Using Dialogue to Build Respect Beyond the Classroom
It’s remarkable how responsive kids can be when you simply treat them with a little patience and respect.
I’ve lately been having a few issues with a notorious student at my school. I don’t teach the kid, but I do teach many of his friends.
Despite being a little cheeky at times and prone to mischief, they’re mainly decent kids. Although we had a few disagreements at the start of the year, we’ve gradually built trust and rapport by discussing common interests such as football.
Despite having these bouncy kids in my lessons, they don’t cause too much bother after they settle. My issue is that having these kids in my class attracts unwanted visitors during lessons — mainly the notorious student I mentioned earlier.
To be quite honest, there’s a truancy problem at my school. Kids aren’t in their lessons when they should be, and there’s a strong culture of being late and ‘skipping’ lessons.
Classroom Challenges and Unwanted Visitors
One of the most challenging aspects of dealing with truancy is that you get unwanted visitors to your classroom while you’re teaching. Kids turn up at your lesson to see if their friends are there, and…
