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WRR #1: Kohn Ch. 5

Assertive Discipline, the best-known of these systems for making the trains run on time in the classroom, was introduced in the mid1970s. (For a tongue-in-cheek guide to some key terms in this program, see Appendix 2.) The latest edition of the Assertive Discipline manual contains a bit of perfunctory talk about helping students to develop “responsibility” and “self-esteem,” but even the most cursory exposure to the program makes it clear that the overriding goal is to get students to do whatever they are told without question. (Kohn 57)

With this quote I was forced to reflect on any situation that I handled while teaching younger grades. In a General music classroom there is so much to touch and play with. Naturally,  there were times where for a few instructions my goal wasn’t 100% about students learning music, but more about me not getting overrun by twenty children and keeping control. I feel that this is a fine line in a music classroom, because mostly everything that you do involves making noise. It is very easy for a teacher's voice to get consumed in the mehem happening in the airwaves. There is already a disadvantage in regards to management from the first note, so there is always a temptation to be the assertive disciplinary type. However, I will say this about a music classroom, music is fun and anytime that is spent disciplining is time spent away from music. No matter what happens in the classroom, if you stop rehearsal the singing and the fun stop immediately. So, at the very least the disciplinary approach will always have that effect on a classroom. This sort of reflection is later specified in the reading by Kohn when he says, “Hundreds of thousands of teachers have been exposed to this set of techniques, and many have never been helped to reflect on how destructive it really is.” Kohn 58.
Another reaction that I had to this section of text was when Kohn outlines one of the arguments that is in favor of the assertive discipline model, and this is what was said, “ Without a packaged system, Canter warns, the teacher would be “forced to constantly make choices about how to react to student behavior” (Canter and Canter 1992, p. 46). In other words, the teacher might have to think for herself or bring students into the process of solving problems” Kohn 57. I think that this is a very fair warning, and also brings about a blurred line between having a routine and an established process, with assertive discipline. I usually like to assign posture numbers for a choir. If you’re at 1 you are standing with appropriate posture, that lends itself to quality and healthy singing, if you're at a 2 then you are sitting with appropriate posture, that lends itself to quality and healthy singing, if you’re at a 3 you’re sitting relaxed and quiet waiting for instructions. This helps keep the pace during a rehearsal, as the teacher doesn’t have to waist anytime articulating where the students should be. While I see how this could be interpreted as an assertive discipline model, I would say that anything that actively benefits the process of singing is not in the same camp as the assertive discipline model, but it’s not too far away. This is a demonstration of having the student exactly where you want them to be when you want them to be there. While I don’t see any harm, is there any there? This is something that I will always consider while teaching and establishing classroom and procedural norms.

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"What may seem obvious and "normal" in one culture may be completely unfamiliar and uncomfortable in another. What schools and teachers expect in terms of rules, norms, patterns of interactions and behaviors could be at odds with how a students experiences these things at home, making school a potentially confusing and uncomfortable environment."(Pinto, p.16) This particularly stuck with me because I have been thinking recently how culture is not only defined by ethnic, religious, or racial group. Culture is also sub-culture, youth culture, family culture, and more. This means that even with a great deal of knowledge of the demographics of one's students, unless you get to know their cultural layers you will still be "going in blind" as it where. Pinto speaks about the dangers of giving in to stereotypes, which I think as a white-cis-liberal I can be easily lulled into (aka. the feeling of wokeness, rather than actually being informed.)

In order to be culturally responsive you must be present, engaged, respectful, and genuinely take an interest in the student's culture and that of their families. The readings generally resonate with my teaching goals, as I see myself as culturally competent, but the insistence in investing time and thought into truly being present to be culturally proficient is something I had not considered before these readings, as I have often heard the idiom that you can't know all your students, you can't have personalized relationships with hundreds of kids, etc.

While it may be true you cannot have deep relationships with everyone, this passage from Steel gives me hope that perhaps that is not what is needed to build cultural proficiency.  "Often the term “relationship” is thought of as something that takes time to develop. Actually, a relationship is simply a connection that is made between two people. That relationship is defined by the nature of the connection.” (Steele pg.99) Taking an interest in students through student driven content and conversation can help make this type of connection.  It seems with every class in this program we learn of more nuance we need to learn.

