Subtitles
Associated Teachers TV programme
Teaching With Cowley: Teacher Tension
0001 10:00:13:11 10:00:15:22
(narrator) Sue Cowley,
a former teacher
0002 10:00:15:22 10:00:18:14
and author of
"Getting the Buggers to Behave",
0003 10:00:18:14 10:00:20:22
is here to offer
some no-nonsense advice
0004 10:00:20:22 10:00:25:01
on how to handle those
difficult days in the classroom.
0005 10:00:25:01 10:00:28:08
She'll be troubleshooting
with the help of headteachers,
0006 10:00:28:08 10:00:33:09
pupils and staff, who've agreed to
take part by role-playing situations
0007 10:00:33:09 10:00:36:16
that highlight
some of the key issues.
0008 10:00:36:16 10:00:39:07
The schools happily
staged these scenes,
0009 10:00:39:07 10:00:41:00
and in our mock makeover
0010 10:00:41:00 10:00:44:03
Sue demystifies
behaviour management theory
0011 10:00:44:03 10:00:46:05
to reveal common-sense
tips and tricks
0012 10:00:46:05 10:00:49:15
based on her own experience
in the classroom.
0013 10:00:56:08 10:00:58:20
Today I'm tackling stress.
0014 10:00:58:20 10:01:02:17
There's no doubt that teachers are
under enormous pressure these days.
0015 10:01:02:17 10:01:06:12
Excessive workload, poor behaviour.
The list goes on and on.
0016 10:01:06:12 10:01:10:06
Most of the time we can all cope,
but everyone has their tough days,
0017 10:01:10:06 10:01:11:22
like Jackie Rochester
0018 10:01:11:22 10:01:14:20
here at SummerfieldPrimary School
in Birmingham.
0019 10:01:16:23 10:01:18:20
(music on radio)
0020 10:01:22:03 10:01:26:12
(sighs) Right.
Are you ready for school, then?
0021 10:01:26:12 10:01:27:15
- Yes.
- Got everything?
0022 10:01:27:15 10:01:30:15
(Sue) 39-year-old Jackie Rochester,
a mother of three,
0023 10:01:30:15 10:01:33:13
lives here in Oldbury,
just outside Birmingham.
0024 10:01:33:13 10:01:35:10
She's been teaching for six years
0025 10:01:35:10 10:01:38:19
and she's a member of Summerfield
School senior management team.
0026 10:01:38:19 10:01:41:04
(Jackie) I don't remember
you giving me a list.
0027 10:01:41:04 10:01:44:09
Look in the kitchen to see
if there's anything for you to take.
0028 10:01:44:09 10:01:50:01
Oh! Look at that!
I'll have to change that now.
0029 10:01:50:01 10:01:54:02
(Jackie) I can see
it's going to be one of those days.
0030 10:01:56:15 10:01:57:15
Come on...
0031 10:01:59:01 10:02:01:22
(on phone) Hi. I'm sorry,
I'm gonna be a bit late.
0032 10:02:07:06 10:02:08:16
Oh...
0033 10:02:19:20 10:02:23:11
Jackie's day has obviously got off
to a very bad start.
0034 10:02:23:11 10:02:27:04
It's that rush of adrenaline, that
fight-or-flight response you get,
0035 10:02:27:04 10:02:30:21
when faced with the woolly mammoth
of a traffic jam on the way to work.
0036 10:02:30:21 10:02:35:03
But the children don't know about
Jackie's bad start to the day.
0037 10:02:35:03 10:02:37:11
They're about to find out.
0038 10:02:38:06 10:02:41:04
Put the pencil down, please.
0039 10:02:42:21 10:02:45:22
(Jackie) I feel like the children
aren't listening to me.
0040 10:02:45:22 10:02:47:18
Am I talking in another language?
0041 10:02:47:18 10:02:51:04
So we look at each of the...
Where are you going?
0042 10:02:51:04 10:02:56:04
This is not the time to be walking
around when I'm teaching a lesson.
0043 10:02:56:04 10:02:58:24
(Jackie) I really don't know
how I'm going to cope.
0044 10:02:58:24 10:03:03:14
That group over there,
can you just pay attention, please?
0045 10:03:03:14 10:03:07:09
I've been standing here for 20
minutes trying to get you to listen.
