Command Training
I’ve never owned a dog and have no plans to ever own one. I do admire some dog owners, like my neighbor, who has his dogs well under control, without having had sent their
dogs to obedience school. At a simple word he gets the dogs he watches to do amazing things, such as sit, follow, lie down, stop barking, etc. Some of my other pet-owning neighbors, that have even sent their pets to obedience school, don’t get the same results. I can hear the thoughts of their dogs as their owners issue the same commands…”Yeah right, maybe next time.”
In some respects, I can identify with the owners that can’t control their pets. I was an elementary school teacher for 33 years. I’m sure you’ve heard of the term, “teacher’s pet”. Consider any one of my classes as a group of teacher’s pets. As most teachers do, we use the same commands that dog owners use.
Think of it… Every time you want the students to get back in their seats…Sit! let alone having them stay in their seats or in a certain portion of the playground or together as a group on a field trip…Stay!.
I once taught a small group of gifted students and told them to sit on their chairs. I probably shouldn’t have worded it that way. Sure enough, one student decided to sit on top of the back of his chair rather than in the seat portion, following my directions…Down.
We’re on the playground or in the classroom getting ready to go to a special and you tell them to line up. Some students actually respond to me. Others… Come!
Now follow me down the hall to an assembly, assuming they finally have all lined up…Heel!
Since schools don’t provide individual cubicles for each student, they are either sitting in groups at tables or with individual desks combined to make groups. Unless you put up dividers at each place, rarely can you get through a lesson without someone else touching someone else’s book, pencil, eraser, or space…Off!
And then there is, “Can I go to the bathroom?” the moment they get back from recess, having passed said bathroom on their way back to the classroom. “Can I go to the office and call my mom, I forgot my lunch?”, “Can we read out in the courtyard? Mrs. Clark lets us.” “Can we do this for homework instead?” … The answer and command is always…No!
And
finally, the “No Bark” command. How many different ways can you get your class pets to keep the noise down and stop talking? Clap…Clap…Clap.Clap.Clap.
Pupil obedience school and command training for teachers are an important part of what should be considered standard child and professional development. But as with my neighbors and their dogs, sometimes it works and sometimes…”Yeah right, maybe next time.