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Quote:
"You know we all get upset. Sometimes it’s because of what others say or do
to us. Sometimes it’s when we can’t get something to work or when
something doesn’t go right. The other day I . . . [self-disclose a troubling
experience]. I was so upset. I’m curious what upsets you most. Okay. So,
when you are upset, what do you do? Does that help or make it worse?
What makes you feel better? Sometimes I take a walk. Sometimes I go to
a quiet place. Sometimes I run. Sometimes I call a friend. What works for
you? I wonder if you’ve tried . . . [offer sensory suggestions—taking a deep
breath, going to a different part of the house, doing something different,
playing a favorite game, talking about it, etc.]. Maybe next time you are
upset you can try something different. Of all the ideas we came up with,
which one or two do think might help? You know, we could even practice
them to find which one feels best for you."
- This passage from page 98 of the Steele book, appears under the subject heading "be curious" in the chapter about building connections. To me this speaks to the core of how connections are built - with adolescents, sure, but also with any human being - and that is that people need to feel valuable. When you take the time to express genuine interest in and curiosity about a person, that person will feel a connection with you because you have shown them that you value what they have to say and therefore have shown them that they have worth. It's natural for human beings to feel the need to talk about themselves and to see the world through the filter of their own experiences and ideas. I admit that this is a trap that I have fallen into many times myself. Taking the time and making the effort to step outside of yourself can be a humbling experience and is more challenging than many people would like to admit. But that right there is proof of what I'm saying. As teachers we must not forget that we are human beings just like our students and we need to be careful not to let our own need to feel valuable and important over those same needs in our students. It's only natural to feel like our expertise and life experience makes us an authority with plenty of wisdom to impart on our students, but our students have much to tech us is we take the time to ask.

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I want to start out with one of the passages that really stuck out to me in this chapter. "The document that emerges almost always describes a certain kind of person rather than just a certain kind of learner. Psychological and social characteristics (for example, “caring,” “happy,” and “responsible”) predominate over those relating to intellect. Moreover, someone invariably notices that even those goals that do pertain to intellectual development have been conceived broadly (“curious,” “creative,” “lifelong learners”) rather than in terms of specific academic content. In all the times I have done this activity in different parts of the country, no educator—or parent, for that matter—has ever said that his or her long-term goal for students is for them to know how to solve an equation with two variables, or remember the names of the explorers of the New World." pg. 61 I think this really awoken something in me that I was trying to put into words. The desires that I have for my future students are for them to learn how to be lifelong learners, how to caring, responsible, and happy, but I never really thought of it in the light of it not coming from rules or control. I guess I have been so used to growing up and participating in a society that harps and sings the praise of teaching people by force with actions and reactions what is good and what is bad. That punishment is often the only way that we are reminded what is right and wrong. Reading through this chapter though I am seeing that it is just simply not the case.

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First of all I have to say, I love the title of this chapter!  I have been thinking so much about this lately, and all the other how/ what not to do's as I progress through the GTEP program and have started student teaching. This chapter has really got me thinking about control, obedience, and conformity and the ways in which these themes present themselves- sometimes in ways that are painfully obvious or in ways that are discreetly embedded- hidden in our teaching- when we've to sworn to never do so. I laughed when I read the quote, "I would quit the profession before using assertive discipline"(p.58), I mean, yeah- I would too! But the reality is- this stuff is entrenched in so many realms of teaching- and I think there is some honesty to this quote that while, "hundreds of thousands of teachers have been exposed to this set of techniques, and many have never have been helped to reflect on how destructive it really is" (p.58). The questions Kohn asks during the workshops they hold resonated with me, and I think are a really great way to start thinking about the above quote- "what are your long term goals for the students you work with? What would you like them to be-to be like-long after they've left you? (p.60) After reading this, I paused and reflected on these questions, I found that my thoughts were more align with the students, not of my own- and that my thoughts supported much of why I wanted to teach health in the first place- to create pause- to think inward- to reflect on ones self in the moment. Not because I think they know what is best - or because I have exposed them to x,y, or, z.  It's about how and what they want to learn and the value they come to see in doing so. Or don't because that's okay too. In this regard I see these quotes as fitting-  "the more we manage students' behavior and try ago make them do what we say, the more difficult it is for them to become morally sophisticated people who think for themselves and care about others (p.62). Further, “the only way to help students become ethical people, as opposed to people who merely do what they are told, is to have them construct moral meaning. It is to help them figure out- for themselves and with each other- how one ought to act” (p.67)Yes! I'm not here to have students "spit out someone else's right answers (p.66), or even this total bs necessity of assuming the need to have the right answers in the first place- as their answers might be varied, or left blank as they are still trying to find their answers and need time to do so. So much to think about in this chapter- so in this regard- I too, don't yet have the answers.

