Hi again
So often I hear people in schools wailing, ‘We need more money to manage problem behaviour.’
I wail back, ‘ Oh no you don’t!’
But they continue to wail, fill out numerous forms, wail a bit more, get other people in who wail on their behalf and hey presto – money!!
Then what happens? Well, then a poor unsuspecting person , who invariably has the best of intentions is given repsonsibility for this appallingly behaved child and largely left to get on with it.
Who is this poor unfortunate person? Well, it’s usually a teaching assistant because they’re cheaper so you get more hours for you money out of them!
I’ll give you an example of the general result…
A Year 5 boy is on the list for referral to my classes. His behaviour in school is appalling. He resists any of the school’s staff attempts to manage his behaviour. He’s violent, aggressive, physically and verbally abusive. So, obviously there must be something wrong with the child. I don’t think so!! It’s too easy to blame the children for these dire situations.
Then it’s decided that he needs 1:1 support because he can’t manage in class. A person is selected from the staff. It must be like being selected for execution! ‘Oh, heavens, I hope it isn’t going to be me!’ they must be thinking…
So nobody has been able to ‘tame’ this kid up to now. So why should someone glued to his side all day every day – who will be following the same ‘behaviour management strategies’ that have been so unsuccessful up to now - prove to be any more successful? Fat chance and no chance… it’s doomed to failure…
And so it’s proved to be. The big pile of money the school have been allocated is a total waste. I see it happening time after time – public money being swilled down an ever open drain…
Money isn’t the answer. If the behaviour isn’t being managed effectively – and that’s the case otherwise it wouldn’t have deteriorated to such a level - then giving money to the school and the management of the situation remaining unchanged isn’t going to improve anything. Nothing is going to change!
So, what is the answer? Giving people the behaviour management training, experience and support to enable them to become skilled in managing behaviour is the answer. Unfortunately there aren’t enough expert behaviour management specialists to offer the necessary training. Most of the training that you see on offer is, at best second rate and at worse downright dangerous!
If you want to be an expert (or at least, more confident and effective) then you need an expert to teach you. It really isn’t difficult.
Visit my website and learn how to manage children’s behaviour with confidence. I blow the myths about managing children out of the water! A big dose of realism is what behaviour management training needs – and day after day, that’s what I give people.
Cheers for now, Liz Marsden @ Behaviour Bible.