0046 10:03:07:09 10:03:11:15
Now, look at the objects,
look at the fruit bowl...
0047 10:03:11:15 10:03:16:24
This is your final warning. I'm just
about to blow if you don't stop.
0048 10:03:16:24 10:03:19:15
I've had an awful day today.
0049 10:03:20:22 10:03:24:11
Hannah! How long
have I been waiting for you?
0050 10:03:24:11 10:03:28:18
What are you doing? Why have you
taken the fruit out of the bowls?
0051 10:03:28:18 10:03:33:05
Will you put them back, please?
You've ruined it now.
0052 10:03:33:17 10:03:35:09
What have you done?
0053 10:03:35:09 10:03:39:04
Look! I set this whole lesson up
and you've ruined it.
0054 10:03:39:04 10:03:40:16
Get up and get out!
0055 10:03:40:16 10:03:42:00
Get out now!
0056 10:03:42:00 10:03:46:22
I feel as though...
I'm just not right for this.
0057 10:03:48:22 10:03:52:00
There are days when... I could cry,
0058 10:03:52:00 10:03:54:14
and this feels like one of them.
0059 10:03:56:14 10:03:59:02
Well, we've all been there,
but what can you do?
0060 10:03:59:02 10:04:01:23
The stress you're feeling
is picked up by the children
0061 10:04:01:23 10:04:03:22
and it becomes a vicious circle.
0062 10:04:03:22 10:04:06:19
Jackie's using
a very aggressive style of teaching,
0063 10:04:06:19 10:04:09:07
but I think
I can show her another way.
0064 10:04:09:07 10:04:13:08
I do feel guilty now, though,
thinking about it.
0065 10:04:13:08 10:04:17:24
Maybe that wasn't the way to shout,
0066 10:04:17:24 10:04:19:23
but I'm too angry to care.
0067 10:04:21:18 10:04:23:10
Get out now!
0068 10:04:24:03 10:04:26:22
Jackie, you're obviously
having a bad day today.
0069 10:04:26:22 10:04:29:08
What went wrong
in that lesson for you?
0070 10:04:29:08 10:04:33:18
It just seemed like everything went
wrong. I felt like a coiled spring.
0071 10:04:33:18 10:04:36:05
They were winding me up
tighter and tighter.
0072 10:04:36:05 10:04:38:22
I just felt
totally ready to explode.
0073 10:04:38:22 10:04:41:19
It just... I was just so angry.
0074 10:04:41:19 10:04:44:23
There are some days
when you can control that feeling.
0075 10:04:44:23 10:04:48:14
It's an instinctive response
to really difficult behaviour.
0076 10:04:48:14 10:04:50:08
You get this rush of adrenaline,
0077 10:04:50:08 10:04:54:07
and on the good days you can squash
it and say, "No, I'm staying calm",
0078 10:04:54:07 10:04:58:07
but on the bad days it comes out
in you attacking the kids.
0079 10:04:58:07 10:05:00:23
What happened to your voice
during that lesson?
0080 10:05:00:23 10:05:05:12
I do know that I was just shouting.
You know... It just happened...
0081 10:05:05:12 10:05:08:24
I just was shouting. They're not
listening, so you shout louder.
0082 10:05:08:24 10:05:10:12
You get angry...
0083 10:05:10:12 10:05:12:12
It's a funny thing with shouting.
0084 10:05:12:12 10:05:16:19
I often advise teachers to only
ever shout when they're not angry.
0085 10:05:16:19 10:05:19:03
So the class are being noisy,
you're very calm
0086 10:05:19:03 10:05:22:04
and then you turn on a penny,
you suddenly go, "Right!"
0087 10:05:22:04 10:05:24:13
"I want everybody quiet now!"
0088 10:05:24:13 10:05:27:20
And because it's not coming
out of anger but out of control,
0089 10:05:27:20 10:05:30:06
the kids see that
they're not winding you up.
0090 10:05:30:06 10:05:33:10
How do you think the children feel
after that lesson?
0091 10:05:33:10 10:05:35:05
Well, I think if...
0092 10:05:35:05 10:05:37:17
The relationship
would have been broken down
0093 10:05:37:17 10:05:39:20
if we were building
any relationships.
0094 10:05:39:20 10:05:46:17
I can see that some of the children
now think that that's the way I am.
