We can’t do this work simply because we have learned some CI skills. They are not enough. The focus, I might even call it an obsession, with the skills causes us to forget an even more element in making it work – the personal power piece.
If we are willing to let a child get away with not following the Classroom Rules and in particular not doing their 50%, then why are we using this method? It will fail unless we bring to our stories a ready smile, of course, but a smile mixed with a rigorous and uncompromising and slightly bitchy edge that yes, wonderful little Fauntleroy, you will pay attention in my class today and yes you will not tune me out, you little bully.
Nor, my dear Fauntleroy, will you be so bold as to try to challenge me on who is the authority in this room. It’s me. I will behave in such a way during this story today to constantly remind you on a minute to minute basis that this class is built on trust and awareness of each other. You are in a community, Fauntleroy. You are just a tree among others in this grove and you don’t get to hog the limelight, nor do you get to hide. I will deny you even that thought by my strength as your teacher.
I just don’t know how a teacher can think that skills or purchased lesson plans can solve the problem of making CI work in the real way in a classroom without the personal power piece in place in the teacher there to support the techniques. Failure to set limits on oppositionally defiant kids during stories is probably the biggest reason stories fail.
This work requires emotional awareness on the part of the teacher. It’s not just a method, it’s a practice. And it never stops.
If someone asked me how important the TPRS skills are relative to finding my own personal power in my classroom, I would say 20:80.