“I would like to address school safety. Zero tolerance for hitting teachers.”
In the 2020-2021 Staff Perception Survey, behavior issues and social emotional health and wellness were mentioned by many teachers. This indicates that teachers are struggling with disruptive student behavior in their classrooms. Student behavior problems are not unique to Grand Haven. Crime and behavioral problems are increasing in schools across America.
There is at least one recent report of a teacher in Ottawa County receiving a concussion at the hands of a student. In the Parent Perception Survey, one Grand Haven parent said “My child's elementary school has had instances of children physically assaulting staff members and being a danger to themselves and others;” Videos taken inside American classrooms showing extremely violent behavior have gone viral such as this attack on a disabled teacher by her student.
In Virginia, a six-year-old student shot her teacher.
Behavioral disruptions are a significant challenge for teachers.
“We have to do more to keep our students emotionally and physically safe. Teachers need to be able to focus on teaching. Too much of our energy is going toward behaviors.”- Grand Haven Teacher
Per board meeting discussions, Grand Haven school board members believe the increase in behavior issues are the result of children being out of school due to Covid. However, teachers mentioned these issues before Covid, indicating Covid is not the only cause.
Perhaps student behavioral problems are the result of changes in societal beliefs that have taken place over the last 20 years? When I grew up, I had clear behavioral boundaries set for me by my parents. If I were to fall out of line, I was punished by having privileges removed, being sent to my room, or being spanked. It wasn’t uncommon to be disciplined by my friend’s parents or other adults in the neighborhood. In the 1990’s and 2000’s society began a shift away from discipline and towards affirmation. The lines between spanking for discipline and spanking (child abuse) were blurred. Parents afraid of being accused of child abuse stopped spanking their children. Some parents used other effective punishments such as “time-out”, but others actually received fewer boundaries. Maybe the increase in American behavioral problems is a result of children lacking boundaries?
When I grew up, I did not have social media. This is likely the biggest contributing factor to behavioral problems. There is even a school district suing social medial companies over similar concerns - Seattle Public School District Sues Big Tech Over Mental Health Crisis.
So, what should GHAPS administrators do about the behavioral problems wreaking havoc on our teachers?
So far the solution has been to focus on Social Emotional Learning and Trauma Training. While the titles of these trainings make them sound like a perfect solution, the resultant programs commonly implemented by school districts tend to remove consequences for undesirable individual behavior and instead blame behavior problems on society. They also lower the bar of achievement under the guise that ALL children can succeed.
Please watch this video to see an example of Trauma Training. GHAPS teachers also received Trauma Training from, Allison Nelson from Developmental Enhancement Behavioral Health.
Here’s a resource from Mom’s For Liberty that does an excellent job of explaining SEL and Trauma Training.
Perhaps school districts should explore other programs for improving student behavior that can bring more stress relieving activities into the school day, at the same time encouraging students to distance themselves from social media. Here is a suggestion from a teacher.
“Bring back the 3rd recess for elementary kids. 5th & 6th graders need a playground and outdoor activities. They are older but they are still young enough to run around and need that release, too. Less time testing, more time being physically active. Research shows increased movement improves classroom performance. By the time those little kids get to me at the high school, they have out-of-control anxiety, depression, mental health issues, suicide rates are disturbing. Ask the kids, they hate school. Research show that increasing time for physical play reduces ALL of those issues.”
Here are some suggestions from parents (Parent Perception Survey).
“Should have daily physical exercise opportunities in 5th/6th grade.”
“I think the more we can get kids outside and off devices the better the emotional wellness will be.”
“More extra after school activities. GH sports are so competitive, I would like to see more opportunities for all kids to play sports, being a part of something is so important but if your child doesn’t start playing a sport at birth there is no way for them to be a part of this opportunity.”
“I would like to see the staff give the students some more outside time or more free time at lunch to get some fresh air or time to walk around and breathe. They are cooped up inside too much and need to move around more.”
The focus on Social Emotional Wellness and Trauma Training being given to teachers to address behavioral issues is not fixing the problems. The training programs being implemented are largely sponsored by the state and have underpinning ties to social justice grievances rather than hard core academics. Training programs should not be selected because they are supported by the state or because the school receives financial incentives to implement them, but because they have a proven track record of success.
Kids need discipline, boundaries and consequences. They need exercise and outdoor time. They need a clear understanding of the difference between right and wrong. They need to develop tools for managing their stress. Kids need to be allowed to make mistakes and to have the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. Kids need to be kids.