0095 10:05:46:17 10:05:50:12
Shouting at them all the time
doesn't make them listen any more,
0096 10:05:50:12 10:05:54:10
so it can spoil a good relationship.
I just don't think that they care.
0097 10:05:54:10 10:05:57:03
Rather than shouting
you can use a shock tactic.
0098 10:05:57:03 10:06:00:19
I call it the theatrical gesture.
I'll give you a quick demonstration.
0099 10:06:00:19 10:06:04:02
The class are all really noisy,
really rowdy
0100 10:06:04:02 10:06:10:09
and I suddenly go, "I can't take it
any more! They don't listen to me!"
0101 10:06:10:09 10:06:12:15
And they laugh
and then you've got them.
0102 10:06:12:15 10:06:15:18
Let's look at a few things in detail
from that lesson
0103 10:06:15:18 10:06:18:14
and work out what went wrong
and how to put it right.
0104 10:06:18:14 10:06:19:14
OK. Thank you.
0105 10:06:19:24 10:06:22:04
Now, what you need to be doing...
0106 10:06:22:04 10:06:25:02
(Sue) Don't forget Jackie
staged this temper tantrum.
0107 10:06:25:04 10:06:27:14
She's actually
an exceptional teacher.
0108 10:06:27:14 10:06:30:07
We had a lot of fun
pulling apart her performance
0109 10:06:30:07 10:06:33:21
to highlight the key issues
related to stress.
0110 10:06:33:21 10:06:36:02
Jackie, we're at the start
of the lesson.
0111 10:06:36:02 10:06:39:00
What sort of state are you in
at this point?
0112 10:06:39:00 10:06:41:21
By the time I'd gone through
the classroom door
0113 10:06:41:21 10:06:43:21
I was already at my wits' end.
0114 10:06:43:21 10:06:47:23
I was stressed
and very, very uptight already.
0115 10:06:48:15 10:06:52:04
Can you just put the pencil down,
please?
0116 10:06:52:04 10:06:56:22
When we're feeling tense ourselves
we can overreact to small things.
0117 10:06:56:22 10:07:01:18
You're trying to get the class quiet
so you can explain the lesson,
0118 10:07:01:18 10:07:05:00
but already you're being
quite aggressive towards them.
0119 10:07:05:00 10:07:07:05
It's almost
a defensive way of teaching.
0120 10:07:07:05 10:07:10:01
You're defending yourself
against their attack
0121 10:07:10:01 10:07:14:13
before they've actually done
that much that's wrong.
0122 10:07:14:14 10:07:18:08
What happens when this little girl
gets up? How do you react to that?
0123 10:07:18:08 10:07:23:14
This is not the time to be walking
around when I'm teaching a lesson.
0124 10:07:23:14 10:07:26:24
At the time it didn't
feel like I was overreacting
0125 10:07:26:24 10:07:30:15
but looking at it I can see that
I've completely gone over the top.
0126 10:07:30:15 10:07:33:00
I'm just about to blow
if you don't stop.
0127 10:07:33:00 10:07:35:08
I've had an awful day today.
0128 10:07:35:08 10:07:38:08
Now, I notice here you admit
that you're in a foul mood,
0129 10:07:38:08 10:07:41:03
but you do it
in quite an aggressive way.
0130 10:07:41:03 10:07:43:12
Sometimes it's best
not to say anything
0131 10:07:43:12 10:07:45:10
and to pretend to be in a good mood,
0132 10:07:45:10 10:07:49:05
particularly if the class is likely
to wind you up if you admit to it.
0133 10:07:49:05 10:07:52:10
With some classes
who are on your side you can say,
0134 10:07:52:10 10:07:57:10
"Children, I'm not feeling great and
I need you to be gentle with me."
0135 10:07:57:10 10:08:01:05
That can just help them understand
that you're not feeling great,
0136 10:08:01:05 10:08:05:20
and if they're on your side
they'll normally help you out a bit.
0137 10:08:05:20 10:08:09:14
What about your relationships
with individuals in the class?
0138 10:08:09:14 10:08:13:09
Um, I think I've actually
ruined quite a few.
0139 10:08:13:09 10:08:15:06
Um, I've...
0140 10:08:15:06 10:08:17:00
I'm shouting
0141 10:08:17:00 10:08:22:18
and actually it's so aggressive here
it looks quite scary.
