Q: Hi Paul,
I'm an NQT at a secondary school and, while I'm quite pleased with how things are going behaviour-wise so far, I'm having the same issue with some two of my lower ability year 8 classes. These classes are mostly boys and they all seem intent on getting each other into trouble.
They constantly shout things like "Miss, so and so just swore at me!" and "Miss, so and so just called my mum fat" etc. The other pupils will of course always deny the accusations saying things like "No, he just called me a..." etc.
It is always very difficult to determine who is actually telling the truth even with a T.A. in the room! I have had some of the worst offenders back after school for a detention to discuss the problem with my HOD present and this has resulted in them all accusing each other of "bullying" and I've separated the worst of them on the seating plan, but they still snipe at each other across the room.
As you can imagine this is quite disruptive to the lessons and trying to work out "whodunit" often stops me from actually teaching which is unfair on other members of the groups.
At the same time, I have always told members of both these classes that they must not take matters into their own hands (i.e. by retaliating) and that what they should always do is tell the teacher... but as all they seem to want to do is get each other told off, how am I supposed to know who the real trouble makers are?
Any advice appreciated! Thanks!
A: These behaviours must be disrupting your teaching and the learning of others. Sometimes these behaviours escalate quickly from whispered insults. Often the boys are just playing a game and trying to out do each other ‘Ya mum….’ etc. What starts as a game however can often result in others being harmed. As you deal with this issue you need to get your poker face on. Model phenomenal emotional restraint. You can’t allow the students to feel they are having an impact on you.
Explain to all the children that you will no longer tolerate name calling (the children I work with know it as ‘blazing’) and calmly set out your stall. Agree a new rule or highlight your existing agreement. Be clear with the students. There are some behaviours that you need to teach them. You are going to put effort into doing this. It is going to be a priority.
Children who choose to speak politely and kindly will be recognised, appreciated and rewarded. Those who choose not to, either as the protagonist or as the responder will be given a reminder of the rule, a warning or then invited to a reparation meeting. In the initial stages catch and heavily reinforce those students who are speaking kindly and demonstrate the behaviours that you want.
Early intervention is really important. Meet the students at the door with a reminder of ‘Our new agreement’. Be clear with, ‘What I am looking to see today is…’. Check with individuals privately; ‘Tell me what behaviours are going to work today’. Set your expectation high and make it obvious. Convince the students that there is no place you would rather be than with them in this classroom right now. At the first sign of name calling issue the first sanction on your ladder calmly and privately. Step persistent offenders calmly up the ladder, each time giving them space to consider their next move.
If you are using ticks/names on the board then you might like to try a more subtle and private way of giving consequences. Systems like these often encourage the behaviour of one person to be everyone’s business. Students will often compete to get their friends names on the board
Separate the students and deal with them individually. Invite the parents of the worst offenders in to join this meeting. When you are discussing the behaviour map out their pattern of behaviour for them. Get some postcards and markers and show them the ritual that they go through. Identify the parts that you want to change. Be specific about the behaviours that need to replace these bad habits. Be clear about the expectations you have for the next lesson. Repeat this process if necessary with more senior colleagues alongside you until the penny drops.
Make a plan for intervening with the most tricky students and set yourself a realistic timescale. Don’t expect overnight success. Some children will take longer to adjust to you.
Good luck.