I try to look at discipline as a form of education when I’m with my students or my own children. I’ve said it so many times: I’m so glad I was a teacher before I had kids. I have been a better disciplinarian with my own children because I learned with my students that there are a few keys to authority.
1. Confidence: Act like you know what you’re doing. Kids can pick up on a wishy-washy person in zero seconds flat. If they sense that you’re someone who can be shaken, they will.
2. Be assertive and firm. This goes hand-n-hand with confidence. When you say it’s time to go, it IS TIME TO GO. Whining and fits will not change that. Make statements, not suggestions. “Today we’re going to clean our rooms” instead of “Maybe we should consider cleaning our rooms today.”
3. Build them up. As a teacher, you never know what life is like for your students at home. Say things like, “You’re better than that, I believe you are better and I wish you could see what I see.” With my own kids, I consider this part of helping them construct their identity. I want the little voice inside their head to be one that says positive things and this is one way to get there.
