BLOG 12 Reflection

 Out of all the readings we explored this semester, a few really stayed with me because they challenged the way I think about schools, behavior, and what it actually means to support students. The works of Carla Shalaby and Alfie Kohn especially stood out because they both question the traditional ideas of discipline, compliance, and success that many schools still rely on today.

One reading that really impacted me was Troublemakers by Carla Shalaby. What stood out most to me was how she viewed students who are often labeled as “difficult” or “disruptive.” Instead of blaming children for struggling in school, she pushes readers to think about why certain students are treated as problems in the first place. Her writing made me reflect on my own experiences growing up with ADHD and learning difficulties. I remember feeling like I was constantly falling behind or being judged based on behavior and performance instead of effort or potential. Shalaby’s work challenges the idea that students need to fit one narrow definition of what a “good” student looks like. She argues that schools should adapt to students, not force students to suppress who they are just to survive in the classroom.

Another reading that stayed with me was Alfie Kohn’s What to Look for in the Classroom. Kohn critiques classrooms that focus heavily on rewards, punishments, obedience, and control instead of meaningful learning. His argument made me think about how often schools prioritize quiet behavior and rule-following over creativity, curiosity, and critical thinking. So many students are taught to complete assignments just for grades or approval rather than because they are genuinely interested in learning. Kohn argues that students learn best when they feel engaged and have ownership over their education. I connected this to my own schooling experiences because I often struggled in traditional classroom settings where memorization and strict structure mattered more than understanding concepts in a way that actually worked for me. His work really made me rethink what effective teaching should look like.

A third idea that stood out to me was the connection between Shalaby and Kohn’s arguments about compliance in schools. Both authors challenge the idea that the best classrooms are the quietest and most controlled ones. They suggest that behaviors often labeled as “bad” can actually be forms of communication, frustration, creativity, or unmet needs. This perspective feels especially important when thinking about students with disabilities, multilingual learners, or students from different cultural backgrounds who may not express themselves in ways schools traditionally expect. Instead of asking, “How do we make students obey?” both authors encourage educators to ask, “How do we make students feel valued, included, and engaged?” I think this shift in thinking is incredibly important because it moves education away from punishment and toward understanding students as real people with different strengths, struggles, and ways of learning.