Is It Really Disrespect?
We’ve been having a lot of conversations about respect at schools this month. Educators are telling us that students don’t “respect” them. When we drill down a little further, the story is that students are not obeying adults. Are respect and obedience the same thing? We don’t think so! Interestingly, one of the most common complaints from students who have been sent to the office for misbehavior is, “My teacher didn’t respect me.”
Obedience means following the directions of an authority figure. The motivation is often based on fear. The result is compliance.
Respect means showing consideration for the rights, …