Teaching Children Respect

Last week we learned that children deserve our respect in the way we think of them as God's precious creation, in the way we talk with them through words of affirmation and in the way we teach them with consistency. In the same way, children must learn to respect the adults in their lives. Dunlop shares a fundamental secret: "The teacher who has order in the classroom will gain more respect than the teacher who does not." We teach respect and maintain order...

• by being prepared for the session before the first child walks in the door
• by keeping the session following smoothly from one activity to the next
• by providing times for movement and for stillness
• by knowing our children and calling them by name
• by giving firm, clear directions to modify inappropriate behavior
• by communicating frequently with parents about the child's successes and struggles in the classroom
• by praying regularly for each child in our classes

The write of Hebrews reminds us that "no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it" (Hebrews 12:11).