Dare County Schools

Laurie Beth Jones states in her book, Jesus, CEO, that “teaching is educating the mind and preaching is educating the heart.” Some of the educators that had the most impact on my life certainly understood and practiced this concept of teaching and preaching. One particular educator that sticks out in my mind as being a great example of this was Ms. Morrison.

Ms. Morrison was a petite lady, likely less than 5 feet tall. If the truth were known, most of the students in our class were probably as tall, if not taller than Ms. Morrison. She wore her hair in a tight bun on the back of her head and usually had a pencil sticking out of it. She was a very strong disciplinarian! In fact, many students referred to her as “old battle axe.” Of course, this nickname was used only when she was not around. No one was brave enough to even think about saying something like that within her hearing distance.

Although Ms. Morrison was small in stature she was big in heart. She taught us about doing the right things in life as she educated us about the “three R’s” (Reading, 'Riting, and 'Rithmetic). I remember one day she was talking to us about our mothers. She was telling us that we did not understand or appreciate how much our mothers did for us. She told us that we should be more thankful for what our mothers did and let them know how much we appreciated them. As a homework assignment, she told us after we finished supper, we were to tell our mother how much we appreciated the meal she had prepared and to say thank you.

As hard as it may be for some people to imagine, back in those days, families would usually eat their meals together. After we had finish supper that night, I said “Thank you for supper, I really appreciate it!” That one little gesture melted my mother’s heart and brought tears to her eyes. From that night on, I endeavored to remember to say, “Thank you, I appreciate it” to my mother after she had prepared a meal.

This is one little example of the influence Ms. Morrison had on me, by “teaching to educate the mind and preaching to educate the heart.” Every one of us probably could tell a story of how a teacher had a powerful impact on our lives. It was the teaching and the preaching that made a difference in our lives. It was what changed our lives for the better. It was what helped some of us to decide to become teachers!

In considering what positive, practical practices teachers can utilize in helping students with disabilities, we can get started by asking the question, “What do all children need?” The answers to this question will help teachers to realize some of the “basics” in working with all children. In truth, some of the answers are the “basics” to what all human beings need.

The first positive, practical practice is that of helping students to feel safe and secure. This means having a classroom environment, atmosphere, or climate where all the students perceive that they are safe and free from any threat or intimidation.

Why is this important? David A. Sousa, in How the Brain Learns, says research documents that learning occurs more easily in a climate where students do not feel threatened. If a student feels threatened, then they will become anxious. When anyone feels anxious, the body begins to go into a survival reaction mode. When this occurs, the student will not be focused on learning.

Similarly, Dr. Caroline Leaf, in her book Who Switched off My Brain, tells of research that shows anxiety or fear can trigger somewhere around 1,400 physical and chemical responses. The student will probably begin to react with behaviors and actions that would not be appropriate for the classroom. The trigger of the chemical responses would probably push the student into the “fight or flight” mode. This would mean that the student feels like he may need to protect himself from the perceived threat by either fighting (behaving inappropriately) or fleeing the situation.

To ensure learning can occur, that students feel safe and secure, and they do not perceive that they are being threatened, the climate of the classroom should be one of trust, fairness, respect, and empathy. The bottom line is that when students feel loved and they feel that others care, then they will not feel threatened. Love and compassion is a great motivational force for instilling feelings of comfort!

The next two positive, practical practices go hand in hand and help to support the student feeling safe and secure. First, the student must know what the expectations are for them in the classroom/school. Second, the student must know that the expectations will be followed through with consistency!

As a simple example, let’s say the students are told that the expectation will be to “raise your hand and not to speak until you are called upon.” This expectation is explained, along with all other classroom expectations on the first day of class. It would be reviewed a number of times during the first few weeks of school and the teacher would remind the class and individual students when they may initially forget to follow the rule. By doing this, the students will establish a habit of incorporating the expectation into their daily routine.

Because the students have been told the expectation – raise your hand and do not speak until you are called upon, the teacher must now follow through with consistency on a daily basis. If the teacher starts to be lax, in allowing the students to speak out without first raising their hand, then there is no consistency and the students will begin to be lax is following the expectation. If the expectation is important enough that the students are expected to follow it, then the teacher must be consistent in making sure that it is followed.

