Best ways to work with behaviors?

My focus, as I work through my timeline has directed me to the inequities of the education process of children with behavior problems. There are programs available for these students but many adhere to the idea of control.  It is my experience that we need to help these students learn strategies to practice self-control and not use a completely authoritarian style of management.  These are the kids that through their behaviors are asking for their needs to be met.  They are screaming for some sort of attention that teachers cannot always give to them.  It might be the quiet student or the Asperger’s student who is constantly being misunderstood. Or it might be the child who runs out of the class and hides in the corner or breaks the window, or breaks the teacher’s finger.  How do we education these children without, first, identifying their needs?  How do we manage them in the classroom…or, do we? There are many effective strategies available for teachers through classroom management techniques.  Do all teachers now take classes in effective behavior management? Can anyone share stories of situations that occurred during your lessons or experiences involving students who did not engage?  I’m also looking for possible ideas to educate these kids.  Currently, self-contained classrooms, day treatment programs, and alternative schools are used.  Any ideas for improvements?

Founding Fathers

The virtuous reasoning for the roots of America involved freedom.  Obviously, the framers only had one mirror and were unable to understand the many complexities of cultures.  If they had the foresight to envision our country as an inclusive gathering of cultures, perhaps today we would be less judgmental and exclusive. Today’s discussion/assignment was interesting on two levels.  First, to change these roots we needed a government that would accept, appreciate and tolerate our many differences. As Dr. Shutkin pointed out, had our founding fathers invited representatives from all cultures in America to learn from and about one another, I wonder how different our country would be today?   Would we have a national identity that encompasses and represents all?  Somewhere that ideal lifts our spirits.  However, our jaded past of hatred, slavery, and discrimination is contemptible.  Yet we, as a mass, continue to look for blame rather than solution. We become so entrapped in our personal views, that we cannot welcome a different perspective of another single person or group.  We scream about our rights, but cannot define them.  We scream about unfairness, but we cannot define that either.  The taboo topics that divide us into that us/them mentality still live in our country.  We can do this.  As we define and become comfortable with ourselves, we can allow the possibility of not being a ‘melting pot’ but welcoming the great diversity we have to offer. 

Two Schools 1966

My brother and I attended different high schools as the redistricting occurred in Baltimore County.  We had two very different experiences.  My school included few African American children who lived in the same area, contiguous to our neighborhood.  Everyone knew one another...and got along on a surface level.  My brother's school transferred students from Sollers Point High School at its closing.  I remember my brother talking about the "kids on the buses.  No one will let them off.  Everyone is throwing rocks at the windows and I don't care if they ever get off."  I suppose that he joined in the heinous activity but I'd like to think he didn't.  I always wonder how the kids on the buses were feeling.  What fear and hatred was in their hearts? How can that behavior be explained or condoned or accepted? 
            Please note the link Desgregation in Maryland Counties 1966 to a report on desegregation in Maryland Schools in 1966.  The language speaks to continued discrimination, as African American principals are not rehired in the new configuration. It gives a feel for the underlying attitude of benign
compliance during that era.
          Brown v Board of Ed was in 1954 and Maryland continued to have separate schools until 1966.  I remember seeing Sollers Point HS.  It was in disrepair and one cannot imagine learning in that environment. This disparity continues in the Cleveland School system where West side/East side schools has different access to materials and programs. This seems to be a theme of inner city schools nationwide.  The inequities of funding for all schools needs to be addressed.
          It has taken many years to get to where we are today.  I know it is not perfect and probably never will be perfect - but I also look at all the improvements in our society.  Things are better. 

Racism...

Racism

Power

Fear

Lack of understanding

Class status

Racism is learned and taught.

As I try to make sense of the common school’s exclusion of races in the 1880’s, I attempted to place the underlying themes in some kind of order.  Themes that are immediately apparent are power, fear, and class status.  These themes infiltrate every culture of every nation.  The question is why? And when will it end?  What makes people need to control others?  I believe that racism is taught through family and childhood, but also possesses the promise of being erased with education and knowledge.  There seems to be an equation of racism to religion.  Religion, too, is taught through family and childhood.  So, what creates the hatred and views of superiority?  How many wars have been fought under the guise of religion?  There are too many examples of racism and hate in the history of the world to list.  The question remains, why…and what can change it?  

