Most teachers want to create an environment that is warm and welcoming to the students who enter the doors of their classroom. As educators, we know that children learn best when they are in a safe environment.
But what if some of the things we think are no big deal really are a big deal to children? What if we are contributing to the very problem we are trying to prevent? What if our behavior is having unintended consequences?
A Tough Situation
Both of my kids, at different times in their schooling, have had their share of being on the receiving end of mean. Name calling, lunchboxes kicked or spilled out on the table, being smacked in the face with a ball, pencils and pens stolen out of desks, shoelaces being cut, etc. They have encountered challenges with some really mean kids in their grades.
I’ve been in education long enough to know how this works. Well meaning teachers will try to do something. Sometimes, however, nothing will be done because certain children are in the untouchable zone because of who their parents are. So, it’s usually up to our family to huddle up and design a plan to help our children navigate this kind of behavior.
In helping our kids figure out strategies for dealing with this negative social behavior, which seems to be everywhere, I have encountered more than once, some “teacher behaviors” that only make the situation worse. I’ve seen it as a parent. I’ve seen it as a teacher. I’ve seen it as an administrator.
Teachers Sometimes Contribute to the Problem
Teachers sometimes do or say things and have no idea of the impact it has on children or the climate they are creating. Most of us, as educators, would never admit to engaging in behavior that perpetuates an unsafe environment for kids, but I have seen it in practice way more than it should be.
It’s time to take a closer look at some of our practices. There’s no judgment here. If you find you are engaging in any of these behaviors, it’s in your power to do it differently. Starting today.
This is tongue-in-cheek for sure, but I think you’ll get the point. Even if you don’t engage in any of these behaviors, I’m sure you have come across a teacher who has.
5 Ways to Create an Unsafe Environment for Children
1-Talk about students to other students or in front of other students.
2-When a student tells you another student is bothering him or her, pull the offending student outside and talk to them about it while all of the students inside the classroom can hear the conversation. Then the student on the receiving end can be called a “snitch”.
3-Play favorites. Develop strong teacher-student relationships with the easiest kids in your class—the extroverts. Ignore the introverts and let them think the popular kids are your favorites.
4-When a student comes to you for help (regardless of the age or grade), even for something you think is inconsequential, respond with “You’re acting like a kindergartener.” Or “You’re old enough to figure this out on your own.”
5-Make sure when a student comes to you with a question, remind them how they should have been listening, or remind them that you don’t have time to repeat something they should have asked you before class was over.
As educators, we are so much better and have so much more to offer the students we teach, than inadvertently creating an unsafe environment for them. Let’s take a look at how we might do this differently.
5 Ways to Create a Safe Environment for Children
1-Allow time and space for students to talk to you privately while maintaining appropriate boundaries. For example, talking with a student in your classroom while the door is open and the teacher next door is aware you have a student in your classroom.
2-Unless the situation is such that it demands an immediate response, thank the student for sharing the information, let them know how you will handle it, and then wait a day or two before talking to the offending party. If the student has concerns about how you want to handle the situation, take it into consideration, and come up with a plan that is agreeable to both of you. This can prevent the situation from becoming worse.
3-Work at developing relationships with all students. Your extroverts, who are often “popular” kids, will be the ones who want to stand around before or after class talking to you and telling you about stuff going on. These students make it easy to build relationships with them. Unfortunately, your introverts and other students perceive this kind of activity as teachers playing favorites.
4-If an older student comes to you about someone not giving his pencil back, your first instinct might be to say, “I think you can handle this yourself.” Most students who can handle something themselves, will. Sometimes even some of the most inconsequential things a student might come to you about may be only the tip of a much larger iceberg. It is likely that the pencil issue is part of a much larger social situation going on. Ask them how they would like you to help. And then at another time, dig a little and ask the student if everything is okay or if there is other “stuff” going on. Be observant in the classroom and keep your eyes open for other “stuff”.
5-When a student comes to you with a question, no matter how many times you have given the information or answered the question, take a deep breath and answer it again. So many factors beyond your understanding could have prevented this student from getting the answer the first time. Help them out and answer their question.
Let’s make sure that we are creating a classroom environment that invites students to not only ask questions and share ideas, but also one that encourages students to talk to us when they are having difficulty or feel unsafe.
These kinds of classrooms don’t just happen. We have to be both intentional and diligent in creating a safe, warm, and welcoming environment.