This
semester, my MT and I have been attempting to deal with a student that can
easily create disruption and drama in the classroom. When I say attempting to
deal with, what I really mean is ignoring. I know this is the wrong way to
handle the situation but this student’s potential for volatility is very high.
It has been an error on both of our parts and began at the beginning of this
semester when we let her sit in a seat that was not assigned to her. She never asked to move, just got up and
moved there one day. Instead of immediately correcting this unwanted behavior
and asking her to move back to her assigned seat, we ignored this behavior and
continued on with class. The next day, she sat in the incorrect seat and again
no correction was made. This continued on for several weeks. She chose this
seat because of its proximity to her close friend in the class…
When
students around these two talkative students started complaining to my MT and I
about their seating and if they could move we knew it was time to make a change
and stop ignoring this student’s bad behavior. Her negative attitude and
outright disrespect for the learning environment we created was spreading like
a plague throughout the classroom and it was time for us to reclaim our
positive and welcoming atmosphere. We have consistently been trying to
implement routines and seating that accommodates and benefits everyone. It has
been an ongoing battle and even now I am struggling to maintain a positive
attitude when interacting with this student.
When given a gentle reminder or correction I am responded to with a
mocking voice and whiny attitude. Just
today when I reminded this student and her friend that if they were going to
work together, they needed to stay on task, I was met with disdain and a “Dang
we will you don’t need to come at me like that.” As if I was attacking these
students in some way. I know this
student craves attention and would benefit from a more strict and regimented
classroom experience, but there is unhealthy friction created between us every
time that I attempt to correct her behavior or guide her in a certain
direction. I want to be able to facilitate a student-teacher relationship with
her that is healthy and not centered around a power struggle.
The
National Education Association suggests turning this potentially negative
interaction into a “teaching moment.” By showing the student, and the class,
that you can deal with the disruption in a professional and dignified manner
models for them how they should be interacting with both teachers and peers.
This article also suggests that it is important to react in a way that doesn’t
publically embarrass the student. While I agree with this analysis I think that
it can often be difficult for this to occur, especially when a gentle
correction blows up into a full-fledged confrontation.
Dr.
Allen Mendler (2012) offers a slightly different solution. He suggests that the teacher should stay
focused on and satisfied with “the most effective word.” This means that even
if this student is being disruptive, keeping the focus on stopping the behavior
with the minimal amount of additional disruption necessary so that you can get
back to teaching. Making the classroom difficult for students to get kicked out
of and instead dropping the issue for the meantime and visiting with the
student is the best way to proactively deal with students who often cause power
struggles. By remaining calm and privatizing discipline, trust will be
established and hopefully the power struggle will be diminished.
I
will implement these strategies in my classroom in order to regain control of
this student and reinforce my behavior expectations in order to create a
healthier and happier classroom environment in these last few weeks of school
McNeely, R.
(n.d.). Avoiding Power Struggles with Students. Retrieved April 05, 2016, from
http://www.nea.org/tools/49922.htm
Mendler
Ph.D., A. (2012). Defusing Power Struggles: It's Not About Getting the Last
Word. Retrieved April 05, 2016, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/defusing-power-struggles-last-word-allen-mendler
4 comments:
Miss Fisher,
I found your blog post to be completely relatable. I especially appreciated where you said that "By remaining calm and privatizing discipline, trust will be established and hopefully the power struggle will be diminished,". I faltered a bit in this area in my own classroom last week, when a student reacted negatively to having their phone taken away. I started to reason with them, reminding them that they would receive their phone at the end of the hour and needed to return back to work. When this didn't happen and they continued to complain and distract their classmates, trying to steal their phone back, I stepped in and said that the phone would be taken to the office. Eventually, my MT reentered the room and lead the student to the office. Your advice could have helped me de-escalate the situation and I will certainly implement it in the future. I believe that you and your MT are making positive strides in your connections with this one student and I believe that your classroom will be the better for it.
Also, I wanted to share a resource. I found an article online tha thas several good tips on dealing with behavior in the classroom that does not meet your expectations. I hope it might benefit you!
http://changingminds.org/disciplines/teaching/classroom_management/responding_behaviors.htm
Thank you for sharing your story!
- Ms. Pritchett
Miss Fisher,
I appreciate you bringing up this situation. I, too, have one of these students and it can be positively maddening to deal with. I 100% understand the struggle to stay positive with a student like this - it is incredibly trying.
I really like your ideas to diffuse the situation and to handle it privately with students at a less hectic point in the lesson. This is something I have actually tried - by accident - and it worked really well that day.
Please do report back and let us know how this works for you and your student for the last few weeks of school. My MTs keep telling me this time of year is especially hard for discipline - so if this tact works now I suspect you'll have stumbled across a great way to temper this kind of behavior in your own classroom (I know I will follow suite myself!).
Thanks for the honesty and the suggestions - classroom discipline is one of those things that is so crucial to successful classroom environment for everyone!
--Keely
Alexis,
I can definitely relate to your experience with this student and the behavior issues. It's hard to determine when you should ignore a behavior and when you need to say something. I think you are right in your decision to try to stop the behavior and recreate your welcoming class environment. My Mentor Teacher and I talk a lot of deescalating situations with students to prevent power struggles. The Mendler strategy you mentioned is a great way to accomplish this. Typically, when you provide opportunities to speak one-on-one with students and they don't have an audience, they are much more receptive to corrections. I don't think it is too late for you to turn your relationship with this student into a positive one, especially using the strategies you mentioned! It sounds like you really care for this student even if you are frustrated with the relationship and the student's behaviors. Hopefully by using these strategies you will be able to recreate the classroom environment that benefits everyone!
Sarah
I remember visiting with you and your MT about this at your most recent observation; thank you for posting! You’ve generated a healthy dialogue among your peers regarding this issue. I’m curious if you’ve had the chance to visit with the student privately outside of class. I observed your MT conferring with the student briefly while you taught class, and it seemed that the student was receptive to that dialogue before she exited the classroom. I think your plans for de-escalating the situation are sound, and I applaud your efforts to turn this negative situation into a positive relationship. You can do it!
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