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This chapter both shocked and made a lot to sense to me. When thinking about classroom management, I think of a stern, old, teacher who bangs her ruler on the desk one too many times. The Kohn chapter also agrees with my thoughts, but they want to change that perspective. The quote I chose was , "Only gradually did I realize that even this was not the last word. Rewards and punishments are instruments for controlling people, and the real problem, I came to see, is the belief that the teacher should be in control of the classroom, that the principal objective -- and sometimes the objective of the principal-- is to get students to comply." I chose this quote because I was shocked by the need for students to comply. I think it is so important to have a mutual understanding of respect from your students, not a need to be superior. In my experience, teachers who demanded good behavior and yelled when things didn't go there way were less likely to have deep relationships and connections with their students. I want to be the type os teacher who has good relationships with my students that can potentially last awhile. Never would I ever want my students to comply to my object, nor do I want to be satisfied with forced participation. After reading this chapter, now I think of classroom management as successful, healthy classroom relationship building. Classroom management does not have to be the tough, everything needs order attitude. Classroom management should rely on trust and respect. As Kohn says, it is much harder to get a classroom managed when the strategy is that yelling. It is much much better to take time to adapt the New Discipline approach, it will be better for both you and your students in the long run.

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This chapter both shocked and made a lot to sense to me. When thinking about classroom management, I think of a stern, old, teacher who bangs her ruler on the desk one too many times. The Kohn chapter also agrees with my thoughts on what classroom management means to people, but they want to change that perspective. The quote I chose was , "Only gradually did I realize that even this was not the last word. Rewards and punishments are instruments for controlling people, and the real problem, I came to see, is the belief that the teacher should be in control of the classroom, that the principal objective -- and sometimes the objective of the principal-- is to get students to comply." I chose this quote because I was shocked by the need for students to comply. I think it is so important to have a mutual understanding of respect from your students, not a need to be superior. In my experience, teachers who demanded good behavior and yelled when things didn't go there way were less likely to have deep relationships and connections with their students. I want to be the type of teacher who has good relationships with my students that can potentially last awhile. Never would I ever want my students to comply to my subject, nor do I want to be satisfied with forced participation. After reading this chapter, now I think of classroom management as successful, healthy classroom relationship building. Classroom management does not have to be the tough, everything needs order attitude. Classroom management should rely on trust and respect. As Kohn says, it is much harder to get a classroom managed when the strategy is yelling. It is much much better to take time to adapt the New Discipline approach, it will be better for both you and your students in the long run.

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This chapter helped to put words to feelings I have from experience within our education system.

Steele, Chapter 5:

“What are your long-term goals for the students you work with? What would you like them to be [..] no educator— or parent, for that matter— has ever said that his or her long-term goal for students is for them to know how to solve an equation with two variables, or remember the names of the explorers of the New World [...] it exposes a yawning chasm between what we want and what we are doing” (pg. 61). This helped me to realize that I did not lose interest in classes or subjects because I simply did not comprehend the subject matter, or that I did not like the teacher, but I did not see value in the lesson.

In music I hope to avoid this, however to do that I must identify my own management style and to be conscious of what my goals as a teacher are, and how I can teach that. With a band, management is a huge issue. Students usually begin their band careers in a class of 20-60 11 year olds holding loud honkers. At this point it is important to show the aesthetic and cultural values of the Honkers, as well as the discipline and consciousness it takes to master the honkers. In band we teach systems, culture, and long term goal making. I literally have nightmares about going too long without practicing my trumpet, however I would rather have dreams about the art I can create. This is what I hope to avoid with my future students.

