Social Forces Article Assessment-2

SOCIAL_FORCES_2_DRD1

Social Forces Article Assessment-2

Deborah Davis

Liberty University

Social Forces Article Assessment 2

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) (2011) presenteda report on violence in the schools, giving a voice to an issue that tended to be hidden because it was and is an embarrassment to our society as a whole. In light of the recent broad based public media disclosure of violent behavior within the classroom this report, though nearing five years old, gives insights into the invasion of crime and violence into the classroom. “The task force began by operating under the assumption that classroom practices and school-wide policies that foster academic engagement and achievement will minimize the incidence of violence directed against teachers” (APA, 2011, p. 3). Not surprisingly, it ends with a call for more study saying, “research should comprehensively evaluate the individual, classroom, school, community, institutional, and cultural factors that are predictive of the prevalence of teacher violence” (APA, 2011, p. 33).

Summary of the Issue as Presented

Teachers today face an increasing threat of violence within the classroom. While Thoreau’s famous quote that “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation . . .” may have been true, there is nothing quiet about the desperate student in today’s classroom. Violence is not just aggression, but gang activity, race and gender bias, and of course, the well-publicized shooting incidents. According to this report and data presented from 2008 and 2009, about ten percent of educational support personnel were subject to some form of violence in their schools. Crime and violence in the classroom is one reason educators leave the profession, and costs uncounted sums in lost days, litigation, etc. Perhaps more importantly, the long term negative outcomes on the students from within this schooling issue cannot be measured. It is, again, a cyclical issue that is spiraling out of control. Teacher attrition leads to larger class sizes and that leads to greater propensity towards violence which leads to teacher attrition. There can be no doubt that this “violence directed toward teachers is a complex, multi-determined issue” (APA, 2011, p. 7).

Primary causative factors are many in this issue, but two seem to become prevalent in the limited research. One is poverty. In poorer communities, there seems to be a paucity of more than money. While history is rife with individuals who have risen above the circumstances of their birth, there is a reality to being born and raised in poverty that creates issues of anger and hostility that are too often represented in violence. The other one is school climate. This issue may not seem as obvious; however, those schools that have a climate of pride and inclusiveness are schools where violence is not nearly as prevalent.

There is an idiom that states “familiarity breeds contempt” and the findings in this report support this reality. Informality in the classroom tends towards casualness and leads to a loss of respectful restraint. While bullying seemed restrained by the mere presence of teachers in public spaces within the schools, teachers cannot be everywhere, and bullies tend to be everywhere. This report provides a three step approach towards dealing with violence: 1) become and stay aware of areas where violence occurs; 2) recruit and train teachers to dealwith campus violence effectively; and 3) provide classroom practices that encourage respect for teachers and classmates. Communities need to be engaged in the process and support the student population with engaged activities that are constructive and supportive of the school environment. A routine review of school policies should be part of the in-service training program. This will allow teachers to learn all three of the above, and to implement practices that have been effective with others.

The study suggests a national database for educators and support staff to report incidents. This data can then be studied thoroughly. As interventions are emplaced, the results can be added to the database providing an effective tool for analysis and education for others to implement. The bottom line of this report is clear: “school-wide and classroom prevention and intervention strategies must be implemented at multiple levels” (APA, 2011, p. 33).

Personal Perspectives

I have been blessed not to be directly affected by school place violence in my current classroom. There have been disruptive students on our campus as on most, but no issues of actual violence. We are fortunate in this regard, but I believe we are more of the norm than the school that lives in constant fear. Fear is exhaustive and highly stressful. The stress level reduces the ability to withstand issues of further stress and can lead to overreactions from both teachers and other students. In today’s classroom, however, there seems to be more stress and less respect.

Respect is key. I have to concur with the findings that casual atmosphere in the classroom leads to a propensity towards less courtesy. While perhaps there was a time when courtesy needed to lessen slightly, it is likely that it has lessened too much. There is a meme on the internet these days showing a student with a bad grade. A few decades back, the parents would scold the student about the grade, now they scold the teacher. As teachers, we cannot open our students’ heads and pour our knowledge into them. If we did, it would likely pour on through their heads and into nothingness, leaving but a vestige of the knowledge we impart. Hayes, McCarthy, and Williams (2015) found that the effectiveness of good note-taking was not to be marginalized. Students need to pay attention to learn. They recall information better when note-taking. Students who are busy learning can focus on the good they get from school, and are less likely to be perpetrators of violence toward their teachers, there school support persons, and each other. Fear is a distraction.

A skilled and knowledgeable teacher can see the trend in the classroom. At our local elementary school, there are days designated as “crazy” days – students and staff are encouraged to dress in a particularly strange fashion. These include pajama days, crazy hair days, makeup days, crazy sock day, etc. These events occur routinely. Participation by staff makes it fun, and makes the staff seem like a more intimate part of the population.

I would argue that the intimacy is a fallacy. Faculty and staff need to be the authority figures in these children’s lives. Sometimes school is the only place these children are required to exert any self-discipline. A five-year-old in the neighborhood recently told me of an issue with preferences in his classroom. He believes that the teacher is friends with many students but not with him. His anger toward his teacher is alarming and his growing distaste of school is disheartening. Teachers should not build friendships with their students. There should be a professional distance.

In my college classroom in our semi-rural community, I sometimes have students who have been of my acquaintance from church, scouts, 4H, Relay for Life, or other such local events. I am exceedingly cautious not to let my prior relationship intrude into my teacher-student relationship. While my appearance may not be particularly formal – I tend to wear nice jeans and a school shirt that fits around the braces that support my bad joints, my attitude is always professional. I believe that my students respond to this by being respectful to each other. Frankly, I have always tried to emulate Mr. Thackery of To Sir With Love. His insistence on a professional classroom in a time of looseness in society was worthy of emulating then as it is now.

Conclusion

In the same way that casualness and craziness do not engender respectful behavior, professionalism tends toward professionalism. Schools should be a safe place for teachers as well as students. A careful evaluation of the campus to determine where the violence is most likely to occur can allow that area to be watched – whether electronically or personally. Teachers need to be trained to defend themselves and their students and also trained to deal with disruptive students. Perhaps more importantly, the teachers need to be trained to identify troubled youth and get help before violence occurs. Schools were once a safe haven for students.They can and should be again. All students are individually created by a loving God and deserve individual and collective respect. Celebrating unity rather than divisiveness would help students understand this. Were respect a more dominant issue than facilitating individuality, then violence would be a lessor issue.

Reference

American Psychiatric Association. (2011).Understanding and preventing violence directed against teachers: Recommendations for a national research, practice, and policy agenda (1st ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Haynes, J. M., McCarley, N. G., & Williams, J. L. (2015). An Analysis of Notes Taken During and After a Lecture Presentation. North American Journal Of Psychology, 17(1), 175-185.