It is a Power Thing

Most of the classroom management instruction that I received from the University of Minnesota-Duluth, which was very little, centered on preventing behavior issues before they began, and, when an issue arose, I was told it was best to eschew the reflex to try to make a student behave themselves and engage the student in a heart to heart conversation that seeks to unearth what the underlying cause of the behavior may be and find a common solution.

Of course, the standard line in these nebulous lessons is “avoid power struggles.” However, what if your students are like mine? What if, for whatever reason, they are looking for a fight? What if they want a power struggle? What if they will not find a common solution with you, but rather fight you until they feel they’ve won? Why can’t we teach educators to take control and be powerful? There is no other solution at times than to wield power effectively and efficiently in order to save one's classes from the thugs who want to see them unproductive and chaotic. Of course, I want to respect each student and his or her needs. I want to show them compassion and avoid tearing them apart, but I also want to win, quite frankly. I want to rescue my class from those who want to prevent me from teaching effectively. I want this, but I’ve never been taught how to achieve this.

I suppose, in this sense, I have something in common with my students that I had not realized before. Many of their attitudes towards school have been fueled by bad teachers who did not teach them effectively. They are likely to feel like they’re sinking with no one to save them. I feel that way as well when it comes to effective classroom management. I have had bad teachers, too.

What does who want?

Like I said earlier, I cannot personally say whether or not choice theory works. I have not seen it work, but I'm new and I haven't seen a lot of things. However, I am troubled by it because it hinges on the question "What do you want?" Teenagers don't always know what they want. They don't yet have the ability to scrutinize their thoughts and feelings for the truth behind their actions. Also, teenagers who are "at risk" are "at risk" because, for whatever reason, they want bad things. They want to be loved, sure, but they also want to smoke a joint. One is okay the other is destructive. So the answer to the question, "What do you want?" is sometimes simply irrelevant.

What Does "At-Risk" Mean and Is Choice Theory the Answer?

I suppose I could moan about the trouble I face each day with my students, all of whom are classified by our school system as "at-risk." I could talk about the many real troubles that these poor children have faced that are truly beyond their control.

While many of these students are having or have had drug and alcohol problems, had problems at school and had run-ins with the law, they also have come from disconnected, single-parent homes or even group homes and have parents who are no better off than they are. Additionally, many come from low-income homes. However, I do not join the rest of the world of education in believing that "low-income" is an academic obstacle in itself. I'll explain that more in later posts.

"They are at risk of becoming blights on society..."

In short, my students have had a rough life, but their problem is that they have thus far chosen to make their lives even rougher by behaving like, well, like you'd expect some one called "at-risk" might behave. What are they "at-risk" for? They are at risk of not graduating, of flunking or dropping out of the school system entirely, which puts them at risk of having a terrible life. They are at risk of becoming blights on society; they are at risk of becoming inmates.

To get to the place where one is at-risk in this way, one must first put on the role of at-risk person. That is to say, these students behave like flunk-outs, drop-outs and prisoners. I find myself close to literally biting my tongue during their sour complaints that school is "like a prison." I want to say, "First of all, this is not prison, but keep acting the way I've seen you act and you'll soon be able to make a first-hand comparison." I don’t say this, though.

The way we have dealt with these student's terrible choices is too help them to confront those choices and help them to make better ones. It is actually an attempt at implementation of "Choice Theory" and "Reality Therapy." A theory and therapeutic method developed by Dr. William Glasser. Basically, when a behavioral problem arises in or outside of the classroom we take the kid aside and have them answer the following questions: 1) What do you want or need? 2) What are you doing in order to get what you want? 3) How well is it working? 4) What else could you do to get what you want? I've been told that members of our team have seen this work.

"Students report...that things will get better if I let them do as they see fit."

I have yet to see a meeting with a student where this framework has been helpful. Most of the time, students report (if it's my class we're talking about) that what they want is for me ignore their terrible behavior and that things will get better if I let them do as they see fit. I have not seen much of a response to this assertion in the leadership of this program, so, thinking I was setting a good example for them, I've said I'll try to be a bit more tolerant of disruptive behavior. Now I feel as if that response has only emboldened them. As of now, a little over a month into the program, behaviors have gotten worse each week and lesson plans suffer immensely.

One thing in particular disturbs me about this: I do not have the experience to know if I should expect things to get better. What about you? Have you heard of Choice Theory and Reality Therapy? Have you seen it implemented in the classroom with any success? I have something to say about it, but I wanted to let you weigh-in first. For more information on Choice Theory and Reality Therapy visit www.choicetheory.com.

Welcome

The purpose of this blog is to talk about my experiences as a first-year teacher. The first year, I am told, is always difficult, but I am teaching "at-risk" students, making it that much more discouraging.

I have been experiencing a great deal of frustration of late. However, it isn't just the students that are causing the problem. It's the system as well. I've been hand-cuffed by what I will call the "self-esteem educational philosophy" and I'm dealing with the head--(and heart)aches it brings.

This is a place where I can vent some frustration and you (whether a teacher or not) can tell me what you think about the situation and give me any advice you have.

I've been asking advice from everyone. I even asked a janitor sometime ago for advice. He had none.

Please, by all means, weigh in, even if you want to say "STOP WHINING!"

Oh yeah. This is called "Teaching the Wild Things" because I think about the book Where the Wild Things Are often in this position. That's because I try to get wild things to do what I say and after each day, all I want to do is "go where someone loves me best of all."

I'm not going to mention anyone's name, not the students', not the administrators'. Heck, I'm not even mentioning my legal name. I must admit I would like to names some names though. I'd to have a blog where I say so-and-so is a no good @#%$&! I won't though. That isn't what adults do.