We can all sympathise with the speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who yesterday, during Prime Minister’s Questions, found himself struggling to retain control of the House after two MPs launched a protest.
We have all been there: a “tricky” class gets out of hand and everything seems to go wrong, leaving you exhausted and close to tears, and your throat feeling like you’ve been drinking a sandpaper latte.
But fear not. There are several tried and tested techniques for handling these difficult situations. Here are eight things you can do when your MPs - sorry, pupils! - are being “challenging”.
Behaviour: how to handle a difficult class
1. Time out
Yesterday two MPs - the Alba Party’s Kenny MacAskill and Neale Hanvey - required some “time out” of the Commons. They were ordered by the speaker to leave the chamber after shouting at the prime minister to agree to a Scottish independence referendum.
In the classroom, giving a child the time and space to calm down before addressing what has gone wrong can also be a good idea. The most important thing is to repair that relationship once all parties have had some breathing space.
Talk to the child, remind them that you believe in them and reassure them that you won’t hold a grudge against them. If you were short-tempered, be honest about that and apologise. Let them know that you’re moving on and that every day is a fresh start and yesterday’s behaviour is forgotten about.
2. Relationships
If you get to know your pupils and take an interest in their lives and let them get to know you, not only will you understand them better, which will improve learning and teaching, but you will also make it more likely that they behave in your class. They will not want to disappoint you. As a bare minimum, the teacher needs to know the names of the pupils in front of them. It was notable yesterday that Sir Lindsay didn’t seem to know who the MPs were that sparked the brouhaha in the Commons. No teacher wants to find themselves in that situation.
3. Establish routines
When Sir Lindsay was trying to regain control, his go-to technique was to yell “shut up!”. He’ll be feeling the effects of that this morning - it was already clear his voice was on the ropes yesterday. Yelling, therefore, is not a sound strategy for any teacher unless they want to be popping Vocalzone pastilles like smarties.
Instead, there are some very simple routines that can help to engage your pupils when it’s time to concentrate. It can be a simple clap that they repeat back, a call and answer (eg, you say “macaroni cheese”, the pupils respond with “let’s all freeze”) or raising your hand and waiting for silence.
If your pupils are a bit excitable at certain times of day - for example, after lunch - you could introduce 10 minutes of quiet reading or story time. This time is not wasted because your pupils will then be calm and ready to focus.
4. Praise
While establishing routines, it’s essential to praise the pupils who are listening and displaying the behaviour you are looking for. Never underestimate the power of a sticker.
5. Competition
It’s often useful to instil a little competition to encourage cooperation and group work. You could have a little prize for the first table to be ready, for instance.
6. Seating plan
It’s always worth revising your seating plan. Remind your pupils that their friendships are very important but while they are in the classroom, it’s work time and they can have a laugh with their friends at break. Most children will be on board if you explain this to them. You could even let them identify a peer to sit next to who they believe they can concentrate well with. This empowers the pupil and gives them responsibility and ownership.
7. Parents
If after building relationships and establishing routines, you still have some pupils who are struggling to behave in the expected way, it is often worthwhile calling their parent or guardian. Most parents want to work in partnership with the school. Remember to be very positive. It’s important the pupil’s parent knows that you want the best for their child, are on their side and want to help bring out the best in them.
8. It’s not personal
The most important thing to remember is that behaviour is rarely personal. There are almost always things you can do to improve behaviour.
However, in all seriousness, it would be nice if our elected representatives could set a good example to the young people they are paid to represent.
And if they can’t, perhaps Sir Lindsay can make use of some of this advice and help them make progress in regulating their behaviour?
Gemma Clark is a primary teacher based in Scotland. She tweets @Gemma_clark14
