Hi… A new year – a reluctant start after over 6 weeks blissful holidays (me, not the kids!) ….. let me introduce to you my world dealing with and managing the behaviour of children deemed too violent, verbally and physically aggressive, confrontational and downright bolshy to be managed in mainstream schools.
Today was the first day back with the children – the previous 2 days being training days – give me a day with the children any time! Well, actually I wasn’t exactly ‘child free’ as 2 of them turned up smart and excited – but a day early – keen little things. They looked so smart in their new uniforms, but a quick exit was necessary for them (to return on the right day) and back to the ‘training’ for me. They actually went to their mainstream schools. Yes, I know I said they were considered unfit for mainstream school, but both of them have been with me for a couple of months and have made terrific improvements and have started to settle well in school.
I’ll introduce you to my class over the next few days (weeks?) and outline their previous problems. A quick overview of the 2 early starters…. the first one, I’ll call him Jamie, was just under 9 when he came to me and on the day he was to come for a visit I got a frantic phone call from the school saying that he had ‘kicked off’ and at present 4 members of staff were holding him down as he was so out of control. Such incidents were commonplace with Jamie and the school were threatening to permanently exclude him. Staff confided to me that they were completely out of their depth and didn’t know how to approach Jamie’s problem behaviour. Under these circumstances after jumping through numerous hoops and filing in numerous forms – in the process wasting vast chunks of time – a child can be referred to my section of a behaviour unit (Pupil Referral Unit) to have their behaviour modified and in time reintegrated back into their mainstream school. So how’s Jamie been in my class? Very good. Why is this? Mainly because of the behaviour management strategies I use that are extremely effective and that can be easily implemented by any adult dealing with children. Using the strategies Jamie has become confident and happy – and very well behaved! A major part of my work is teaching and managing the children, but equally important is showing the adults involved that they have to make changes too – and what those changes are. The only way the children’s behaviour will change is if the adults also change their behaviour. After all, you’re not going to get a different result by continuing to do the same thing…. if you want changes to be made you have to make changes.
So, have I had any problems with Jamie? In my class setting, apart from normal ‘kid stuff’, no I haven’t. But schools can call on me, particularly in the early days of a referral, when they’re faced with problems and I’ll go to the school and help them manage the problem. I also ‘pop in’ to see how things are going – I can watch classes and look for pointers and see why things are going wrong – but I tend not to watch the child, but watch the adults instead. So many fellow professionals write reports on a child’s behaviour and basically this consists of information that the school already new – ie, what the problem is. They know what the problem is – what they don’t know is how to fix it. I work differently. Controvertially, I assert that children’s behaviour is an adult problem, so that’s who I assess when in a school. It has to be done sympathetically because the aim isn’t to criticise, but to build adults’ confidence in managing behaviour that has been allowed to get out of control.
Oops, I digressed a bit there.
When I visited Jamie’s school on an unannounced visit not long after he started with me and the class was devoid of children apart from one slumped over a desk and 2 adults sitting nearby. ‘Hm, what’s going on here, I thought?’ Then I realised the slumpee was Jamie. Apparently he’d started parping around in class, the situation wasn’t dealt with appropriately, things escalated, he’d ripped his work up and strewn it over the floor, then started screaming, swearing and lashing out. At a loss, the adults cleared the room and then simply sat down and wondered what to do next. Then I walked in….. and the situation had to be sorted, Jamie had to clear up the mess, make some apologies and in double quick time. And did he? Yes he did. Reluctantly at first – he didn’t want to relinquish the power he’d been give by the adults, but when handled effectively children soon realise who’s to be taken notice of. The strategies I use every day can easily be implemented, and as long as adults use the strategies consistently they will achieve success.
So that’s Jamie. What about the other early bird? We’ll call him Alec. He’s been with me about the same length of time as Jamie, and presented the same behaviour problems in school, plus extreme violence to peers. He could have started a fight in an empty room! Now? Happy, cheerful, growing in confidence, but still with the tendency to see what he can get away with if he senses any adult isn’t up to the mark! Quite understandable as his tactics had got him his own way for years. But the problems become so extreme that the everyone concerned becomes extremely unhappy – no winners at all.
I’ve just had a phone call about Jenny, who’s starting in senior school this term – he parents want her to spend more time in school and less at the PRU – what will be decided? I’ll tell you in the next posting – Jenny’s previous history is of appalling behaviour in school…. and she only came to me about 4 weeks before the end of her time in junior school.
Thanks for reading, and by for now, Liz Marsden @ Behaviourbible.