If one child is terrorising a class, that is not a teacher's fault! It is a failure of the system. He or she might be showing aggressive behaviour, cross-talking, challenging the teacher's authority, or preventing other students from learning. The staff is on edge, and learning has stopped. In such a situation, the teacher is not overreacting, and this is because it is not alright. Unfortunately, some of these kids are dealing with relationship problems, but safety is a major issue in classrooms today. We educationists cannot control what happens at home, but in school, administrators must hold children accountable for their disruptive behaviour. In most cases, administrators hold back the child, give them some extra work, a conversation takes place, but then the student returns to class bolder than ever, disruptive as ever!
You try as a teacher to build up a relationship, but it does not work with this behaviour. This happens regularly. What needs to happen is that the student needs an immediate removal because his or her disruptive behaviour is causing a problem in class. In many cases, the student's behaviour might be violent in nature or it might cause a threat to the class. In such cases, administrators need to follow up with this problem seriously lest this problem lead to serious consequences. They need to follow up with such cases daily. Check up with them today, what are you going to do today, and at the end of the day, what is the plan they have for tomorrow? What are we not going to see tomorrow?
We need to have intervention, counselling and positive time-bound plans to deal with such problems in class. In most cases, the blame for such problems is laid on the teacher. But then, understand that a teacher has to look after a class of thirty or more students and in most cases, the teacher is already overburdened with clerical duties, cultural duties and sundry other responsibilities. In addition to this, there is the issue of providing protection for the class because the rest of the class needs to feel protected and supported, too. So, how do we create a safe environment of learning in classes? One of my mentors, Kaye Jacob, advised me not to get into a situation of confrontation with disruptive students, but then the issue is that if you don't address the situation on the spot, it might spiral into an uncontrollable situation!
Accountability and support in such situations are not opposite, and teachers need to understand this. Do teachers need more support, accounting, resources, strategies, and rules to pull them out of such situations? When support is lacking, such disruptive behaviour in classes cannot be swept under the carpet. Every child deserves support, including those who are affected by the disruptive behaviour of one or two children who aim to disrupt the teaching in the class. Each child in school needs to feel safe and secure. If one person's behaviour is hurting everyone else, then it is a major issue that needs to be tackled proactively. If nothing is being done to solve it, then it is a systemic failure!
In many cases, infractions in classes are ignored. Administrators believe that such incidents will wear off in time. The fact of the matter is that such incidents lead to cases of bullying and the creation of toxicity in classrooms. We all know that a toxic environment is not conducive to ideal learning. Some of the most vulnerable students are affected by toxic learning environments in class. They are the most affected. Teachers, unfortunately, are taken for granted, but then they are human beings too and vulnerable in most cases.
Some teachers spend more time in controlling the class. But then, teachers have not signed for this. If more time is spent on addressing discipline-related problems, then how is the course content to be delivered? The advice of not confronting problem-making children is not practical in nature. The teacher is not a referee of behaviour, and if this does happen, then the entire class falls back in studies. Poor behaviour snowballs, allowing one student to curse the teacher opens up the floodgates for others to do the same! To handle this, we need administrators to step in. Administrators need to get out of their offices and address the problem in real time. Teachers need administrators who have their back! To address such issues, we need consequences, and a metaphorical rap on the knuckles will not be enough! Threaten the class, you don't get to stay in class! The real world has consequences, so why don't schools have them?
No comments:
Post a Comment