Sitting in the English base on a free
period I hear for the third time today a teacher outside shouting at a
student. Really shouting angrily,
nastily, in their face. I’ve hear this
from two other teachers too and I never want to become like this. I do occasionally shout – always at home,
always at my kids (although when I lived with my mum I did occasionally shout
at her and my sister), always in extreme anger, and I always apologise
afterwards because it’s never a good strategy to get what I want, more just an
outpouring of rage. Shouting is
intimidating, threatening, and in my opinion on the spectrum of violent
behaviour. I’ve never shouted at anyone in my previous professional life. I would HATE someone to do that to me, and if
they had I’d probably put in a formal complaint. So why is it seen as totally acceptable to do
this to young people? Granted, they had
usually really stepped out of line, and often been very rude. But we teachers are supposed to be modelling
how to behave.
Exploring this with my mentor they said
that the teachers are using shouting in an unemotional way – that it is all a
show and they aren’t actually as angry as they sound. I was recommended to try it out, to try this
out as a kind of ‘personna’ from time to time, because, my mentor said, with
some kids it’s the only way they will comply and it’s an effective behaviour
management strategy. I am not going to.
It is not ‘me’. But what worries me is that being in a culture where
this is seen as completely acceptable that I may start to think this is ok too,
that I will lose my perspective and become a shouty teacher and abuse my
power.
I am very taken with Lee Cantor’s positive
behaviour management, the use of rewards and clear, progressive sanctions. I understand that tone of voice can be very
effective – as a parent I have found this very effective. What I like about this is it keeps the
relationship with the pupil intact, and means that even after a warning for
negative behaviour, there is room for positive rewards in the same lesson, and
overall the balance should be more on the positive. At Jordanhill we have been given a lot of
information and support to use this approach to behaviour. Speaking to another, fairly new teacher (who
also studied at Jordanhill) I am encouraged that he has a different opinion,
and doesn’t use shouting himself because he’s not found it effective, but finds
the positive work much better for him.
I’ve no doubt that in my future career I’ll
occasionally feel really angry with the kids I teach. I will encounter really difficult behaviour
and it’ll feel like nothing is working.
I really hope that in those situations I can still treat people how I’d
like to be treated.