This introduces the next positive, practical practice in that a teacher must “say what you mean, and mean what you say.” Namely, your words must have integrity! If the expectation is to raise your hand and do not speak until you are called upon and the teacher is not being consistent with following it, then the actions of the teacher indicate that the expectation doesn’t really matter. Since the teacher is not consistently following through with the expectation, then it is setting an example that the teacher does not mean what he/she says. Integrity is lost!

When a person does not follow through with this concept of “say what you mean, and mean what you say,” the trust is broken. If a student perceives that they cannot trust what the teacher says, then it may make them feel unsafe because they cannot anticipate what to expect. Not knowing what to expect may trigger anxiety and fear for some students.

This example is overly simplified to make a point! It is important we understand students are watching and listening to our every word and action. The significance of what we say and what we do can have a major impact on a child and their learning. It is important to endeavor to always set a good example! One way to do this is by practicing “say what you mean, and mean what you say” and following through with expectations consistently. This can contribute to helping some students to feel more safe and secure.

Along this same line of logic, another positive, practical practice is the importance of never using sarcasm when talking with your students. Even though sarcasm is the “in thing” with comedians and is used by everyone in our culture, it is never appropriate to use sarcasm with children. Sarcasm can be very cutting, mocking, and/or hurtful, especially to a student who is already lacking self-esteem.

Most of us probably can remember experiencing words like, “What’s the matter with you, are you stupid?” or “Can’t you do anything right?” or “You sure aren’t as smart as your sister was!” Just as sarcasm can tear down self-esteem, so can derogatory or critical comments such as these examples. We, as teachers say things in frustration when we have “reached the end of our rope.” However, we must remember that we are professionals and must endeavor to control our emotions.

Children have a tendency to latch onto something negative and dwell on it, no matter how many positive things you may have already said to them throughout the day. Negative statements can have a detrimental effect on children and make them feel useless and unworthy.

I cannot stress enough how important it is for teachers to stay in control of their emotions. By remaining calm, and staying positive in words and actions, teachers will ultimately have more success in the long run. Just remember the immortal words of Thumper, in Walt Disney’s “Bambi”, when he was asked by his mother, “What does your father always say?” Thumper responds, “If you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all!”

Another positive, practical practice that teachers would benefit from mastering is the habit of “being a good listener.” Bill Cosby has said, “If you listen carefully to what a child is saying to you, you’ll see that he has a point to make. So I listen, and I answer them just as seriously as possible.” What a powerful idea!

I often think, how many children may have possibly avoided being suspended, or possibly avoided dropping out of school, or possibly avoided involvement with drugs or alcohol addiction, or even possibly avoided committing suicide, if someone had just taken a little more time to listen! Unfortunately, we live in such a fast paced mode on a daily basis. We sometimes forget to do the little things that are so important and can make such a big difference.

“Being a good listener” shows that you care! It shows that you have time to give attention to what someone else has to say. More importantly, it shows the other person that you respect them. Respect is something that we all want! It fills a need within us to be recognized as an individual for what and who we are. Think about how you have felt when someone has taken the time to sit down and listen to what you had to say. More than likely, you left the situation feeling better about the situation and about yourself. How much more so for children!

Most of my teaching career was at the secondary level. I worked with students with all types of disabilities. I also worked with non-disabled students as a Soccer coach for a couple of years. It didn’t matter if the student was disabled or non-disabled. It didn’t matter about the type of the disability of the student. They all responded to being treated with respect. They knew I would be fair, consistent, and respectful. As a result, all my students treated me the same way.

Only once in my career did I have a situation where there was an exception to this. I had a student who was a new 9th grader in my class. It was still early in the school year, within the first few days. He endeavored to try me to see what I was made of. He was the only student that I ever had to escort to the office. After the incident, he realized I “say what I mean, and mean what I say” and we developed a good relationship based on respect.

In this article, we have looked at the positive, practical practices of helping students feel safe and secure, of providing students with expectations, of using consistency with students, of operating “say what you mean, and mean what you say,”of the importance of not using sarcasm or derogatory comments with students, of “being a good listener,” and of giving or showing respect to students.

In the next article we will continue with some additional positive, practical practices for teachers. Until then, continue becoming your best!