Taylor the Teacher

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Just watched SEVEN videos ~i almost never watch YouTube videos~ on Dangerously Irrelevant. In light of Dan’s recently stirring the pot regarding classroom management, I thought this was interesting. It’s tempting to treat these videos as an EdTech issue, but I have to say this has nothing to do with technology. The only difference technology has made in this situation is that now we KNOW what’s happening.

I say that’s a good thing.

The teachers in these videos are behaving childishly, pure and simple. I’m hard pressed to see, in some of these, where the grown up is. It’s ludicrous to expect better behavior from students than the adults in the room can manage just because they’re “kids.” What I see in these videos (most of them, anyway) is an excess of authoritarian personality types in the classroom.

So, let’s just break this down:

Why wasn’t he in the room? That really shouldn’t be done unless it’s an emergency. Still, in a well-managed classroom, his leaving the room shouldn’t have caused disturbance to the next room. Calling kids idiots. Hmmm. Best way I can think of to put them on the defensive and escalate the situation. He’s calling admin at the end of this video because HE was out of control. Not because the students were.

Furthermore, he’s setting up the next confrontation since the students now know he can’t handle things himself.

Pulling rank isn’t going to work here. Claiming “I am the teacher” is making me laugh. And what’s with ignoring all the jeering and booing? I can’t really understand what the student is saying, but it’s clearly rude about the teacher, and the woman is just standing there. This conversation needs to happen OUTSIDE the classroom. Honestly. If my classes acted like this, I would not be a teacher. I can barely stand to watch this for three minutes. And what are they supposed to be doing anyway? And who is that in the doorway? If an adult, why isn’t she helping? If a student in this class, why is she standing in the doorway? If a student in another class, again, why is she there?

Um, is this boot camp? Auschwitz? Who thinks they can tell people in THAT tone of voice what they WILL do? Give me a break.

Don’t have to see much of this one. Pointing at someone in their face? Who does that?

This teacher seemed to hold it together okay, but I still would have taken the conversation into the hallway rather than let it infect the whole class. It’s understandable, but the situation would have been better if she had not entered into the argument. The relative lack of engagement in the disturbance from the other students makes me think this is usually an orderly classroom. (Notice a student was still handing his work to the teacher during this.)

It’s hard to hear what this argument is about, but threatening class failure is stupid. Doing so in front of the other students is embarrasing. And again with the yelling.

And shoving students is completely unacceptable. What makes us think we can tell them not to fight when we handle problems with force?

Saying “Shut the fuck up” and throwing things? Do I seriously have to say anything at all?

I’m going to re-post the comment I made on Dangerously Irrelevant because I think these things apply to almost all the above videos.

I assure you, these problems happen in these classrooms every day. This is a competency issue on several levels:

1. Not only is cussing out students and belittling them morally wrong and emotionally destructive, it is INEFFECTIVE as a means of classroom management, as these videos clearly demonstrate. People do not cooperate with those they don’t trust. Period. Nobody does. The jeering and booing and disrespect is a defense mechanism against a system that doesn’t listen to students, teachers who clearly need to get out of the profession before they do any more damage, and (I’m guessing) lack of success at learning.

2. If these teachers had these students engaged in learning, the problems in these classrooms would improve tremendously.

3. There are simple, intuitive guidelines that they’re simply not following (with one exception). They should not be arguing with students in front of the class. They should not be cussing, shoving, or even yelling. People who try as hard as these teachers are trying to FORCEFULLY control others do so because they have no control over themselves, as these videos demonstrate.

4. Students are following the lead the teachers have set for the room.

Am I being too harsh? What do you think?