Troublemakers in the Classroom

In my few times volunteering in the classroom, I have found a few troublemaker students. However, one student stands out. This student is a black female who is eight years old. She is tall, has dark, curly hair and brown eyes. Her desk is separated from everyone else in the class and is right in front of the teacher's desk. She is quiet and doesn't make a loud commotion. However, she is defiant and refuses to do her work, which causes interruptions when the teacher has to constantly tell her to do her work and tell her what the right choice she should be making is. She is defiant and never answers questions when any adult asks her something. 

This student is a so-called 'troublemaker,' but there is more depth to her rather than her troublemaking behavior.  The last time I was in the classroom, the student refused to do her workbook. The teacher had to check her work three separate times because she kept pretending to do her work and putting it away without actually doing it. This was a disruption to the class and the teacher could tell that I was wondering why this troublemaker was acting this way. The teacher informed me that she has an IEP. I immediately took that into consideration while thinking about her behavior. I put myself into the student's shoes. It must be extremely difficult to do any work when it is beyond the student's level. This student is the canary in the coal mine. She is warning us to listen to her. She is struggling in school and is begging for help in the form of misbehavior. It is unfortunate that she is seen as the 'troublemaker' in the class, when in reality she is just completely frustrated with her school work. 

Troublemakers by Shalaby

 Troublemakers by Shalaby

Quotes

1) “As an educator it is my job to insist on every child’s right to a classroom experience that daily honors her, reveres her smarts, engages her curiosities, and ensures her dignity.”(p1 of preface)

This is such an important mindset to have as a teacher. She is saying that all students deserve to have a good education and a teacher who preaches these ideas. This teacher wants only the best for her students and I completely agree with her. I will make sure to follow these ideas when I become an educator myself.

2) “I think of the children who make trouble at school as miners’ canaries. I want us to imagine their behaviors - which are admittedly disruptive, hypervisible, and problematic - as bother the loud sound of their suffering and a signal cry to the rest of us that there is poison in our shared air.” (p7 intro)

This is my favorite quote from the reading. The author explains that canaries were used by miners to warn them about polluted air where they were working. The birds would struggle and die first, warning the minors that there was dangerous air and that they needed to get out before they would inhale too much of the toxic air themselves. The author compares miners' canaries to the so-called 'troublemakers' in schools. These students are like warnings to society about our school system. Their loudness cannot be ignored. When they become louder it means that our need to listen is more important.

3) “The child who deviates, who refuses to behave like everybody else, may be telling us loudly, visibly, and memorably, that the arrangements of our schools are harmful to human beings. Something toxic is in the air, and these children refuse to inhale it. It is dangerous to exclude these children, to silence their warnings.” (p9 intro)

The author is saying that the child who misbehaves is the one we should be listening to. These types of children are the ones who are advocating for themselves and better schooling. They go against the grain and behave this way because they are trying to be seen and heard. It is important for teachers to know who their 'troublemaker' students are and listen to them clearly. We as educators need to have open ears for our 'troublemaker' students.

Reflection: How will you treat your 'troublemaker' students?

Canary In A Coalmine