You go, Liz

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You go, Liz
By I'm with ya

I feel very frustrated about management at this point in my career. I get so many tips about management that I end up feeling like management requires a very, very fine balance of so many things that there's not even a fine
line you cross ... it's one small, exact point you hit where you get everything right! Somehow you're supposed to strike a balance between relationships and reprimanding, punishments and rewards. Well, let me tell you, this is very difficult when you first start out. All day long my principal and other teachers tell me about what I have to do to manage a classroom, and all I can think

is, "Gosh, if I did all this, I might get the management situation right just before I retire."

Point is, I feel like Anne is advocating this kind of difficult system of management: some nebulous blend of what feels right. Maybe she's cool with that, but at this point in my career, I'm going to stick with the whole Lee Canter thing and work on cultivating relationships as best I can. I know this year isn't perfect, but I'll get better next year and the years after that. Trying to be all idealistic as Anne suggests will just stress me out. (Also, I don't know how many students she has, but if I sat down for a huge conference each time somebody did something wrong, there would be no time to teach.)

In addition, Anne and Alfie Kohn are right that rewards may not solve deeper behavioral issues. However, they might keep kids behaving temporarily, which is a good thing. Also, there is NOTHING WRONG with rewarding kids who are always good and always would be. That is a basic Canter tenet.
Finally, taking time out of instructional time to give a reward isn't all that bad because, as I see it, the kids saved you a lot of time while they were earning the reward because you didn't have to waste so much time on discipline.