I got after some students for their behavior recently. Every teacher has a different way of approaching rowdy kids. Some shout. Some ignore it. Others talk to the kids separately. I tend to use a dose of sarcasm that's so heavy that it makes the legs of their chairs bend.
It generally takes a long while for me to get to the point that the chatter and conversations in the back of the room interfere too much and I unleash the Sardonic Beast. The result, I believe, is that the students--usually the ones most affected by my vocal vituperations--take offense at the "sudden" chastisement, as though they hadn't been making the class harder to manage for the last however long.
When this happens, there's a chilling effect in the room. I often have to use a sharper tone, more precise language, and blunter concepts. I once told students that didn't wear the uniform according to the way they knew they were supposed to that they were lying to me and I didn't appreciate their dishonesty. When I did that, the class took a few minutes to warm up to their previous level of engagement.
This creates a dilemma: The students' behavior is inappropriate and I need to correct it before I can allow the class to continue. If I do correct it, the class will be set back and it will take more effort to get us back on track and actually learning.
I'm not the first teacher to have this problem. In fact, I think most teachers see this dilemma, and, as I said, they all approach it in unique ways. What bothers me, however, is that it's the students who violate class decorum the most--the ones I lend the sharpest edge of my tongue--that feel the most victimized. When I give a student a verbal evisceration, they usually deserve some sort of censure (whether or not it's as much as I deliver, that is a different matter). But calling them out--particularly in the sarcastic mode I'm best at--usually means there are sentiments of "That was rude" are floating through the class.
The idea that the classmate, who has been so disruptive to the rest of the class, was also quite rude doesn't seem to enter into consideration.
Now, that isn't to say that I'm never without fault in an altercation like this. I've made some misjudgments, snapped at kids who didn't deserve it, or otherwise misdirected some vicious verbiage. Like all humans, I make mistakes. Indeed, I like to think that I'm better at being humble and making mistakes than most people. So I don't write this as an exculpatory essay, necessarily; it's more of something on my mind right now, so I thought I'd avail myself of the opportunity.
Rude, I know.
It generally takes a long while for me to get to the point that the chatter and conversations in the back of the room interfere too much and I unleash the Sardonic Beast. The result, I believe, is that the students--usually the ones most affected by my vocal vituperations--take offense at the "sudden" chastisement, as though they hadn't been making the class harder to manage for the last however long.
When this happens, there's a chilling effect in the room. I often have to use a sharper tone, more precise language, and blunter concepts. I once told students that didn't wear the uniform according to the way they knew they were supposed to that they were lying to me and I didn't appreciate their dishonesty. When I did that, the class took a few minutes to warm up to their previous level of engagement.
This creates a dilemma: The students' behavior is inappropriate and I need to correct it before I can allow the class to continue. If I do correct it, the class will be set back and it will take more effort to get us back on track and actually learning.
I'm not the first teacher to have this problem. In fact, I think most teachers see this dilemma, and, as I said, they all approach it in unique ways. What bothers me, however, is that it's the students who violate class decorum the most--the ones I lend the sharpest edge of my tongue--that feel the most victimized. When I give a student a verbal evisceration, they usually deserve some sort of censure (whether or not it's as much as I deliver, that is a different matter). But calling them out--particularly in the sarcastic mode I'm best at--usually means there are sentiments of "That was rude" are floating through the class.
The idea that the classmate, who has been so disruptive to the rest of the class, was also quite rude doesn't seem to enter into consideration.
Now, that isn't to say that I'm never without fault in an altercation like this. I've made some misjudgments, snapped at kids who didn't deserve it, or otherwise misdirected some vicious verbiage. Like all humans, I make mistakes. Indeed, I like to think that I'm better at being humble and making mistakes than most people. So I don't write this as an exculpatory essay, necessarily; it's more of something on my mind right now, so I thought I'd avail myself of the opportunity.
Rude, I know.