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I really appreciated the chapter we read by Steele regarding Compassionate Schools and how we can respond to kids impacted by adversity, trauma, and toxic stress. The more I learn from students directly and from research like the ACE study, I realize that the majority of our students are likely to fall into one of those categories at some point while they are in our care. Steele explains how, “The best approach to dealing with students impacted by trauma is never ‘one size fits all’.”  (183) Instead they focus on the strength of teaching resilience to teachers, staff and students. I think resilience as a focus is a much more sustainable and realistic means for survival as a human because it does not negate the fact that oppression, trauma and stress will continue to impact your life. It educates students how to survive instead of sheltering them in a way that hurts them later. I think this ties very well into the idea of having high expectations for your students as a way of being a compassionate school.

The issue that stood out to me the most was the emphasis placed on a teacher’s self care and emotional health. I used to be a High School Pastor and I was not trained well in this practice and as a result experienced a lot of secondary trauma from working with my students. This eventually led to burn out which leads to “missteps” in leadership. It’s a cycle that doesn’t serve the teacher, staff, or the students you are aiming to protect. I think it is so critical to prioritize educating teachers what is theirs to carry and what is not by setting healthy boundaries and valuing self care. On page 187, there is a paragraph that starts with, “Teachers, and other school staff are extremely busy, so it is unreasonable to suggest that they should become therapists to traumatized students.” It proceeds to discuss how this boundary formation can happen. I think it is critical for teachers to see resources as a protection for their students and their own energy and not as a weakness. I also believe it is important that teachers know you can lead a trauma informed classroom without being required to do a job you were not trained or qualified to handle.

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"one teacher describes how in her new Grade 6 class, she noticed a lot of students avoided eye contact with her, which affected the way she dealt with conflict because she was unaccustomed to it. She asked questions and learned that eye contact was considered inappropriate in many of their South Asian cultures. This changed her understanding of the students’ behaviors "

This quote is a perfect example of using cultural responsiveness in the classroom. I actually had an incident exactly like this when I was working as an AmeriCorps volunteer at a SUN elementary after school program. I had the students raise their hands and make eye contact whenever I needed to make an announcement and get their attention. I wanted to confirm that they were listening, which in my culture means that they are looking at me directly. One of my students from China said "it feels weird to look at you in the eyes I don't really like doing that" and I realized the mistake that I had made! I immediately apologized and we came up with a new strategy as a team.

I bring up this moment because it is a great example of the authority figure attempting to create flow, balance and a well managed environment, but at the expense of the comfort of certain students. I refuse to practice assimilationism in the classroom and rather would prefer students to learn how to have uncomfortable conversations about communication and cultural value systems. Rather than preparing them for hiding their identity and being part of the larger cultural behemoth, I want to prepare these students to be able to navigate and explore different cultural and idiosyncratic values.

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"What I've been arguing, over the course of several chapters, is
that desirable outcomes are harder to achieve if we rely on bribes
and threats. Even when children are "successfully" rewarded or
threatened into compliance, they will likely feel no commitment to
what they are doing, no deep understanding of the act and its rationale,
no sense of themselves as the kind of people who would want
to act this way in the future. Remember: they have been led to concentrate on the consequences of their actions to themselves, and
someone with this frame of reference bears little resemblance to the
kind of person we dream of seeing our students become." (Kohn, p.62)
I enjoyed "How Not to Get Control of the Classroom".  I am beginning to take a more active role in the classroom I have been assigned to work in. In fact, I will be presenting a lesson that I created this week. Because I have limited experience in leading a class, I feel a bit anxious about managing and facilitating my class. This chapter reminded me that teachers during my K-12 experience definitely subscribed to the Assertive Discipline system of classroom management. Like the students mentioned in the text, most of my teachers were only interested in my classmates and me being quiet (and still!). At the same time, they poured knowledge into our heads. I don't believe these teachers were bad or not caring teachers; they were just influenced by a lack of understanding of how to fully engage the classroom, which is one of the reasons that I found the above quote to be so important and compelling. Students who are not coerced into behaving in a manner that pleases the teacher are not genuinely learning; they know how to avoid bad consequences by doing what others want them to do.
Because much of my own K-12 experience came from this environment, I believe it is essential that I remember the importance of helping my students become individuals who do the right thing not because they can avoid punishment or other bad things consequences but because they made a conscious decision. This is possible when we help our students to question, explore and come to their own conclusions

