Teaching Tips & Tricks | Feb 16, 2013
Should the toughest kids be assigned to the best teachers?
By Angela Watson
Founder and Writer
Should the toughest kids be assigned to the best teachers?
By Angela Watson
You know exactly which kids I’m talking about here–their faces appeared in your mind’s eye as soon as you read the blog post title. These are the kids who are violent and relentlessly disruptive in class, the ones who have a reputation throughout the school as being incredibly difficult to handle.
Each spring, the teacher’s lounge is filled with speculation over who will get each of those kids the following year…and in many schools, it’s a highly predictable pattern. The teachers with the best classroom management skills get the toughest kids. And every year, those teachers say, “I don’t know if I can take another class like this one. I need a break. I can’t keep doing this year after year.”
Sometimes the principals listen and spread out the toughest kids among multiple classrooms in a grade level, but many times, they don’t, and the teachers who used to be amazing become mediocre because they have nothing left to give. They stop researching new activities in the evenings because all they have the energy to do at night is sleep. They show up at school early to plan meaningful learning experiences, and then get so disgusted with breaking up student fights all morning long that they put on a movie in the afternoon and call it a day. They don’t have the energy for the hands-on activities they used to do, so they pass out worksheets.
I’m not saying that response is right. What I’m saying is that it’s happening, in thousands of classrooms all across the country. Our best teachers are burning out from bearing too much of the burden. I understand the need to place students with the best possible teacher for them. The problem is that teachers with strong classroom management skills often feel like they are being punished by getting the most challenging students year after year after year. It doesn’t matter that it’s not intended as a punishment. It feels that way when your job is knowingly made 100 times harder than the job of your colleagues simply because “you can handle it.”
What happens when you can’t handle it anymore? And what happens when the grouping of students interferes with the entire class’ education? I can think of two years in particular during my teaching career when I considered it a miracle that the rest of the class learned anything because my attention was so focused on the third of the class who had constant meltdowns. It absolutely broke my heart to see some of my sweet, hard working kids get less attention and assistance because I had to spend every spare second heading off their peers’ violent outbursts. No child should go to school each day in fear of being harmed by other kids in the class, or be unable to get the individualized learning they need because the teacher is constantly attending to severe behavior problems.
I don’t know of any clear cut solutions. I’m wary of principals burdening brand new teachers with students they know will be challenging–the teacher attrition rate is already astronomical. Some of these kids are so challenging that a new teacher would probably leave the profession before the year is out.
I also don’t want to see high needs students suffer under the leadership of a teacher who is unable to handle them. Maybe schools need to provide more professional development to teachers so they are equipped to handle a wide range of student needs and behavioral issues. It’s rare that a district acknowledges how much classroom management issues interfere with student learning: PD in most schools is centered around improving test scores and implementing curriculum. I did work in one district that allowed principals to identify teachers who struggle classroom management skills and provided extra training through CHAMPS, which is an excellent program, but the change in those teachers’ classrooms was negligible. Without ongoing, individualized support, the results are not going to be transformative. And some kids are just so disruptive that all the PD in the world is not going to prevent the average teacher from being exhausted by 9 a.m. on a daily basis.
Is the solution to get rid of teachers who aren’t able to handle their students? How would we identify those teachers in a fair way? Many of them are not “bad” teachers and are perfectly capable of educating the majority of the student population, they just aren’t prepared to manage the type of kids who throw desks when they’re frustrated and threaten to stab any adult who dares to correct them. Let’s be real: some of these students have no business being thrown into a general education classroom with little to no support. I don’t think it’s fair to blame the teacher for not being able to handle such extreme behaviors in addition to, you know, actually teaching the other 29 kids in the class.
So maybe this brings us to the heart of the issue: schools need to figure out how to meet these tough kids’ needs, instead of tossing them in the classroom with teachers who are expected to manage on their own. These students deserve small class sizes, psychological counseling, ongoing social skills/coping strategies support through small group sessions with the school guidance counselor, and so on. Some of these students even need individual one-on-one behavioral aides. But these resources take money, and schools just don’t have it.
Where does that leave us? If all outside factors–teacher training, special services, class sizes, and so on–stay exactly the same, what should principals do? Should all the toughest kids go to the teachers with the best classroom management skills? How does this work in your school?
Angela Watson
Founder and Writer
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Thank you for this Angela! It is so frustrating as a classroom teacher to know you will probably receive certain kids because your personality and management can handle it. I thrive on educating children to the best of my ability, but when you have more than half a class with behavioral, social and emotional problems it is just too much. More teachers need to speak up and advocate for themselves and those children in need. I agree that lack of funding and focus on testing is changing our schools. It has taken the focus off the needs of children. It is hard to see these changes, but even worse to know that it will most likely not improve.
