Classroom Management

as a Curriculum of Care
Treat classroom management as an opportunity to teach young
children what it really means to take care of each other.
Carla Shalaby

W
hile visiting a 1st grade bug, I just scream until someone comes to kill it.
classroom once, I had the But I need to be brave about them.”
opportunity to observe a “I see,” I said. “So, you want to be brave about
15-minute independent bugs so you can kill them yourself?”
reading session. I immediately “No!” she corrected.
noticed Luna, a 6-year-old girl, pulling out a “No?”
stack of books from her backpack, hurrying to “No! I want to be brave about them so I can
settle in so she could get right down to it. All her leave them alone. After they’re killed-ed I feel sad
books—about five or six of them—were about for them.”
bugs. She must really love bugs, I thought to Consider all that 6-year-old Luna had to know,
myself. understand, and be capable of to set forth on a
I watched her open the first book to the first project of reading about bugs so she could stop
page. Repulsed by the detailed images of all being afraid of them. She had a legitimate and
kinds of creepy crawlers, she quietly gagged. She sophisticated theory of change: If I learn about
looked away from the book to give her eyes a bugs, I won’t want to hurt them.
break, and then slowly—cautiously—returned While seemingly extraordinary, Luna is typical
her gaze. Courageous, intent, determined, she for a child her age in her desire to participate in
started to read. making things safer and better for living things.
I was confused. She seemed to find bugs Young children—in their capacity for empathy,
deeply unpleasant. So why was she so intent on their insistence on fairness, and their boldly
reading about them? Unable to curb my curi- imaginative problem solving—are uniquely
osity, I made a beeline for her as soon as reading suited for “care work” (Piepzna-Samarasinha,
time was up. “You must really love bugs to have 2018), for healing-centered ways of being
all those books about them,” I said. (Ginwright, 2018; Pour-Khorshid, 2020), and for
“No, I hate them,” she replied matter-of-factly. practicing models of mutual aid in which skills
“Then why did you pick a million books about and resources are exchanged for mutual benefit.
bugs?” These ways of organizing collective care and
“Because they’re all over my house,” Luna prioritizing well-being—practiced for centuries
explained. “And they’re at recess and in the among the most marginalized and vulnerable
garden and they’re just everywhere, all over. among us as a necessary means of survival—
Even there was one in my bathtub! When I see a come naturally to young children.

40 EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP / NOVEMBER 2020

 But this deep orientation toward it means to live and behave in ways to include new and creative ways to
care is frequently unlearned over that refuse the idea that any human control bodies, even when not physi-
time, replaced by ways of being that being is disposable, that any resource cally together in classrooms: strict
are traditionally rewarded in schools: is ours to hoard, or that any person demands for children to wear school
competition over cooperation, indi- can be safe while even one of us is in uniforms and adhere to dress codes
vidualism over collectivism, inde- danger. while at home; arbitrary rules for-
pendence over interdependence. In the early grades especially, one bidding them to eat or drink while on
These school-driven values best of the central ways to teach these screen; using participation and atten-
prepare children for their lives as lessons is through the practice of dance norms that ignore unequal
workers instead of as compassionate classroom management. access to devices and young chil-
human beings and ethical stewards dren’s inability to tolerate long hours
of the land. Three Essential Understandings on a computer. Even where children
Values that obfuscate the inter- Here I offer three understandings that are together in school, they are too
dependence of all living things have invite educators to explore new direc- often punished for violating the rule
consequences because they allow us tions for classroom management, to wear a mask, instead of educated
to justify practices and policies—both starting in the early grades. They into understanding that wearing our
inside and outside of schools—that are designed to emphasize care over masks is part of how we take care of
normalize cruelty, indignities, and control, inclusion over exclusion, each other.
the sacrifice of some for the benefit and community over authority. These Through traditional practices
of others. These normalized inhu- understandings draw on traditions that rely on authoritative control,
manities include, to name just a few: and values of care regularly exer- policing, and exclusion, our children
expelling preschoolers; knowingly cised by vulnerable communities as a witness a model of power that pun-
allowing children to drink water means of survival. ishes people instead of taking care
tainted with lead; placing aggressive of them. They learn that those in
policing programs in school buildings
with Black and brown youth; and
investing unconscionable amounts
1 Understanding Classroom
Management as a Curriculum
By reframing classroom management
authority (and the rules they devise)
mandate how we ought to behave—
instead of guiding a commitment to
of money into the maintenance of as a curriculum, we can recognize live in right relationship with one
prisons while urban and rural schools that the current way we organize our another and with this planet we all
lack even the most basic resources. approach to management is achieving share, which requires sacrifice, flex-
All of these practices, which should certain objectives, and we can be as ibility and judgment, discussion
seem unimaginable, are instead part thoughtful and intentional in writing and debate, and attention to identity
of a widespread acceptance of cru- our objectives for classroom man- and power. Changing the way we
elties that are nearly invisible to some agement as we are in our approach understand the goals and objec-
people while literally killing others. to the traditional core academic tives of classroom management may
So, how do we go from being subjects. In short, if classroom man- help us notice that when we are so
children who believe that the death agement is a curriculum, what are worried about policing bodies, we
of a bug is tragic to becoming adults we teaching now, and what might we miss opportunities to teach com-
who regularly accept and normalize want to teach instead? munity care—even during a time
that some lives are throwaway? Traditional approaches to when literally hundreds of thousands
As both the COVID-19 pandemic classroom management, because they of people are dying.
and racial injustice continue to reward some behaviors and punish Longtime elementary math teacher
disproportionately cause the others, are a series of lessons for Marian Dingle supported her stu-
premature death of our Black, brown, children on what we value, what is dents in recognizing that their long
Indigenous, disabled, undocumented, good, and how to be. I am disturbed list of generated classroom “rules”
trans and queer loved ones, we must by how quickly such classroom could be summarized in a single
invite children to contemplate what management practices have evolved agreement: “We will take care of each

