Students should not only be trained to live in a democracy when they grow up; they should have the chance to live in one today.
Alfie KohnRead
Some who support [more] coercive strategies assume that children will run wild if they are not controlled. However, the children for whom this is true typically turn out to be those accustomed to being controlled— those who are not trusted, given explanations, encouraged to think for themselves, helped to develop and internalize good values, and so on. Control breeds the need for more control, which is used to justify the use of control.
Interpretation
Controlling children can lead to rebellion and mistrust, while trust and guidance promote positive behavior.
Alfie Kohn's quote emphasizes that coercive methods of control can produce problems in children, leading to a cycle where control begets further control. Instead, fostering an environment of trust and encouragement allows children to develop their own values and think critically, resulting in better behavior and self-regulation.
In practice
This quote can be shared during a parenting workshop to highlight the importance of trust in child development.
Students should not only be trained to live in a democracy when they grow up; they should have the chance to live in one today.
Children, after all, are not just adults-in-the-making. They are people whose current needs and rights and experiences must be taken seriously.
In some suburban schools, the curriculum is chock-full of rigorous A.P. courses and the parking lot glitters with pricey SUVs, but one doesn't have to look hard to find students who are starving themselves, cutting themselves, or medicating themselves, as well students who are taking out their frustrations on those who sit lower on the social food chain.
If a child is off-task...mayb e the problem is not the child...maybe it's the task.
How can we do our best when we are spending our energies trying to make others lose - and fearing that they will make us lose?
Each time I visit such a classroom, where the teacher is more interested in creating a democratic community than in maintaining her position of authority, I’m convinced all over again that moving away from consequences and rewards isn’t just realistic - it’s the best way to help kids grow into good learners and good people.
To teach in a manner that respects and cares for the souls of our students is essential if we are to provide the necessary conditions where learning can most deeply and intimately begin.
I believe there should be breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack, all for free and for every child that goes to school. And all food that is good, clean and fair.
You can't really be scientifically literate if you don't understand evolution. And you can't be an educated member of society if you don't understand science.
Do not be embarrassed by your mistakes. Nothing can teach us better than our understanding of them. This is one of the best ways of self-education.
Denial of childhood and denial of freedom are the biggest sins which humankind has been committing and perpetuating for ages.
When we make college more affordable, we make the American dream more achievable.
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