Ms. Y and Ms. Z are the classroom co- teachers  in charge of a third grade class.   It seems to me that students are more relaxed and calm when they are around Ms. Y.  On the contrary, whenever Ms. Z is teaching or giving a direction to the class, the students’ eyes tend to wander to different places with their eyebrows all squished together and mouths pouting like they are ready to scream to be left alone. 

            I can see the reason why students display such drastic differences in emotions between two teachers.  The language Ms. Z uses to communicate with her students is often harsh and insensitive.  I have never witnessed Ms. Z catching her students being good in class.  She might occasionally nod her head in approval and say “good”.  However, that response is not enough positive feedback for the students to realize and confirm whether their actions are acceptable or unacceptable to the teacher.  Most of the time, her disciplinary sentences start with either “why” or “don’t”.  There is the classic frustrated yelling and screaming at the students when she feels that she is repeating her directions over and over again like “Sit down! For God sake!  Why didn’t you listen before?  What’s wrong with you?”  Students often walk away not knowing what went wrong or what they could have done to make things better.  A state of confusion is always floating in the air when Ms. Z is around them.

            Quite the opposite, students are always in a pleasant mood with up-beat attitudes when Ms. Y is in control of the class.  She has the ability to turn the gloomy and tense atmosphere into a light and risk-free room.  It is all because of the language and the tone of voice she uses with her students.  Ms. Y always catches her students being good whenever she finds an opportunity to do so during class.  It does not matter if she is teaching the whole class or in small group, she always commends her students in ways that are big and small.  Positive comments such as “I see that Tino is sitting quietly with his hands folded.  I love the way Sara’s eyes are on me.  She is telling me that she is ready for our next activity.  Perla, the pointer is there to help us focus on our reading.  Please be careful with it.  Wow! Jon, you did it!  See, I told you that you’d be able to figure out those fraction problems if you kept trying.  Let‘s try to do a different one on our own again” 

            I have come to a conclusion that students do respond well to positive comments.  They like to feel that they are important to their teachers and classmates.  They want to have that sense of belonging in class.  The more negative experiences they accumulate along with yelling and screaming from their teachers and peers, the more they are ready to rebel against the adults.  I can see the difference between the ways the students react to Ms. Y compared to Ms. Z.

Assertive, non-assertive, or hostile?

            I definitely see Ms. Y as an assertive teacher.  She is firm with her students, but she supports them academically and emotionally in a respectful manner.  I think she is doing a great job as a teacher and she needs to keep up with the good work. 

            On the other hand, I believe that Ms. Z would most likely belong to the hostile teacher group.  She does not have a good control of the class.  Every time when there is a chaos in class, it seems to me that the only way she can get her students’ attention is by screaming at them like thunder roaring out loud to warn the students that her presence is still in the room.  Students usually react to the initial yelling, but eventually they learn to tune out the noise and not respond to the teacher at all.

            What Ms. Z needs to consider changing is her tone of voice and the language she uses to communicate with her students.  Focusing on using positive comments and catching kids being good are some good ways to start.  For example, instead of screaming “What’s wrong with you?  Go to page 103.  Why?  You can’t read?”, the comments should be addressed respectfully and positively.  It should be simple and straight to the point such as “John, page 103”. 

            During the  science lesson, Ms. Z at one point bent down to a student’s eye-level and yelled right in her face with a harsh voice.  At the top of her lungs she bellowed, “I told you not to touch! Is something wrong with your ears?  Do you have a problem? When I told you not to touch, you better not touch!”  Without being hostile, she could have easily said in a gentle tone, “Please be patient and wait for my instructions.” 

            I believe if Ms. Z is able to change her tone and use more positive comments in her conversation with her students, the atmosphere will definitely lighten up.  When students feel safe and loved in class, they are more likely to behave and strive to do the right thing for their teachers.

Routines

            I am fortunate to have witnessed the way Ms. Y manages her class during center time.  The students really show how much they want to be invited to play at each center.  Ms. Y always starts out by saying, “I wonder who I should invite to play at the computer.  Who should be playing with the board games?”  I like the way she taps her lips with her index finger whenever she thinks aloud her wonderings.  Students know exactly what to do and automatically focus their eyes on her.  She then assists her students with choosing the reading center they like for the day and working cooperatively with each other.

            When it is time to line up for lunch or dismissal at the end of the day, Ms. Y helps remind them to be quick and quiet.  She praises the ones who are sitting down quietly with their jackets zipped up and book bags packed neatly.  She encourages the ones who are in need of assistance to be mindful of the remaining time before the school day is over.  For example, when she sees a child struggle with packing and getting things together during dismissal time, she will say something like, “Alex, you have taken your book bag out of the cubby.  Now, let us try to put the books in it.  Great!  Now, let us try to zip up the book bag.  Wear your jacket and put the chair on top of the desk.”  The step-by-step

verbal direction really helps Alex to be a little bit more efficient.  Ms. Y challenges him to be a little faster than the day before.  Alex now does not need Ms. Y’s cue all the time.  He knows what he needs to do during dismissal time.

            Since Ms. Y and Ms. Z have such a big difference in personality and teaching style, it is very easy to see from the way students behave when they line up for lunch or home.  They are faster and more organized when Ms. Y is in charge.  They often take longer time and are more chaotic when Ms. Z tries to get the class together.  There is screaming and yelling and even with the screaming technique, the process is still slower than when Ms. Y is directing things.  Students need to feel that they are valued by us.  All the screaming and ordering students what to do will not help them make better decisions and become better citizens, it will only push them farther away from us.

This report was submitted by an anonymous gal while a student in the graduate program in Special Education at Hunter College of the City University of New York.  It is used with her permission. 

Thanks "?" !

Posted at www.BehaviorAdvisor.com on 7/4/06