Infectious enthusiasm
Enthusiasm, as a discipline tool? You bet! As the leader of the class, we set the tone. How do you think kids respond when we are not excited about what we are teaching? Of course, they will not be excited either. Why should they be? But if we have enthusiasm and let it show, we can fully expect it to be contagious. This can be a deterrent to misbehavior right from the start, but it can also curtail it if it creeps in. Take for example, little Johnny is getting a little restless in class and starting to misbehave. As the teacher begins to notice this, a change of activity with an extra dose of enthusiasm can go a long way toward redirecting and reigniting little Johnny’s interest in what’s happening. “Discipline” takes place without any kind of confrontation and leads to instruction.
Natural consequences
Natural consequences can bring kids into step really fast. You’ve let everyone know that the class can have extra game time only when the lesson is complete, but Mary doesn’t seem to be keeping this in mind. A quick reminder to the class in general will usually lead to other kids “reminding” Mary (natural consequences) of what she might be costing the class.
Natural consequences might include not being able to answer a question because some kids haven’t been paying attention. It might mean missing a favorite activity because they chose to misbehave instead of following the guidelines. Or it might be simply being separated from their best friend when they can’t seem to pay attention to what’s going on in the class.
Silence
As the presentation rolls on, you lean over to make a comment to your friend next to you. The noise of what’s happening is loud enough that you speak in a normal speaking voice. But, just as you begin to speak, the noise stops, and you’re caught making your comment to everyone! You’ve had it happen before, haven’t you? And how did you feel? Slightly embarrassed? A little silly? Silence seems to highlight activity that really isn’t appropriate for the time, doesn’t it? Now embarrassing a child or making them feel silly isn’t our goal, but simply being silent can go a long way toward bringing kids back into line. Sometimes, when I teach our kids’ church (which I try to do with a lot of enthusiasm!), I’ll simply stop talking. Kids realize something isn’t right, and they pay special attention – even the ones who haven’t been paying attention. When they all focus on what they should be focused on, I simply begin “instructing” again.
Silence can also be effective in dealing with other situations. Last Wednesday, when I saw a kid trying to hide a handful of candy, I walked over, and asked him what he had in his hand, and patiently waited. He looked at me and said, “Nothing,” to which I simply smiled and kept silent. As he thought about what was going on and realized I wasn’t going to accept that answer, he finally told me that he had “borrowed” the candy from a room that he wasn’t supposed to be in. I asked if he believed that was his candy to take, and he answered, “I don’t know.” Again, silence. He did know, and I wanted to give him a chance to think about what he was telling me. After a minute or two, he simply held the candy out for me to take and said, “No and I’m sorry.” A quick high five and a reassuring “Jesus is smiling because you did the right thing,” and we were on our way. Silence can be used to instruct very well!
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