Dana is really interested in this topic because she still encounters certain opposition and resistance in some pupils and classes, which she finds difficult to handle. That is why she began to wonder what could be behind such behaviour.
A Guide for Beginning Teachers
Difficult situations within the class
Even if the teacher and pupils care about the collective, difficult situations can occur. There are also classes where it does not go smoothly despite all the effort and energy the teacher and the pupils put into improving their relations and bonds. And even when it starts getting better, something just happens that makes it all collapse like a house of cards. Still, it is essential not to give up because even a tiny step in the right direction is a success when talking about a living organism such as a class.
You must have heard about Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Try to think about why Dana included it in her summary of information concerning challenging situations within the class.
Maslow's Pyramid
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (Adapted from Maslow 1954)
Zdroj: http://www.ejolt.org/2012/12/needs/.
You may have concluded that if a pupil’s basic needs from the bottom of the hierarchy are not met, s/he will have a hard time developing further. And what we adults consider problematic behaviour is very often how a child tries to tell us that some of his/her needs are not met.
Dana recalls a couple of children from her class immediately
- A boy who was playing the tambourine for 45 minutes straight. (His parents were fighting for a long time, and suddenly he was not the centre of their universe.)
- A boy with ADHD who was constantly disrupting the class and “ruining” even what he was previously good at. (Neither teachers nor parents ever praised him. Instead, he was always considered the undisciplined, naughty, loud, disrespectful boy).
- A girl from a disadvantaged socio-economic background who does not regularly have snacks. As a result, she gets tired and apathetic after the first class.
There are various causes of difficult situations emerging in the class. In general, they can be divided into four levels:
A teacher is not a psychologist, yet s/he spends a big part of the day with pupils and should therefore be able to identify/observe the causes of the pupil’s behaviour, connect with her/him and if necessary, refer her/him to the school psychologist/educational counsellor.
You might be the first person who cares enough about a child to ask her/him what the causes of her/his behaviour are and what has motivated the sudden change.
More sources about handling challenging situations
Dana recalls a challenging situation with the sixth graders where she teaches the most. When she entered the class, it was noisy, and the pupils were basically ignoring her arrival. When Dana tried to talk, she had to raise her voice, which made the class even louder. She was about to scream, but she stopped and recalled the idea of conscious and unconscious behaviour, which might deescalate the crisis but can also make it tenser. She realised she was losing her temper and started to lower her tone, maintaining eye contact with the pupils, and after a while, the class got quiet. Dana took advantage of the moment and started the lesson. The entire “action” took about seven minutes. But she concluded that if she had screamed, it could have lasted the entire lesson.
You can connect with pupils during challenging situations by:
- Acting identically – reflecting their behaviour as a mirror (if pupils scream, I scream as well – but not at them! THAT IS A BIG DIFFERENCE)
- Acting contrarily – doing the exact opposite of them (if pupils scream/ I talk very calmly)
- Acting complementarily – here we need to be cautious and evaluate the situation well, but it can ease the tension (if pupils scream, I plug my ears; pupils throw things, I give them another one /choose the right things/).
Assignment: An unpleasant situation
Think of an unpleasant situation in which you believe you should have reacted differently (This is not therapy, pick something from your everyday life).
Try to remember how you felt. Be aware of where you felt "uncomfortable". Try to think about how to behave differently and do so. Do you feel relief? Briefly describe this unpleasant situation and what kind of conscious behaviour you applied. Moreover, reflect upon your feelings caused by this memory and its new solution. (maximum 1 A4 page, 1 800 characters).
Hand in the assignment via the Homework vault: An unpleasant situation
Keep in mind that each pupil enters the class with a different story and a different starting position. Do not belittle their expressions, do not overlook them, but try to create a safe environment for pupils to behave naturally and share their problems.
Assignment:
Think about what organisations can help you with a difficult situation in the class. Create a table with basic contact information and a description of what they deal with. Then, if a challenging situation occurs, you do not have to think too long and can ask for help quickly.