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Show Discipline is learned by child rerifnlot given to them Teacher to Parent t) by, Betty Condie r"- . I was in the courtroom the faTyv Johnny was sentenced to the state penitentiary, As the culmination of instruction on government workers, my fourth-, grade students and I toured the local Hall of Justice and attended a court session to observe the judge at work. I hadn't seen Johnny since he was . in my fourth-grade class until, the police officer brought him into1 the courtroom. That was several yearS'i ago. He was still the same Johnny taller than average, good-looking good-looking and blond. He was in handcuffs. I was heartsick, but not surprised. Johnny was always in trouble at school. It trailed him like a little black cloud over his head. He couldn't follow the rules or control his behavior. He already had a reputation as a "troublemaker" when he came to my room. He was what teachers call a "discipline problem." Strategies for discipline and punishment often confuse parents and teachers. Psychologists tell us that punishment punish-ment teaches a child that those who have power can force others to do their will, and that American parents rely too heavily on it. Japanese parents, on the other hand, usually respond to misbehavior by asking the child to consider the effects of actions on others. Teaching discipline takes great practice and requires years of , apprenticeship for the child. If your child has a problem, contact con-tact the school. Both you and the school staff want what's best for your child. Be positive. Ask how you canhelp. I talked with Johnny's parents many times that year he was in the fourth grade, but it didn't help. His . father's response was usually to hit him harder and of tener. What Johnny needed was love, attention, at-tention, self-esteem and careful guidance. What he got was physical punish-, ment. |