This is why schools cannot keep good teachers.
The sad truth is, our society has made so many accomodations for those that are unable to conform to social standard that we have compounded the issue. We as educators have spent so much time managing behavior rather than teaching appropriate strategies no only to children, but more importantly to parents and families.
Over the past 20 years I have seen children get tougher and tougher, but I have also seen families become less and less willing or able to provide the essentials of social interaction. Kids are immersed into a technologically advanced world that requires very little authentic social interaction.
What we need to focus on is family/parent education. If we had more informed parents on board with our efforts, our jobs might be far more tolerable, enjoyable even.
As an early childhood educator I believe it should be part of every program to provide family/parenting programs for all families from birth on.
I have been one of those teachers that can “handle” those challenging students. It is a tough position to be in, but I have learned that communication, proactive strategies and brutal honesty is the best policy. Giving families tough news isn’t pleasant, but must be done if changes are ever going to be made. I would rather be wrong about a challenging child than be right and regret not doing something to help them be successful. This may require confrontation and opposition. I never can say I didn’t try.
Tough topic, but a definite challenge to our profession.
I agree with so much of what you said. We live in such a busy, fast-paced world full of instant gratification. People do not invest the needed time in teaching social skills, building relationships or just bonding with their children. Children are starved for authentic human interaction, and they get more busyness.
Nicole’s comment is so… spot on. Both teachers and parents need to have that understanding. If you only read one comment, read this one, please.
This is me this year. I have had three years of difficult children and the “selected favorites” of my principal have top notch classes. I am so exhausted that I KNOW I am not at my best either in the classroom or at home for my family. 🙁
Sarah… I feel like I could have written your post because that is exactly what is going on with me this year too!
Sarah, I am so there with you!
Thank you for posting this article. I could relate to much of it although I do not have severe behavior problems in my classroom. Rather, I have more struggling/low performing students than anyone else on my grade level. I feel totally drained at the end of the day and have trouble staying awake at night. I know that I am not planning the way that I want to simply because I am too tired from a stressful day. I often feel that I am not giving enough attention to the rest of my class because I have so many needy students. Many days I feel that no matter what I do it makes no difference and it is very difficult to stay positive. In addition, my evaluation rests on the growth of these students. If they do not make the expected growth I am “ineffective” no matter how hard I have worked.
I hear you loud and clear Angela!! What a great topic to tackle!! I believe that when admin places all of the difficult students with teachers who display exemplary classroom management skills, it only shows how poorly the admin is at the school.
“Difficult” students should be spread out and those teachers that have the skills should be running PD workshops for teachers who need to build on these skills. Part of being an effective teacher is being able to manage a classroom full of children. When admin places that kind of pressure on their best teachers, they are risking far more than just losing great teachers!! They are risking ALL students scores dropping because they will have pushed their good teachers out of the profession or to other schools. Burn out is so common & incredibly sad!!
Here is what should be done.. haha
If admin insists on clumping problem students, then 100% support needs to be provided for those teachers to do their job effectively. They need to provide those teachers with full-time staff to help and implement a “ZERO-TOLERANCE” policy for extremely disruptive behavior. They need to give those teachers 100% support and backing when problem behaviors arise.
If they spread out those students, then they need to provide continued support and professional development to those teachers who struggle with classroom management. Teachers who have mastered classroom management techniques should given the opportunity to share their ideas, techniques, and mentor other teachers through PD and workshops.
I am sorry to write this next thing, but it needs to be said. If a teacher is still not able to manage his or her classroom after 5 years (with training and support of course) and can not handle a couple of disruptive students, then that teacher needs to be let go. Teaching is impossible when students are out of control and no ONE teacher should ever be given an entire class of “unruly or difficult” students just because other teachers are displaying poor classroom management skills!! It will make any teacher fail at his/her job.
I am always sad to see great teachers burn out due to years of really difficult classes!! I don’t care who you are or how good of a teacher you are… NO ONE, not even WONDER WOMAN, could handle a full class of strong-willed students for too many years!!
Great topic!!
Michelle
The 3AM Teacher
Visit My FB Page
Well said, Michelle. I agree with everything you stated.
I agree with you… although as a 2nd year teacher who is having to learn classroom management skills on the fly and having THE class for two years now being let go is a hard pill to swallow. I do honestly believe that there should be some PD for teachers like me who are on a learning curve. Ones that will be able to not only give me coping skills but show and teach me how to be able to manage them better, or better yet another person in my room full-time that can help would be wonderful too !! I am frustrated but not ready to throw in the towel just yet. I believe that if you had or could get a cooperative parent that would also be a huge plus!!!