0142 10:08:22:18 10:08:24:16
(Sue) And you get quite personal.
0143 10:08:24:16 10:08:27:15
You pick out a few children
and you refer to them by name,
0144 10:08:27:15 10:08:31:01
so you're almost shining
a spotlight on them and saying,
0145 10:08:31:01 10:08:34:19
"Look, everybody. Look how naughty
this particular child is."
0146 10:08:34:19 10:08:38:13
When we're feeling positive about
ourselves and about the children
0147 10:08:38:13 10:08:42:01
we focus on those children
who are doing what we want,
0148 10:08:42:01 10:08:45:20
whereas when we're feeling negative
and we've had a bad start to the day
0149 10:08:45:20 10:08:48:14
we let a lot of that
negative emotion come out.
0150 10:08:48:14 10:08:50:14
What are you doing?
0151 10:08:50:14 10:08:54:10
Why have you taken the fruit out of
the bowls? Put them back, please.
0152 10:08:54:10 10:08:58:08
(Sue) I notice here that some of
the boys are playing with the fruit.
0153 10:08:58:08 10:09:00:21
How did that make you feel?
0154 10:09:00:21 10:09:02:22
(Jackie) Well, I'd asked them to...
0155 10:09:02:22 10:09:06:19
I'd explained to them that we were
going to do still-life art...
0156 10:09:06:19 10:09:10:19
I think I've lost control of that
group there cos they're continuing
0157 10:09:10:19 10:09:12:24
and I can't get
all of them to settle.
0158 10:09:12:24 10:09:15:04
You've taken it very personally.
0159 10:09:15:04 10:09:19:13
Again, when we're in a bad mood
it's very tempting to do that.
0160 10:09:20:00 10:09:21:17
What have you done?
0161 10:09:21:17 10:09:25:11
Look! I set this whole lesson up
and you've ruined it.
0162 10:09:25:11 10:09:28:19
(Sue) This is the point
where you really exploded.
0163 10:09:28:19 10:09:31:01
Get out of my classroom!
Get out now!
0164 10:09:31:01 10:09:33:07
Your initial reaction
will be from here.
0165 10:09:33:07 10:09:35:24
It'll be an emotional,
instinctive reaction.
0166 10:09:35:24 10:09:37:24
That will be why you explode.
0167 10:09:37:24 10:09:40:23
If you can calm your heart
down a bit and think,
0168 10:09:40:23 10:09:44:07
"Let's react rationally. Let's
think about this from my head."
0169 10:09:44:07 10:09:47:05
"The water's spilt.
There's nothing we can do about it."
0170 10:09:47:05 10:09:49:13
This is all in your head
before you intervene.
0171 10:09:49:13 10:09:51:16
"Water spilt,
nothing we can do about it."
0172 10:09:51:16 10:09:54:06
"She probably didn't mean it,
it was an accident."
0173 10:09:54:06 10:09:56:02
"So what am I going to do next?"
0174 10:09:56:02 10:09:58:16
What could you have done next
in that situation
0175 10:09:58:16 10:10:01:01
rather than panicking and exploding?
0176 10:10:01:01 10:10:07:07
Mm... Possibly I could have got
the children to clear up the mess,
0177 10:10:07:07 10:10:10:07
and just asked for some paper towels
and just...
0178 10:10:10:07 10:10:13:12
If I remained calm, the situation
would have calmed down.
0179 10:10:13:12 10:10:18:01
(Sue) Yeah, I think you intervened
to try and clear it up for them.
0180 10:10:18:01 10:10:20:19
This morning when Jackie
plunged to her lowest ebb,
0181 10:10:20:19 10:10:24:01
she even began to doubt whether
she was cut out for teaching.
0182 10:10:24:01 10:10:26:21
Why are you still sitting there?
Get up and clean it up!
0183 10:10:26:21 10:10:28:14
Are you expecting me to do it?
0184 10:10:29:05 10:10:32:00
I couldn't do any other job.
0185 10:10:32:00 10:10:35:18
But today I don't feel like
I can do this one.
0186 10:10:38:05 10:10:40:07
Jackie's simulated doubts and fears
0187 10:10:40:07 10:10:44:03
represent no more than a blip on a
bad day - something we've all faced.
0188 10:10:44:03 10:10:48:23
But long-term stress is
seriously damaging the profession.
