Noddings, N. (2006). Handle with care. A Greater Good. 18-21
Synopsis:
Nel Noddings, an American feminist, educationalist, and philosopher draws our attention to a very simple yet highly overlooked fact in her article “Handle with Care.” That is that, often, when dealing with misbehaved children, we scold or talk at them rather than engage in conversations with them. She argues that sometimes in order to make ethical decisions, young people need to engage in meaningful conversation with an adult in order to make sense of themselves and the situation in which they find themselves. Noddings presents care theory in this article and holds that dialogue is a central part of demonstrating care to our students. By allowing them to have a conversation about the matter at hand, they can learn to understand their feelings, the situation, and learn to come to positive solutions to their problems.
My Critical Reflection:
The message in this article is simple – there is a lot of value in engaging in conversations with our students. Not only does it show that we care about them and their opinions, but it allows for real solutions to surface. Many articles that I have read thus far argue for the value of restorative justice instead of punishment, I believe that this article does a great job of demonstrating the reasons for such a claim. No good will come from suspending our students or giving them detention, but talking through our feelings, acknowledging the repercussions of our actions, and finding solutions that get at the real problems will.
