A High School Teacher Explains How To Get Students To Behave Without Beating Them

Image by US Department of Education via flickr, available under a Creative Commons license.
Image by US Department of Education via flickr, available under a Creative Commons license.

We’ve seen the video wherein a cop manhandles a young woman for texting in class. We’ve heard the story about a cop punching a kid without a hall pass. It’s starting to feel like high schools in America are operating under martial law.

This is awful. It is not okay to physically assault students for these low-level offences. It stresses their systems and it decreases their ability to learn. They lose trust in authority figures, and are way less likely to approach a school staff member if they are being victimized or abused. They learn that their high school teachers are not their allies.

Inevitably, after every silly and ridiculous assault, reactionaries jump to defend it:

“Kids these days don’t know any respect! This is the only way to teach them respect.”

“I was whipped and forced to sit in the corner in school, and I turned out fine!”

“Those kids’ll think twice before they act out again!”

Okay, so maybe I am exaggerating with these comments, but only slightly. Another comment I frequently hear is:

“Sometimes force is the only way for high school teachers to keep their students in order.”

Since that Pandora’s Box has been opened, I will jump right in, and get into the nitty-gritty of classroom management sans violence.

But before I do, a quick resume: I have an English degree, an Education degree, and around a decade of teaching experience, mostly high school and Special Education. I have been trained in physical restraint. I have used physical restraint on a student. More than once.

I will address the “when is physical restraint justified” question in another post, but I can answer right now when it’s not justified: when a student is clicking on her phone. Here’s another one: when a student is walking down the hallway without a pass.

Nonviolent Classroom Management 101

When you see a student doing something they shouldn’t be doing in class, your best option is to not bring attention to it. Make eye contact with them, then gesture for them to stop. Discreetly, while you continue to talk. Move your body closer to the student. Make eye contact again. Get closer. Until they stop. They will. When they do, smile sweetly at them and move away. This takes skill and subtlety, but those things can be developed.

If for some reason, they don’t stop with the above method, keep teaching until you find a natural pause point. Give your students a quick activity to reinforce what you’ve been working on (quick-writing works well, or  there’s always a good ol’ impromptu group presentations). Make eye contact with the student then gesture to your desk or to the hallway. At this point, you can afford to give subtlety a rest if you feel it necessary:

“Hey, Joe, come chat with me at my desk, please.”

“Joe, let’s chat out in the hallway.”

Only use this if you feel that the negative attention from other students will make this behavior less likely in future, rather than more likely. Otherwise, keep with the gestures.

When Joe arrives at the desk or in the hallway (make your choice depending on how much supervision the other students will need while they do their assignment, and how much privacy you anticipate the conversation to require), don’t speak. Never speak first. Smile. And wait. Raise an eyebrow if you need.

He’ll slouch and grumble, “Sorry for texting during class. I won’t do it again.”

If you believe him, send him back to do the work you just assigned. If you don’t, continue discussing and setting up boundaries on in-class behavior until you both agree. If you feel that a punishment is warranted, give one. He still needs to complete the work the other students have been doing.

Lastly, if you can’t stop your lesson anywhere, end your class standing near Joe. As the bell rings, turn to him and say, “Come see me before the end of the day,” with the raised eyebrow. He can stew about what you did or didn’t see of his behavior, and what you will do about it, until he comes to see you. If he is on some sort of academic probation or is followed by a principal or guidance counselor, tell them that he is to report to you before the end of the day. If he doesn’t, follow whatever your school’s protocol is for getting in touch with errant students: morning announcements, emails, etc., until you have him back in your clutches and can have that conversation. When you do, remember: don’t speak first.

I’ve also heard of a teacher’s brilliant idea in which students must surrender their phones in order to be counted as present for the class. Obviously, that only works for phone offenses, but you will never have another student texting in class again.

The first key to a peaceful, nonviolent classroom is avoiding power struggles. You’re the teacher– you’re in charge. You don’t need to prove it to a student.

The second is to be emotionally available to your students, and to let them talk first. Ask them why they did what they did before you lambaste them for it. That does the exact opposite of what a cop assaulting students in the classroom will.