HOW I teach
Building Relationships with Challenging Learners: Seriously! It Can Be Done
Robert Barnes is a social studies and special education educator currently teaching in an alternative 1 classroom at Montgomery County’s Rocky Hill Middle School. He is a retired DC Air National Guard veteran of 21 years. Don’t miss Robert’s “Confronting Anti-Black Racism” workshop at this year’s MSEA Convention. Get there early—it fills fast!
It was the height of the crack cocaine epidemic plaguing our nation between the late 1980s and early 1990s. I was a new elementary special educator working at a public school in one of the highest crime areas in Washington, D.C. I was bright-eyed, inspired by grit, hope, and optimism, but failing to find the wherewithal to translate my idealism into a winning formula for improved student achievement and behavioral outcomes.
Many of my students just wanted to survive where they lived. And I just wanted to survive where I worked. I’ve learned a lot in my 34 years in the classroom. Here are four tips that might help you survive, too.
#1: Identify, define, and address what may qualify as a difficult student
Here are just some of the variables that educators need to identify as their trigger(s) to what makes teaching “difficult” for them:
- *Difficulty listening to and following directions
- *Learning differences
- *Tardiness
- *Absenteeism
- *Power struggles
- *Work avoidance
As educators, we need to look at and find the positives in our students’ work and attitudes. We need to challenge ourselves to be flexible, to be willing to work with the difficult students, and to make a commitment to work with each student at their personal level. One success tool that I strive to give to all students—not just students whom I deem “difficult”—is clarity and structure. A structured classroom like mine is one in which there is clear communication, expectations, rules, consequences, and follow-up.
#2: Recognize that student autonomy isn’t a dangerous concept
Granting this power through student choice, this subtle tactic makes my students feel like they have a voice and allows them to engage more readily. Instead of 25 spelling words my students get to choose 10 to study. Instead of 30 math problems, select students could choose 20 to work on. Get the idea?
My self-contained special education classrooms in D.C. and later in Montgomery County were set up with a practical student plan like this in mind.
#3: Develop a mantra
“You make the choice. You face the consequence.” Eventually, my students repeat this to one another as they recognize their path to success. Students who sit idly doing no work are addressed privately. I then walk away. In almost every instance, the work begins with no additional prompting. The work is not always top notch, but it is better than the zero they would have earned.
#4 Foster success within every learning step
Ensure no student falls behind. Make failure nearly impossible for those who try in your class.