Reluctant Disciplinarian

I found Reluctant Disciplinarian to be hilariously entertaining at the author's expense. When trying to pinpoint the origin of his disastrous first year as a classroom disciplinarian, Rubinstein reflects on a story from his childhood. Each time his father punished their family dog for misbehavior, Rubinstein comforted the animal. While he believed he was helping the dog, the reality of the situation proved to be much different. Instead of enforcing the rules set by his father, Rubinstein undermined his father. He wasn't consistent. He showed the dog that the rules didn't really apply to him. The dog had the power, rather than his father.

Fortunately, I do not have the same history of being a "softy" as Rubinstein did. My mother is one of the toughest women I have ever met. She and my father set explicit rules and expectations for our household and expected my brother and I to follow them. They treated any misstep seriously, while praising us for each right step. I distinctly remember training our family pet, a rambunctious black lab golden retriever mix named Buck, and my parents expected everyone, including me and my ten year old brother, to enforce the rules. Because we were consistent and firm, Buck learned the rules pretty quickly. Now eight years later, Buck remains pretty well behaved, although his combination of breeds means that he still chews and digs as much as most puppies.

From Rubinstein's book, disciplining a classroom doesn't seem to be much different than training a dog. As a teacher, I must be consistent. I must enforce my classroom rules equally among all my students, not just the problem children. I must also make my rules clear. Students are more likely to do what is asked of them when the expectations are made explicitly clear. In short, Rubinstein's book was a quick, easy read. Maybe I am being overly confident, but I do not expect to have a first year like his. I know my first year will be difficult, especially after only having one student in summer school, but I can't help but believe that MTC will equip us with the necessary knowledge and tools to effectively manage our classrooms.