ASCD / WWW.ASCD.ORG 41
other” (2018). Like Marian and her or kindness.
students, I fundamentally understand Young children can—and do—
classroom management as the way welcome hard work. They routinely
we deal with the following kinds of wrestle with what is fair and unfair,
questions: and they want to debate and discuss
n How will we be in genuine the questions and conflicts that arise
community together? in their friendships, their attempts
n How will we keep everyone safe, at sharing, and their efforts to get
happy, and well? to recognize and deal with the fact along with others. If we reduce and
n What will we do and practice that really taking care of each other oversimplify this hard work to a set
when harm or conflict happens in can be very difficult to do. of rules children follow, we miss the
our community? chance to invite them into the messy,
n How will we take extra special

care of the most vulnerable among

us?
2 Understanding Care
as Political Work
Because the idea of care, much like
incomplete, difficult work of justice.
Instead, by modeling democratic
participation, we can anticipate and
Because this is how I understand the idea of love, is too often mis- welcome the discussion and debate
classroom management, I find its understood as apolitical, our work that arise from conflict. We can inten-
goals and objectives to be the same with children and with each other tionally create routines and structures
regardless of whether school is hap- must be first to establish the rela- that make space for these tough
pening in person or virtually. We tionship between care and justice. conversations about how to advocate
are still together as we socially dis- Care is not about being kind or for our own needs and wants, while
tance, and our individual choices charitable; rather, care is about being also taking care of others and our
and behaviors powerfully impact the and working in ways that are fair, planet. In this way, classroom man-
community. Indeed, these questions inclusive, and in solidarity with the agement in the early grades might
are particularly timely in light of most vulnerable. develop the first building blocks
both COVID-19 and the powerful For example, care is not just of skills like nonviolent communi-
uprisings against police violence and cheering for or serving free meals to cation (Rosenberg, 2015); making a
for Black lives. These are the ques- essential hospital workers as they good apology and holding ourselves
tions governors and mayors asked head in to treat COVID-19 patients. accountable to others (Mingus,
themselves while devising COVID-19 That is kindness, and it is important. 2019); and using restorative practices
lockdown plans. These are the ques- But care is demanding that they have to build community and respond to
tions education leaders asked them- the personal protective equipment harm (Boyes-Watson & Pranis, 2015;
selves while making decisions about required to be as safe as possible Winn, 2018).
reopening schools. These are the and organizing to get them what With these approaches, rather than
questions police and prison aboli- they need in the absence of coor- simply trying to avoid punishment
tionists routinely challenge us to ask. dinated government efforts. Care from breaking rules, children are
They are authentic questions with is also about considering the other instead guided to worry about how
use far beyond classrooms. essential workers who keep hospitals to make things right when they’ve
There are, however, no easy functional, including janitorial staff, caused harm and how to take care
answers to these questions. They food service workers, and those who of the people or the community that
spark disagreements, reveal a provide childcare, to name a few— is hurting. These care-based, restor-
diversity of values and beliefs, and and asking why these workers are ative skills and approaches are more
can be very difficult to navigate. For less visible than doctors and nurses. than social-emotional qualities. Done
this reason, it is especially useful Care is fighting for just treatment with clarity and intention, they are
to start exploring them with young of the most vulnerable and most political actions, engaging young
children in the early grades—not marginalized among us. Care is hard children in the work of justice.
because it will make the questions work because it requires a kind of
easier to answer, but because it will
better prepare them as human beings
genuine sacrifice and solidarity far
beyond what is demanded by charity 3 Understanding Young
Children as Already Powerful

