Contracts – Yikes!

Being intuitive in type, the word “contract” alone sends me into a fit of convulsions. The thought of being tied down to anything contractually, whether it be my cell phone, mortgage, marriage (hhmmm .. maybe that is why my marriage was not very successful?) makes me want to run completely in the opposite direction. I simply don’t like to be tied down, even if the contract is for my benefit.

Since I have such strong feelings towards contracts, I am not entirely sure what my contract frame would be? I do realize there is a difference between formal and informal contracts (as was outlined in B&S, Chapters 14 and 15). I do believe in choices and implied choice, and have seen them work in many classroom and home situations. But I suppose the question remains what would I do when implied choice is no longer effective?

In theory, a contract frame appears to be a good idea. In practice, I have to wonder if it is a bit of a prisoner’s dilemma? It reminds me of Tit for Tat Game Theory ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tit_for_tat) whereby:
1) Unless provoked, the agent will always cooperate
2) If provoked, the agent will retaliate
3) The agent is quick to forgive
4) The agent must have a good chance of competing against the opponent more than once.
It is here that my problems with contracts start to form. I begin to see “bumps” (as outlined in B&S) as levels of a behaviour game trying to seek a solution to a behaviour problem. What happens if the student, or the parents, or myself as the teacher defect from the contract? Who benefits then? I do not want to think of my students as an opponent. Nor do I want them to think of me in that way.

I believe in self-monitoring and positive youth development. The idea of attaching a formal contract to negotiate behaviour is negative to me because I feel it is like treating children as business entities. It sends the message that they are property to be dealt with and their good behaviour is a contractual obligation. It is like a peace treaty! But what are we teaching our students if we are showing them that their behaviour is a treaty that can be negotiated? I fear through this method we may fall subject to playing an endless tit-for-tat game with our students.

I would much rather have students learn a sense of self and belonging, and I am not sure a contract sends that message in a positive light? Or maybe my inexperience as a teacher makes me naive? B&S state, “Our minds and hearts have to think and care in a knowledgeable and creative manner to attend to the factors of assisting students and ourselves to make wise decisions.” (p.307) In conclusion, I am still not sure what my contract frame would be ...I guess I will only be able to philosophize about it until I am faced with a real life situation. I do know, however, that my frame will not be a rectangle or square ... it will be a circle.

He drew a circle to shut me out –
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle that took him in.
~ Edwin Markham in "Outwitted"