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“Often the term “relationship” is thought of as something that takes time to develop. Actually, a relationship is simply a connection that is made between two people. That relationship is defined by the nature of the connection.” (Steele pg.99) This was my favorite quote from the Steele reading. I like this quote very much because it shows that connections extend pass a relationship. Anyone can form a relationship from just saying hello and sitting next to each other in class. But it takes time to form a connection. The benefits of having a connection with the students will have lots of benefits. First, it makes students feel that they have a place in the classroom. Also according to Steele (pg. 99 – 100) by establishing connections to our students there will be less behavior issues and greater academic achievement as oppose to a teacher who does not try to make a connection. In my experience this has been proven to be true. Another benefit that making good connections will do is allow there to be goo raport with the students so that when there is a time for deep discussion for a serious event then the teacher and students can have that dialogue without losing the connection that has been created between the two. So far, I have formed 2 deeper connections amongst my students. This has proven to be beneficial in the class because they have been able to motivate the other band kids to participate more in ice breakers and group discussions. Thus improving the positive environment of the classroom.

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I have absolutely loved the Steele chapter so far. I am deeply passionate about creating trauma-informed environments and being mindful of trauma in all of my conversations.
I was a bit wary though when I came upon the self-care portion of the chapter. While I echo the importance and ethical obligation of it, the chapter seemed to place most if not all of the responsibility on teachers.
I have worked in a lot of very stressful helping professions in which the companies would endlessly preach self-care, but would also continuously to put pressure on employees to work more days, stay late, and take on more tasks and responsibility, all for laughably low pay. Because of these experiences, I am always hesitant of the weaponizing of self-care without taking into account the institutional sources of stress and how the company or environment itself is contributing to the employee's un-wellness. Workers can as many bubble baths as they want, but if their employer is implementing rewards for working more than is healthy and disciplinary action for setting boundaries and having a life outside of work, that self-care isn't going to be very effective.
I'm still not sure how a balance can be found without larger societal change, and it's likely a huge privilege to work for an employee-centered organization (rather than profit-centered). But this is definitely an area that I have previously and will continue advocating for in my positions. This is something that can only benefit not only me and my fellow teacher, but our students as well. It's important for students not only to know that we actually have lives outside of work, but also for us as teachers to be supported enough by our schools that we have time and energy to be fully supportive for our students.

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"Rather than misinterpreting students' lack of eye contact as rude or evasive, she came to understand that they were simply relating to her in a way that they understood to be respectful." (Pinto, p17)

For the classroom to truly be a community, there must be changes and adjustments constantly. This passage reminds me that it is up to the teachers and other faculty to look at themselves first when trying to make changes. The students are trying to survive and thrive as teenagers or adolescences, which is a difficult task in it's own right. Further, they do not have the perspective or experience to understand what makes a classroom safe and functional. That being said, I believe it is imperative to get student input when making decisions that directly affect their educational experience.

For example,  I found the podcast story of security officers being used for student disciplinary purposes disturbing. I remember, here in Portland, security officers they were originally meant to protect students from strangers entering the schools. I believe that's where their responsibilities should have stopped, but it wasn't long before they were being used to discipline the students. This kind of "solution" seems to me like one that was made without any serious input from the students themselves. I can imagine for a teenager who already believes the American Education System is little more than a step in being assimilated and institutionalized, the presence of police officers would only reinforce this idea.

I would like to create an environment where the teachers and students are co-learners and partners in educational growth. I think it is the teachers' responsibility to create that environment, but it is imperative to consider feedback and ideas from the students who will be participating.