42 EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP / NOVEMBER 2020

Finally, classroom management as winning, Belizean spoken word poet of @Jess5th, consolidating it down
to one statement. Inspired by
the practice of care refuses the idea named Rudy Francisco (2017). Asked @Readsbyaja, we posted it today.
that our work with young children to kill a spider, he instead gently frees Thankful to learn so much for
is always about preparing them for it. He writes of hoping for that same these two. [Tweet]. Retrieved from
the future and instead recognizes mercy, “If I am ever caught in the https://twitter.com/dingleteach/
that children can and do exercise wrong place / at the wrong time, just status/1029773227961327616?s=12
Francisco, R. (2017). “Mercy.” Helium.
their power already, acting on and being alive.” Minneapolis, MN: Button Poetry.
impacting the world in daily life. We Luna is exercising and developing Ginwright, S. (May 31, 2018). The
can affect the ways they use their a fundamental understanding of the future of healing: Shifting from trauma
power by teaching them values of sanctity and preciousness of life—an informed care to healing centered
interdependence and collective care. understanding that animates the engagement. Medium.
Mingus, M. (December 18, 2019). “The
As educator Olivia Mulcahy (2020) struggle and movement for Black
four parts of accountability: How
writes in a beautiful blog post, lives. Let’s invite all children into the to give a genuine apology part 1.”
We must understand that self-care work Luna is doing on mercy—the [Blog post]. Leaving Evidence.
and care for family, community, and care and justice work she has https://leavingevidence.wordpress.
our world are each important and already begun. EL com/2019/12/18/how-to-give-a-good-
also inextricable from each other. Of apology-part-1-the-four-parts-of-
course, this has always been true. But accountability/
References Mulcahy, O. (March 27, 2020). “Take
it is a lesson that clearly many have not Boyes-Watson, C., & Pranis, K. (2015).
yet learned well enough. care. That is the curriculum.” [Blog
Circle Forward: Building a restorative post]. Claimed. https://claimed.
school community. Saint Paul, MN: blog/2020/03/27/take-care-that-is-the-
I am hopeful that teaching Living Justice Press.
this lesson in the early grades— curriculum/
Dingle, M. [@DingleTeach]. (2018, Piepzna-Samarasinha, L. L. (2018). Care
emphasizing the ways in which we August 15). Last week, we work: Dreaming disability justice.
are all inextricably linked—will allow generated rules based on the work Vancouver, BC: Arsenal Pulp Press.
us to leverage the brilliance of young Pour-Khorshid, F. (2020). Teaching
children in the ongoing struggle for to heal, healing to teach. In Planting
justice, starting now. Children are the seeds of equity: Ethnic studies and
social justice in the K-2 classroom (Ed.
powerful people—we need them R. Agarwal-Rangnath). New York:
to help solve problems of care that R E F LE C T & D I S C U S S Teachers College Press.
continue to stump us as adults. Rosenberg, M. (2015). Nonviolent
As young children work together Do your current classroom communication: A language of life.
in the here and now to wonder and management practices allow Encinitas, CA: PuddleDancer Press.
Winn, M. (2018). Justice on both sides:
worry about how best to balance children to practice collective
Transforming education through
their own needs against the needs of care? If not, how could they be restorative justice. Cambridge, MA:
others, the needs of the community, altered to do so? Harvard Education Press.
and the needs of our planet, they do
the work of justice in the here and What does a classroom
now. When they figure out, with our
management curriculum of
support, how to make things right Carla Shalaby is a researcher on
collective care look like for teaching and teacher education, and
after harm has occurred, they slowly
those engaged in virtual or the coordinator of social justice initia-
change our world into one in which
hybrid learning? tives and community internships at
relationships are more important the University of Michigan. Her work
than rules, where care is the political focuses on the critical role that children
work we do together each day. How might you teach children and teachers play in the ongoing
Luna, setting out to learn about to understand the difference struggle for justice. She is the author
bugs, is already engaging in political between care and kindness, of Troublemakers: Lessons in Freedom
care work. I tend to think about her and the political relationship from Young Children at School (The
New Press, 2017). Follow her on
work in relation to a poem I recently between care and justice? Twitter @CarlaShalaby.
read called “Mercy,” by an award-

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