I would love to see the children’s faces with brimming smiles and hearing their laughter even if we are in the Sunday School to learn. I don’t want them to find studying on a weekend as a thief who will steal their leisure to run and play outside before going back to their respective schools the day after. With this, I decided to come up with fun activities that will make them interested to learn and retain the lessons on their mind.
The kids grew very fond of me and they tend to follow me more compared to the other teachers. They keep quiet right away whenever they notice that I am starting to get upset with the noise, they do not forget to bring their learning materials, and they eagerly raise their hands even before I finish my question. Everything I wanted to happen inside the classroom were easily achieved. I wasn’t fully aware not until I have read the module that this is a type of conditioning which focuses on applying reinforcements or punishments to achieve a desired behavioral result.
But the odds are not always in my favor. One time, I was taken aback when a kid bowed his head, clenched his fists, and ignored his food. I called him out and his seatmate for teasing a another kid in the class. It interrupted our discussion so I told them that they will not eat unless they say “sorry”. I know it was a harsh statement but that’s the first thing that comes to my mind to discipline the kids. The result–only the other kid said sorry and ate the snacks that we have provided for the students. The kid with clenched fists didn’t move at all until the class is over.
After reading the articles of Module 3, I realized that even though conditioning can be very useful in training your pets and disciplining your child, it still has some weaknesses for different learning situations. In our country, Corporal punishment is the traditional way in handling a behavior of a student. Corporal punishment is not limited to hitting and spanking the children. It also includes non-physical forms of punishment such as those humiliates, threatens, or scares the child. I haven’t thought this really well that I have humiliated the child in front of his classmates and he was threatened to eat his snacks.
Punishment is used in Skinner’s theory of operant conditioning to decrease an undesirable behavior. While some techniques can be very effective, as educators, we must keep in mind that students have different personalities and learning attitudes. We cannot always control or condition a child’s mind, but we can shape their dreams to succeed and raise a good generation in the future.
Joy's Learnings and Joys 