"No!"

I am getting a degree in Secondary Education. I worked for 3 years with 6th graders and I have 2 kids. I also substitute in the schools here. I feel this gives me some insight into the workings of their minds. Needless to say, I am older than most of the other students in my classes. This makes for some interesting discussions in class. I don't claim to be an expert on the behavior of kids, but I have figured out a few things that people who have not been in a classroom or are not parents have no idea about.
One of the major topics in my classes is classroom management. Being able to keep your class from going wild and destroying the classroom is an important skill. The younger students in my classes still have idealistic expectations of these kids. There are days I want to smack them or just call them idiots and have done with it. I do try to have patience, but it can be extremely difficult.
One day we were discussing this topic. Of course the students in my class were spouting off their incredible ideas. The instructor was actually listening to all of this nonsense. I was restraining myself through great effort. Finally, the most amazing comment I have ever heard was spoken. One of the really young students(she might have been 20) announced her plan for classroom management. "I'm just going to tell them no, they can't do that." I laughed out loud. I couldn't help it. This had to be the silliest comment I had heard so far. I couldn't stop myself "I've never thought of that. I guess I should try that with my kids. Sometimes saying yes doesn't work with them." My comment was not appreciated.
I worry about the next generation of teachers. If you are a parent, you are well aware that "no" only works on kindergarten and younger. After that, they want a reason. Once they hit middle school, it has to be a really good reason. Maybe all young teachers have these ideas, but I've always thought rules might be a good plan. I'd love to be in these classrooms to see how well "no" works on 16 year olds. I expect a riot.

Jenifer Breshears
July 15, 2008