put together kids for all times as a result of to like somebody is to know that they’re already, proper right here and now, residing.
“Love is the other of energy. That is why we worry it a lot.” ~Gregory David Roberts
“When the facility of affection overcomes the love of energy the world will know peace.” ~Jimi Hendrix
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