Racism...

Racism

Power

Fear

Lack of understanding

Class status

Racism is learned and taught.

As I try to make sense of the common school’s exclusion of races in the 1880’s, I attempted to place the underlying themes in some kind of order.  Themes that are immediately apparent are power, fear, and class status.  These themes infiltrate every culture of every nation.  The question is why? And when will it end?  What makes people need to control others?  I believe that racism is taught through family and childhood, but also possesses the promise of being erased with education and knowledge.  There seems to be an equation of racism to religion.  Religion, too, is taught through family and childhood.  So, what creates the hatred and views of superiority?  How many wars have been fought under the guise of religion?  There are too many examples of racism and hate in the history of the world to list.  The question remains, why…and what can change it?  

Common schools for all!

Methinks that Mann’s objectives for the common school were a bit lofty! The teacher should have been paid a huge salary to attain all those goals.  However, we are still viewing similar issues today.  The public school is responsible for training children in academics, social niceties, manners, cultures, languages, exposure to politics, and address needs of poverty with school breakfast and lunch programs.  There continues to be a separation of social classes. …Private educations are seen as more valuable than public school educations.What I always thought was interesting is how private schools boast of attaining these goals.  However, if students do not follow their rules and expectations, are they not expelled…and sent to public school?  I wonder if the changes that are now occurring in the state of Ohio will leave the public school a dumping ground for the have-nots in our society.  At least government-sponsored education creates an opportunity [imperfect as it is] for all children.

I believe that the ultimate aspiration of bringing cultures together continues to unfold. Change occurs at a snail’s pace.  It is interesting that this school debate is occurring before the Civil War and the goal was to ensure that the Anglo-American culture would ultimately become stronger that other cultures.  It took another 100 years for Brown v Board of Education (1954) to make its way into history. It took another 10 years for integration for the schools in my city.  Without the Brown vs Board of Education ruling, the US would look very different now.  Separate institutions would have yielded separate thoughts and lives.  People learn to accept and love new people by developing friendships.  Without integration of the schools, this social assimilation would not have occurred. 

Tidbit responses

In response to McCourt - You need to develop a rapport with your students.  Each one has to feel noticed and included…the one who sits quietly has something to say.  You have to tap into the psyche of your students…they need to care or, at least, know that your care.

In response to Gatto – He said he never heard teachers talking about theory or children in the teacher’s room…I agree that sometimes, teachers are simply trying to get through the day.  I have seen this. Teaching becomes rote and scheduled and boring.  I relate this to one of my jobs.  I was returning to teaching after a 13 year absence and was lucky enough to get a maternity leave position for the entire school year in a day treatment program for emotionally disturbed (just for classification purposes) 5 and 6 year old children.  My teaching style was very different from the teacher on leave and the aides were quick to tell me that my constructivist methods would never work in this setting.  “These children need to be controlled!”  I was also told by the aide to observe some of the other classrooms to get an idea of what she meant.  I did.  I observed neat desks and teachers sitting at their desks.  Every once in a while, a frustrated student in anger was overturning a desk.  I also experienced this idea of traditional control in the years following with my teacher’s aide in my classroom.  It takes training and modeling to help the aide see that my goal is to help the child learn to control him or herself in different settings in their lives.  Teaching is about learning information but it is also about creating a connection to the students that inspires them to want to learn.  Ultimately, we want our students to learn to function in our society and become life long learners for themselves.

       

In response to Kozol – Some things never change.  Kozol wrote about Stephen in 1967.  We still have many Stephens.  They generally are sent to residential or day treatment programs because they are unable to assimilate into the classroom model.  They’re angry and don’t know how or where to release that anger.  One would think that the county systems that support these children would be able to find the best homes to nurture and support their needs, but that often is not the case. All too often, foster parents goals are not in the best interests of the child.  Out society continues to produce these lost children and we continue to struggle to create a program and life that will offer them the best opportunities.