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"Creating a culturally responsive classroom management plan means that you have to be both aware of and fluent in cultures other than your own." (Pg 21, Pinto reading)

I agreed with a lot of what this book or chapter was saying, however this sentence at the end of one of the segments rubs me the wrong way. Before you all end up hating me, hear me out. I agree that in a perfect world this would be the case for every teacher. However in this world we live in, I think this is unreasonable to ask of a teacher. It is unreasonable in the sense that teachers got too much going on. Say you're a math teacher, you need to prep everything, grade, emails, meetings, and then you need to also be fluent in a variety of cultures you may have zero understanding of. What I would adjust this to is the following: "Creating a culturally responsive classroom management plan means that you need to work towards being aware of the all cultures and be open minded to them." This seems more realistic for teachers, be aware of all the cultures represented in your class and as many more as you can, and be open minded to all of them. This creates a more culturally aware teacher and classroom, which is the ultimate goal, without making the teacher seem like a bad person if they are not fully aware and fluent in every culture.

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"It's irresponsible for teachers and principals to assume that students would be taught about the culture of power outside of the classroom" (Pinto 2013, pg. 29).

This passage made me think of my own experiences in living with a teenager (not my son). I've watched him time and time again object to his list of chores. Or, other times tries to negotiate when his tasks should be completed. Sometimes I watch silently and think, what has happened/been taught for him to default to these responses. The simple answer is "he's a teenager." But I think this passage highlights the importance of respecting other's norms and ideas.

This quote aligns with how I would like to operate in the classroom. In the perfect world, my learners and I are on the same page in regards to mutual respect and power dynamics. Of course, this is not a reality. When educators are challenged, we can grow and be a better prepared teacher moving forward.

I think this quote also brings up another important idea, and that is to not assume anything. What is typical in my life (community norms, morals, etc) is not the same for the next person. In order to create a more inclusive community, my students and I can take time to learn about each other. This is not to say we are trying to change each others mind or persuade people to change. This is intended to expand our horizons and reflect on our differences. From there, we can collaborate to create a set of classroom norms & expectations together. In this, my intent is to show my students that in the classroom, we value diversity and that it can positively contribute to our learning community.

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“Denying students a voice, however, does not make their objections disappear; it just sweeps them under the carpet where people will trip over them - that is, where they will make their presence felt in ways that are less productive than rational argument.” (pg. 76, Kohn )

This quote brought up an excellent point regarding student voice within the classroom, which I find to be extremely vital to the student’s educational progress. When students share their thoughts with you about the curriculum or instruction, it is crucial for the teacher to listen with an open mind, rather than dismissing the student and their concerns. As the quote illustrates, student concerns will not simply evaporate after they have been excused by the teacher. This action causes a rift to form between the student and teacher, making that particular student less likely to be receptive to what the teacher is saying or will say. As stated by Paulo Friere, found in the text From Discipline to Culturally Responsive Engagement (by Laura E. Pinto), “Those who authentically commit themselves to the people must re-examine themselves constantly” (pg. 4, Pinto, L.E.). When a student challenges, teachers must approach them with empathy and understanding rather than implementing harsh punishment, and perhaps consider that the educator may be in the wrong, not the student. Students want to have their voices be heard, both literally and within the curriculum. Dismissing them as disruptive rather than getting down to the core issue leads students to believe that they must be compliant in order to succeed. I desire to create a classroom environment in which students are encouraged to voice their concerns and questions in order to develop critical thinking skills that will benefit them throughout their lives.

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"A compassionate focus creates a shift in thinking for school staff, from "What's wrong with you?" to "What's happened to you?"" Steele, p. 185.

