Is The "F-word" Showing Up In Your Class?

"Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." -Maya Angelou

Hello all you intentional and conscientious snackers! 

I have taught (at different times over the years in some cases) Pre-K-12 Music and Theater, Middle School Spanish, High School English, and Social Studies since 1990. I also spend a good amount of time talking with colleagues across the spectrum of academic disciplines and grade levels. I mention these because I don't want you to think that the ideas I'm about to share are coming from someone who is completely out of touch with present-day classroom experience. 

SOOOO...is the "F-word" guiding your classroom practice??? How can you tell?

Do words and phrases around student behavior show up looking something like: "If this (behavior) continues, then (this consequence) will follow?" If you answered yes, then the "F-word" is showing up. Don't feel bad about this. I venture to say that most, if not all of us use the "F-word" in our dealing with students, including myself.

FEAR.

I didn't realize what was happening when I was in grade school, but now I understand that it was fear. Teachers and home-based adult caregivers were often taught that fear was the way to get children to do what you ask. Yes, in spite of everything brain science has taught about learning, neurodiversity, and trauma, we often default to fear as a primary classroom management tool. Hmm...the classroom's getting kinda loud. I'm going to threaten to take away recess so that everyone settles down.

It's not a difficult leap to realize that, while this approach works (to a point, keep reading), it will ultimately undermine your best intentions. The reality is that the systems of consequences we've created only work to a certain point, and they only work because of fear. What happens when students are no longer afraid of the consequences?

Behavior is communication. Students have limited verbal vocabularies (if any) to tell us what they need from moment to moment. In spite of how it can often seem,student behaviors are rarely, if ever, personal. My experience has been that when I dismiss behaviors by meeting them only with punishment, students respond by either (a) escalating the behaviors, and/or (b) shutting down. My first questions when behaviors arise is, "What's happening in my classroom to cause this? and/or "What do my students want/need right now?" This has been a career-long challenge that I am still learning how to manage.

However, these two strategies, with no additional effort or words from me, mitigate between 80%-90% of behaviors I encounter:

One: classroom setup. My lights are low or turned off to meet various sensory needs along with focus. I have a peace corner students use to self-regulate. I have Kickbands on every chair and a classroom set of wiggle cushions. Tall tables are available to allow students to walk around, and to choose to work standing up in collaboration with someone seated across the room, if they wish.

Two: students will most often mirror my emotional tone. I (try to) speak with a slow, quiet and respectful voice. This is easier said than done, but they are also skills that can grow. I built mine using many of these techniques.

I'm not quite sure how I managed to miss teacher Kyle Schwartz's monumental book! I read it a few weeks back (a quick and easy read) and it is so much good! It should be required reading in every Teacher Education program.

One of my favorite moments is when she explains that she tells her class that they can "get away with"anything...! The consequence is less learning. 

To be clear...total student autonomy and choice in every moment is not the goal. Our most important task is to keep students safe, after all. Along with that, it is extremely important for our classes to have a method for quick transition to silent, focused listening. Teaching without fear is possible. Doing so takes commitment to a calm spirit you can impart to your students. It requires an understanding that our world has enough things for us to be afraid of, and that the taking back of joy begins with me.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed or got something out of it, please consider giving it 5 stars below and forwarding it to a friend.

Until next week,

Happy snacking!

Chef Charles

Head chef

teacherssnacks.com