0189 10:10:48:23 10:10:51:00
A recent survey revealed:
0190 10:10:54:11 10:10:56:24
..many blaming stress.
0191 10:10:56:24 10:11:01:03
One way to relieve the tension is
to share your problems with others.
0192 10:11:01:03 10:11:03:14
It's vital to take some time out,
0193 10:11:03:14 10:11:07:24
particularly if you're having
a bad day like Jackie.
0194 10:11:10:05 10:11:12:13
It's one of those days.
0195 10:11:12:13 10:11:14:14
(Sue) Make time
to go to your staff room.
0196 10:11:14:14 10:11:19:04
You'll get great support, so long as
your colleagues have time to listen.
0197 10:11:19:04 10:11:22:18
The lesson was
absolutely horrendous.
0198 10:11:22:18 10:11:25:19
The children were off the wall.
0199 10:11:25:19 10:11:28:21
Jackie's lucky.
Her colleagues are good listeners.
0200 10:11:28:21 10:11:30:19
Having a chat helps you remember
0201 10:11:30:19 10:11:34:12
that you're not the only one
having problems.
0202 10:11:34:12 10:11:37:02
So, could Jackie handle
that still-life class
0203 10:11:37:02 10:11:41:10
without a temper tantrum,
flying fruit and spilt paint pot?
0204 10:11:42:11 10:11:46:02
Here she is using
a few of my tips and tricks.
0205 10:11:46:02 10:11:51:11
Before we start, just to make sure
that I know everybody's listening,
0206 10:11:51:11 10:11:55:20
can we please put all the pencils
down and can I see your hands?
0207 10:11:55:20 10:11:58:00
Everybody, show me your hands.
0208 10:11:58:00 10:12:03:11
Jackie's calm, consistent and polite
approach delivers immediate results.
0209 10:12:04:23 10:12:09:08
And when there is a little
chattering, she just waits...
0210 10:12:09:08 10:12:11:04
and waits...
0211 10:12:11:04 10:12:16:18
and waits, until her silence gets
the attention of the whole class.
0212 10:12:16:18 10:12:18:21
- Where are you going, Hannah?
- Toilet.
0213 10:12:18:21 10:12:22:13
Let me give the instructions
and then you can go. Thank you.
0214 10:12:22:13 10:12:24:07
I want you to take up your pencil
0215 10:12:24:07 10:12:26:20
and I want you to make sure
that your art work
0216 10:12:26:20 10:12:29:17
is exactly what you are looking at.
0217 10:12:29:17 10:12:32:13
I want you to make sure
that you are looking at it
0218 10:12:32:13 10:12:35:09
and putting that onto the paper.
0219 10:12:35:09 10:12:37:01
Go.
0220 10:12:38:08 10:12:39:08
Yes, Hannah?
0221 10:12:39:08 10:12:42:03
- Can I go to the toilet, please?
- Yes, sorry. Off you go.
0222 10:12:42:03 10:12:45:12
(Sue) That pencil-tapping
sounded like a pneumatic drill.
0223 10:12:45:12 10:12:49:00
(Jackie) Well done, everybody.
I'm still waiting for somebody...
0224 10:12:49:00 10:12:50:19
(Sue) It drove us all mad,
0225 10:12:50:19 10:12:54:20
but it's easily silenced
with just a few gentle comments.
0226 10:12:54:20 10:12:57:19
Jackie has stopped making
unreasonable demands.
0227 10:12:57:19 10:13:02:22
She's replaced commandments
with requests and lots of praise.
0228 10:13:02:22 10:13:03:22
Brilliant.
0229 10:13:03:24 10:13:07:04
She doesn't hesitate in getting down
to the level of the pupils
0230 10:13:07:04 10:13:09:00
to offer some help.
0231 10:13:09:00 10:13:13:03
A little sugar
certainly goes a long way.
0232 10:13:13:21 10:13:16:01
Even the most stressful day
can be handled
0233 10:13:16:01 10:13:20:03
in a way that stops teacher tension
passing on to the children.
0234 10:13:20:03 10:13:22:03
Here are the key points.
0235 10:13:44:23 10:13:47:23
That's it. I'll be back
with more tips next time.
0236 10:13:48:05 10:13:50:18
Visiontext Subtitles: Sarah Emery
0237 10:13:50:18 10:13:52:22