Bob and Jack are both in 8th grade. They were assigned the same homeroom and are in the same class block. Bob and Jack both have kinisthetic needs that don't always seem to be met during the school day due to time constraints. Bob and Jack both come from families with low socio-economic backgrounds and they share many of the same interests. Perhaps, due to age and vicinity to one another, the boys are always antagonizing the other. Oftentimes, though the boys poke and shove the other (including in the classroom), this antagonizing is friendly. Both boys also seem to share the common link of anger problems. Due to family issues, both of the boys carry a lot of anger with them and can be volatile at times.
One day, each boy is having a "bad day". The teacher is standing out in the hall, in front of her classroom, greeting students and monitoring the hall. The boys walk in and shove each other a little, per usual. All of a sudden, one boy goes too far and a fight breaks out. A student (we'll call him John) jumps in to separate the boys, and successfully pulls the two apart. The teacher, having been absent for most of the brawl, tells John to let go Jack, who he's holding. John obeys, and the fight between Bob and Jack starts again. After much confusion, the teacher tries to break up the boys. She can't. They are angry and physically, they are too much for her to manipulate. So she discreetly asks John to separate the boys again, which John does. When the boys are separated, the teacher has a few of the "stronger" students escort the boys to the office where the principal can be responsible for disciplining them.
How could this situation have been prevented? There seemed to be warning signs all over the place. Also, what could a teacher have done in this situation if s/he did not have a student with John's strength and willingness to help?
4 comments:
This is a tough one! If these students have presenting signs of anger issues all along, they should have been addressed earlier in the year. Maybe try sitting down with the students individually and have them set goals about how they could work on their anger management. Ask them what barriers they might have and possible solutions.
As far as the teacher goes in that situation, do anything possible to stop the students from fighting..
This is a problem that a teacher has very little control over. If the fight starts when the teachers in the room and could have prevented the the provoking going on then it would be a different story, but when two students aren't in the teachers veiw and start a fight the teacher has no control over the situation. In the case with the phsyicallity of the students if a teacher can't get the two boys to stop fighting that presents a big problem.
This is definately a hard problem. I think that maybe if the early on pushing had been addressed, even if it was normal and almost friendly then it may have helped prevent things. Students can be friendly without being physical. As for what to do when the fight does occur, I would say to try and stop it if you can, and if you can't and don't have a student who can, then have a student go get someone in the office to come and help. I don't think it is ok to just step aside and let students hurt each other.
I would establish a no-horseplay rule with strict consequences,at the begining of the year, first of all. When the situation has to be dealt with after the fact like this it is hard to do very much.
I guess, in response, I would speak with the whole class and create this rule and I would not seat the boys together. I would speak to them individually and not allow them to sit together or work in groups together. Explain that they are not able to work together because of what happened in your classroom couldn't happen again for safety reasons. Make it clear that you are not punishing them, but that it is a natural consequence of the fight.
Teachers are limited as to what they can do, and while, in some ways it seems harsh to keep students form working together, it is a safety issue. Teachers aren't parole officers, parents or referees. Imagine what could have happened if there hadn't been intervention in this situation? Safety first.
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