Fear vs. Trust in the Classroom

I have been reading this book called "Teaching With Your Hair on Fire". I have not got very far but the first chapter has been wonderful. The author insists that the majority of classrooms in the US are based on a system of fear. The child behaves and does assignments purely out of fear of punishment. The teacher is obeyed because they are feared. In fact, he says that teachers even think they are doing a good job when they are feared. They are often proud of the fear they strike into their students' hearts. The rub is that they really do have the child's best interest at heart. Teachers think that this is the way to reach children. This is partly the way I have thought students can be reached as well. I have been struggling in my student teaching with this issue. It was a breath of fresh air to see that this is not how a class should be run. That is good because I make a terrible tyrant. Instead, the class is built on trust. The teacher must earn trust by showing that they care. This is the part that I am not good at explaining. I think that if you want to know more you should look at this NPR link on the author.