FRESH STARTS FOR HARD- TO- LIKE PUPILS

Contributed by Jessy Rae D. Licaroz – Teacher III, Sta. Rosa Elementary School, Pilar

Even though our toughest pupils are just kids at the mercy of emotions they don’t understand or can’t control, it can be hard for a teacher to stay calm and not take these ongoing behavioural problems personally.

Tough kids are usually covering a ton of hurt. They defend against feeling pain by erecting walls of protection through rejection. Efforts to penetrate those walls by caring children are generally met with stronger resistance expressed thorough emotional withdrawal and/ or offensive language, gestures, and actions. Like a crying baby unable to articulate the source of its discomfort, these kids desperately need patient, determined, and affectionate teachers. Here are some ways to connect or reconnect with pupils who make themselves hard to like.

Express gratitude to your difficult pupils. Smiling, a little hugging are some of the strategies. Try expressing positive values every day to each of your difficult pupils. Hard as it might be, make the first interaction each day something welcoming.

Use encouraging statements every day. Words of encouragement get and keep pupils connected and motivated.

Act toward your worst pupil the way you act toward your best pupil. Try acting toward your most- behaved or least- motivated pupil in the same way, and see what happens.

Send the parents a “positive note/ postcard. Prepare an email or note home that briefly describes positive behaviour or an achievement that you’ve recently observed. Show it to the pupil before sending it in order to encourage him to do a positive behaviour again.

In broader sense, a teacher should understand the social and emotional feelings of his pupils by helping them develop skills to manage their emotions, resolve conflicts, and make responsible decisions.

Empathy is the first step in the design thinking process that keeps pupils focused on this necessary element as they move through a positive behaviour. Create empathic moments in the classroom with a safe, welcoming environment for pupils. Parents and educators can become more aware of ways into the hearts and minds of a child that can make a difference!

References:

Retrieved from

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/fresh-starts-hard-to-like-students-allen-mendler

One last chance by Diane Hofkins (2007) retrieved from

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2007/dec/11/pupilbehaviour.schools