Talking to students is normal for any educator.
If we are not talking to them then how will they learn from us?
However, in this post, I want to share some thoughts on the importance of “listening” to our students.
Children can be experts in communicating their needs and wants. We only have to think of child development and the various milestones that children achieve. Crying babies, smiling babies, screaming toddlers to name a few. How then can we begin to understand?
We need to Listen.
When I talk about listening I am not just referring to the physical act of hearing their voices and what they say. I am listening to their body language, their emotions and their behaviour as well. I particularly want to focus on listening to students who exhibit challenging behaviours and are communicating stress.
Recently I have spent some time describing my experiences of school life during the COVID-19 lockdown here in Switzerland. The "new normal" which we are living with each day at school has given me time and opportunity to think more specifically about how I and others in my school listen to students.
I have always been a believer that challenging behaviour is a result of unmet needs and that the resulting behaviour is the student’s way of communicating to us that they require help. Recently I have been able to clearly identify some aspects of the school day which can catalyse negative changes in behaviour for some students.
I observe the busy 7-year-old working on their most recent story. They are happily planning, sketching and getting ready to write but, it is time to go to Music class. This student does not like Music class. They find it too chaotic, noisy and they would much prefer to continue with their story. The tantrum that ensues is a direct result of having to transition from one activity that they were enjoying to another that they did not.
The same student has exhibited next to no challenging behaviour whilst back at school under lockdown. There is no transition to music class and our day is shorter with more scheduled breaks.
I observe another student who has no intention of playing near the mud being expected to put on full rain-gear including rubber boots. The fallout is a direct result of the feelings of injustice that the expectations placed on the student. Why should he need to wear a rain jacket, rain pants and rubber boots if he planned to stay dry?
The weather during lockdown has been predominantly dry so the need for extra clothing has been removed. Transitioning to break time is no longer a chore.
My reflection on these and other examples of environmentally imposed expectations brings me to the question: Do we put too many expectations on our younger students than is really necessary?
Exacerbating stress levels in our students reminded me of another post. In ‘Ask The Right Questions’ I highlight the need to open up a dialogue with our students. Once we are engaged in discussing the issue then we can work together to find a solution. I strongly believe that we must listen to our students and their experiences during this pandemic in order to provide support going forward. The experiences we have had and the positive impacts we have observed can help us to start asking the right questions. We have learned through the time of COVID-19 and we should not resort to how we approach things before. We should reflect on how to be better listeners for our students and to provide them with environments which are less stressful on a daily basis.
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