Scotty12000 wrote:
I’m a high school English teacher. One of my classes, a Year 11 Essential English class, is generally comprised of kids who are doing TAFE one day a week while in school, are not particularly academic, have a lot of absences or are just bone lazy. Their ceiling as far as ability is fairly low, but I still have high expectations for effort regardless. The majority of students are quiet, respectful and follow the rules.
However, in the class there were a couple of extremely toxic students - they completed no work, flaunted every rule, argued every instruction and were generally shitheads. Eventually, their continual defiance bled into the entire class where one lesson ended up in a shouting match between me and the entire class - I had lost composure but I guess on paper you’d say that I “lost” the class.
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I went away and reflected. What else could I do when I’d tried everything to break these toxic students without success, and now it had infected the entire cohort?
I analysed the list: I instituted a solid seating plan which separated these students far from each other and sandwiched inbetween students they wouldn’t even spit on let alone engage with. I banned devices and went back to pen and paper old school lessons. Anyone who tried to sit elsewhere or argue any instruction received an immediate lunchtime detention.
I applied the blowtorch.
The result? The 90% of the class who had previously been compliant, recognised that they had [REDACTED] up, and that I was not going to tolerate any of it ever again; I was in control, and they were reminded of that. They complied.
The two toxic students? They bitched and moaned and struggled and eventually asked to be changed into another class, which we gladly obliged.
Now? No seating plan required, class is compliant and respectful again and working to their ability again.
See a similarity?
Let the leader apply the blowtorch, let the poison run its course consequently and chop out any remnants that remain afterwards.
I'm an ex schoolteacher, and I can relate to your story. I had a class I called the Sweathogs. I didn't apply for the job. Funny story. I left at the end of each year, but coaxed back with amazing conditions, allowing me to effectively moonlight. I only taught for 5 years and that was a long long time ago.
Vossy did show whose boss and blew a fuse last week, and rightly so, but he should have done that a lon long time ago towards those conditional lazy players who thought the sun shines from their arse.
Now look at what he's got. He let the tail wag the dog