I observed two teachers communicating with a child who
had started two fights with two different students. All the students involved
were in the 1st grade. I walked into the cafeteria to put some condiments
on the cart. As I was entering the cafeteria I noticed a student arguing with
another student. I heard the teacher tell him to sit down and leave the other student
alone. They were sitting at separate tables. The other student accused him of
taking something from him. Another student said they saw him take it. When the student
who started the fight heard this he walked over to that student and tried to
pull him out the seat. Another teacher intervened by telling him to stop and
grabbing his arms. Both teachers were yelling at him. The student continued to
try and fight the other student. After trying to stop him several times, one of
the teachers took him to the principal’s office.
Although this student was defiant, the teachers did
not use effective communication skills with him. To make this communication more
effective the teachers could have talked to all the students to find out exactly
what happened. Yelling was also not an effective communication strategy. Teacher’s
words and the way they are used are meaningful for children (Rainer &
Durden, 2010).
I found out later that the student did in fact take
something that belonged to the other student. Although he was guilty, yelling
is not a way of communicating to him that he did something wrong. I think yelling
made him angrier. This also may make him feel it is okay to yell at someone
when they have done something wrong. When the teacher grabbed his arms this may
make him feel as though it is okay to use violence.
The adult-child communication I observed does not compare
to the ways I communicate with children. I would not yell or grab a child. I
will always use the non-violence approach and communicate in a way that
promotes understanding. The child needed to know what he did was wrong, but he
should have been talked to.
Reference
Rainer Dangei, J., & Durden, T. R. (2010). The
nature of teacher talk during small group
activities. YC: Young Children, 65(1), 74-81.
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Brenda,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that simply yelling at the child and taking him to the principal's office are not effective communication skills. The non-violent methods are always more effective and I think they are a great choice in handling a situation such as this. I teach preschool so I am not as familiar with daily issues between elementary school children so is this typical for this age or in the school you teach at?
Tara Fleishman
I agree with your point of view also. I would have separated the boys until they calmed down and had another teacher assist to talk to one while I talk to the other in a calm voice. As adults, we should model the expected behavior and yelling will only escalate the situation. Great post Brenda!
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