Balancing Order in the Classroom While Fostering Resilience
Parenting styles have dramatically shifted over the last three generations.
Children raised by the Baby Boomer generation grew up with emotionally reserved, hands-off parenting. This "every child for themselves" mentality influenced later Gen X parents to adopt a more involved yet permissive style with their millennial children centered around boosting their self-esteem.
This contrasting pendulum swing resulted in the "every child gets a trophy" approach that is now under scrutiny.
While the modern-day parent’s goal was to ensure no child felt left out, this well-meaning style is now under scrutiny for its impact on building resilience in adults.
The Risk of Overprotection
This protective, reward-focused parenting has recently raised concerns among educators and psychologists. They believe it may block the development of fundamental life skills.
These skills include:
Resilience
Adaptability
Managing failure
The main problem is environments that shield young people from life's real challenges. This approach can prevent them from learning to navigate setbacks and difficulties.
But it doesn’t stop there.
When a child performs exceptionally well, and they, along with their lesser-performing peers, receive the same reward, it devalues their success. Their hard work and well-earned praise are lost in a sea of mediocrity.
The intrinsic desire to do well may be curtailed because the outcome is the same for everyone.
Seeking Balance
At STARS Academy, this conversation is pivotal. The school's educational philosophy and approaches, particularly regarding progressive discipline, are deeply intertwined with these societal shifts in parenting.
The focus is on striking a delicate balance that acknowledges and appreciates effort yet recognizes the importance of learning from failure and adversity.
As we dive deeper into this topic, it becomes clear that preparing students for real-world challenges requires nurturing resilience and developing skills to navigate life's inevitable ups and downs.
Understanding Progressive Discipline
On the topic of adversity and resilience, Justin Baeder, Ph.D., Director of the Principal Center and expert in educational leadership underscores the importance of progressive discipline in school settings.
Progressive discipline is a framework that addresses unacceptable students’ behaviors in a way that is not punitive but protective.
Benefits of Progressive Discipline for Students:
Institutes measured consequences aligned to the severity of behaviors
Shields against reactive, arbitrary, or excessive punishment
Allows opportunities to learn from failures and poor choices
Fosters personal accountability and responsibility
Benefits of Progressive Discipline for Schools/Organizations:
Safeguards continuity of learning
Upholds equitable treatment of misconduct
Provides a roadmap for responding to recurring issues
Mitigates severe behaviors that divert from mission
Cultivates a just, consistent, and productive environment
In practice, progressive discipline involves responding appropriately to isolated as well as repeated behavioral incidents based on their severity.
While consequences may not always permanently change behavior, the key advantage is balancing compassion and protection for the individual with structure and continuity for the organization.
Rethinking the Coddling Culture
The principles outlined in The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt resonate with the concept of progressive discipline.
They tackle the three big myths observed in today’s students’ beliefs:
What doesn’t kill you makes you weaker
Always trust your feelings
Life is a battle between good people and evil people
The book critiques the culture of overprotection and emotional coddling, advocating for resilience through facing challenges and open discussion – principles mirrored in STARS Academy's approach.
Progressive Discipline Takes A Community Effort
Truly embracing the progressive discipline requires engagement and cooperation from all parties— faculty and staff commitment to modeling expectations, parent support in reinforcing expectations at home, and student willingness to take accountability for behavioral choices.
Consistency, communication, and collective responsibility are vital to implementing a progressive discipline model.
Cultivating Well-Rounded, Resilient Individuals Beyond the Classroom
At STARS Academy, we believe progressive discipline is one piece of the puzzle in shaping students' readiness for life's complexities.
This modern approach to discipline is multifaceted, ensuring order and safety in schools while fostering resilience among students.
By implementing progressive discipline, educators are not just maintaining an orderly and safe learning environment but also preparing students for the real world.
This balanced approach equips them with the skills to navigate various life challenges effectively. The ultimate goal is to cultivate well-rounded individuals who can handle life's complexities with resilience and adaptability while preparing them for a future outside the classroom.