In Babies and more we have talked on various occasions about punishments explaining that they are methods that work on the surface of a problem but that do not educate because they do not get to the root of such problems, do not show alternatives and therefore are not a good educational method
There are many people who agree that you can educate without punishing children, although things usually change when we talk about school because there is only one educator for twenty something Children and of course, it is not the same to educate one as many.
I was one of those people who doubted when I talked about it. A child who interferes with the activities of the class, who bothers or who does not let his classmates work could stop doing so by using some kind of punishment, since it does not interest him to cut the course of the class, I thought.
However, one good day, almost two years ago, a documentary entitled “Thinking of others“, Which showed me that school should be a place to learn to be a person, to respect peers, to empathize with their problems and ultimately a place to get a solid emotional base that would allow us to relate in a healthy way to other people.
They are not babies, but it is highly recommended
In Babies and more We talk about babies and children up to six years. In this documentary, the protagonists are over six years old, but the important thing is not age, but to observe how they are educated, what methods the teacher uses and especially how is the relationship he has with them and how is the relationship between the children themselves .
A couple of months ago we commented that, in Andalusia, children under six years old cannot be punished in class. At an early age children have a limited emotional learning capacity and, as it is necessary to remind them often what is expected of them and what is not expected of them, it is better to offer a positive education than to base the learning on continually punishing.
By this I mean that punishments are understood (or allowed) more when children are older and can understand that their actions have consequences, however, in Japan, a teacher believes that their students, despite being older than six years , can and should learn to be respectful in a more positive way.
If he gets it, why wouldn't we get it with our youngest children?
Toshiro Kanamori and the notebook letters
The documentary tells the teacher's experiences Toshiro Kanamori, a person who educates children looking for an atmosphere of empathy and absolute respect between them. It gives them a voice and allows them to give their opinions by treating them like the people they are, leaving them the necessary freedom to develop their individuality.
One of the methods he uses is that of "notebook letters." Children often write letters in a notebook in which they explain their feelings, what they think about something or what solutions they would give to a problem. Every day three children read their letter and the rest can comment on it.
This makes children learn to look inside, to look at themselves, to recognize their individuality and to name their emotions and therefore to understand those of others. It teaches them to think about the rest and ultimately to be happy growing from self respect and others.
Every mistake, an opportunity to learn
I have commented this phrase more than once. Every time a child makes a mistake (wrongdoing, mischief, let's call it what we want), The possibility is born for the child to learn and for his educators to teach to act better.
In our western societies we are used to seeing how many children laugh at other children and, although we do not think it is the most appropriate, it does not generate an exaggerated rejection because we are accustomed. We laugh at our partners or receive their teasing when we were children and nobody interceded too much to avoid it. However, there are many people who remember those times with weariness and who even today they suffer the emotional blows of the rejections of those days.
It is for this reason that surprising to see, in this documentary, the teacher Toshiro Kanamori stopping for a few days all school activity to solve a problem of teasing and disrespect among their students, giving the integrity of each child the importance that should be in all societies and showing that in school you must learn to be a person and live respecting others and, secondly, learn everything else.
Several times awarded documentary
The documentary has received the 2004 Banff Festival Grand Prix, the bronze medal at the New York Festival, the Grand Prix at the Japan Television Festival and the Gold Medal at the US International Festival of Religion, Ethics and Humanities. It is produced by the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK).
It lasts approximately fifty minutes and I consider it essential for any teacher, for any father and mother and even for anyone, for the values discussed in it.
Heading the entrance you have the first ten minutes of the documentary, which as you will see is in Catalan subtitled in Spanish (in Spain it has only been broadcast in Catalonia). Then you have the rest of the documentary in fragments of ten minutes:
By the way, prepare the scarves, you may touch your sensitive fiber.
I hope you liked it and do not hesitate to comment on the sensations it causes you.
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In Babies and more | Punishment is an uneducated method, Educate children to be responsible, Children under 6 can not be punished in class, Children are the future but also the present