This particular reflection from teachers who had adopted the compassionate schools model resonated with me, in that it linked so clearly with previous discussions we've had in some of our courses about assimilationism in schools, and the drive towards trying to have all students get the same outcome from basically the same input, and to conform to the dominant culture, punishing divergence. So far, the compassionate school model seems to me to dovetail with ideas about trauma-aware teaching, and my own thoughts on the need for teachers to recognize that students have full, rich, complex lives outside of our classrooms, and those lives impact how they will learn, behave, and engage inside our classrooms. I think the phrasing "what happened to you" can still be a little...reductionist, perhaps, because we don't want to only view our students as products of certain experiences without agency, but it certainly does still touch on something important when we think about questions of discipline. In my mind, the word discipline is associated with punishment, and that in turn is associated with viewing a student's actions are wrong and deliberately bad somehow. I think compassionate schools orient away from that more traditional, authoritarian view towards viewing student behavior, even if it is disruptive or inappropriate in some way, as stemming from an unmet need or an unhealed injury. With that in mind, we can try to understand why a student would do something that disrupts the class, and figure out how they can be part of our community moving ahead, rather than further alienating them from it.

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"It's worth noting at this point that while the term "classroom management" is used as a catch-all phrase for concrete aspects of discipline, rewards, punishment, and engagement, its precise definition is more specific and has to do with the more abstract concept of learning environment".

This quote was able to clearly define my views on the wide range that classroom management techniques encompass.  I believe that the learning environment is what sets the tone for the students engagement and that discipline, rewards and punishment are important to use as secondary reinforcement to create the desired environment.  How a classroom is ran is dependent on the subject you teach, the assignments that are given, and the individual teacher.  I personally hope to have a classroom that is vibrant and alive so I am not as necessarily concerned with the noise level of the classroom.  I feel that if the students know what is expected of them and are engaged there should be very few instances of focus on discipline.  "The discipline focus embodies an authoritarian approach to student-teacher relations.  It relies on lists of teacher-created rules, corresponding consequences for breaking rules, and a control-based approach to the learning environment". ( Pinto, pg 9.)  Although this approach may work for some classrooms, I don't want my classroom to be based on fear.  I want to set expectation for my students and to trust them to make responsible and appropriate choices.  Although this may come off as naive, I truly believe that if students feel safe and are able to be in an interactive classroom there will not be much need for discipline.

"You'll find yourself having to balance celebration of diversity while creating an inclusive and collaborative environment in which you and your students share commonalities" (Pinto, pg 16)

This quote resonated with me because it touches base on the delicate balance required to make all students feel comfortable in your classroom. I don't want to tokenize my students yet I also believe that it is crucial to celebrate and recognize everyone's diversity. I believe it is also important to consider and be aware that because everyone comes from the different backgrounds, they might have a reaction or behavior that may seem rude or off putting but in reality is just different than our perceived norm. A quote that briefly touched base on this idea states ""Rather than misinterpreting students' lack of eye-contact as rude or evasive, she came to understand that they were simply relating to her in a way that they understood to be respectful" (Pinto, pg 17). This emphasizes why cultural responsiveness is indeed so important! It is our job as educators to get to know our students in order to make them feel safe and understood in our classrooms. Being misunderstood is very frustrating and can be avoided if we take the time necessary to understand that everyone is unique.

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"In other words, the criteria by which individuals measure a well managed classroom differ from person to person based on a set of beliefs or expectations". (Pinto, pg 9)

I liked this quote because it got me to imagine what my ideal expectations or beliefs are as a classroom teacher.  Do I expect finely structured engagement that I as the teacher guide students through?  Or do I believe that students should construct their own engagement and I am simply there to support and foster their engagement?  The last part of Chapter 1 in LE Pinto's From Discipline to Culturally Responsive Engagement, they ask for the reader to reflect on and make a list of "look fors" that I would use to asses classroom management and to identify why I approach this assessment with the beliefs I do.  I did my best to come up with a few of these "look fors" which was actually kind of challenging for me.  I found myself looking for vocal engagement with other classmates as long as the engagement was productive and related to our classroom content or culture.  I looked for sincerity in questions and interactions, as well as empathy and sensitivity to the others occupying the classroom space.  I enjoyed going through this thought process because while it asked me to be specific and clear with what I interpret classroom management to look like in my future classroom.  The individuality of student's needs and teachers forms of classroom management is at the crux of how I look to implement and grow my beliefs of teaching/learning.  I think this is why the first chapter of the text book connected well with my beliefs, as the text explains classroom management as being a "negotiable social interaction" that is also "highly individual and variable depending on who is involved in the learning process and how they make sense of their relationships with others." (pg 11, Pinto, L.E)