Students aren’t just disrespecting classrooms and teachers, they disrespect each other too. That being said, many teachers strive to make sure respect is present in their classroom and ensure their students know that as well. If teachers don’t demonstrate respect, classrooms can easily fall apart.
When a classmate is disrespectful to you or your teacher, it can create a domino effect of emotions. Students may be laughing, students may be upset, when your classmate ridicules your classmate or your teacher, emotions spiral.
“I really push the idea that we have to respect each other in the classroom [because] it really ends up hurting my feelings when kids disrespect each other,” english teacher Melissa Luttrell-Hill said.
We all know someone who loves to disrupt the class at every chance they get, but many don’t understand how this affects the teachers.
“I see them as like a whole person, not just my student” Hurlbutt said.
When teachers have a plan it can do more than help keep the students in line, it can also prevent teacher outbursts. Plans do not have to be a step to step process, they can be as simple as talking to students to help them rethink their behavior.
“The biggest thing that I’ve always felt [is important] is getting the students out of a situation and pulling them aside or taking them out of the classroom,” Hurlbutt said.
Teachers don’t have any policy they are required to follow when they have disruptive students, so they create their own. Some teachers call out students when they disturb the class or pull them to the side. Some may just push for certain manners in the classroom.
Many teachers like to focus on a specific system to help students recover from conflict and disruptions. “[I use a strategy called] relationship, routine, and then reconciliation. So what that looks like is me having to talk one on one with a student and [saying], Hey, I care about you., here’s what we know, are the expectations of this class. How can we make sure that they’re met in the future?” Hurlbutt said.
Students can often feel scared or backed into a corner when a teacher has an outburst and yells as a reaction to students’ behavior. Teachers and students alike do not react well to disrespect, so when teachers are prepared to face ridicule, classrooms can become healthier environments.
