I'm looking for all the help I can get! How can I keep peace and order in my junior high religion class and at the same time keep the religion class a pleasant experience?

What you are really asking is, how can you make discipline a positive experience in your religion class? You make it clear that you want to have your religion class a place where the students enjoy a time for reflection, discussion and keen interest in the study of their Catholic faith. However, you aren't alone when it comes to having some uninterested students who manage to disrupt and at times derail your well-prepared lesson. Positive discipline entails creating a climate in which young people feel secure, accepted, and supported. Here are suggestions for establishing and maintaining positive discipline in the classroom.

• Establish a sense of order immediately. Clearly and briefly explain to the students what is expected of them. Rules should be few and easy to remember.
• Use affirmation; acknowledge the students and remember to praise and affirm good behavior.
• Provide activities that build healthy self-esteem.
• Respect their thoughts and ideas, and expect them to do the same with you and their peers.
• Provide activities that challenge them to cooperate with one another.
• Deal with those who act inappropriately in a way that will calm them; set aside a space where they can think quietly about their actions and the consequences of them. If correcting is necessary, do it one-to-one, never publicly.

These suggestions are very general and apply to all good discipline, but in a special way they build an atmosphere of respect, reflection and prayer in the religion class. Above all be consistent in what you say and do. You convey a spirit of trust and confidence in your students when they know and understand what you expect of them. Expect the world from them!

View previous questions and answers in the Nurturing Faith Archive.

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