Schooling the Kid - Episodes 31 to 35

Learning Steps     - A Learning community                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Volume 2

Schooling the Kid                                                         Step-31

1.       The child is feeling sleepy and is unable to do so.

In many cases when the child enters the premises of the school, the scheduled sleep hours of the children at home may be different. They might have the practice of sleeping during the day time. Suddenly when they enter the school and are required to keep awake and show their attention and concentration, they may not be in a position to cope. Teachers may find the child sleeping during the course of an active class or unable to bestow any attention feeling drowsy.

Teachers should know that these are normal problems of a change management process in the formative years of schooling. Such children should be taken separate care of and helped to get into the mainstream slowly through attitudinal change.

2. The child is disturbed psychologically by some events at home and lives with it.

Verbal and physical abuses of the child at home are a matter of great concern. Many times the children are unable to speak it out openly and brood over them when alone. They carry the pain or the emotional trauma associated with such experiences even to the classroom. It is very difficult to understand the background or the context of such events. Sometimes even parents do not come to know of such abuses as child associates such things with a personal shame and assault on their ego.

3. The child is obsessed with parental conflicts and the mind is preoccupied emotionally.

Quite often conflicts and quarrels between parents and other family members might have a serious impact on the behavioural pattern, life style and the learning process of the students. The “speed syndrome” of the morning hours in most families is associated with a patterned tension and the child is trained to carry such a tension alongside to the school. The inability of the parents to adjust to their own timings as well as to that of the child,  deprives of both what they are due during those stages of growth.

The children understand the parental conflicts easily:

• ·         Through their verbal exchanges
• ·         Through their body language
• ·         Through the drama of activities
• ·         Through the emotional outbursts
• ·         Through the responses received for the questions
• ·         Through the support system available at a point of time
•  

The child compares oneself with peers and feels inferior or defeated.

4. The child is prejudiced with the love and care exhibited to a peer by the parents in the absence of a similar treatment.

A common thing among school going children is their observation of the comfort level and the utilities available to their neighbours and peers. Quite often this may lead to a sense of inadequacy, low self-esteem, jealousy and possibly violent outburst too.

Some reasons for such prejudices could be:

• ·         There is a visible economic disparity in the family background of any two students
• ·         There is a social disparity between the peers
• ·         The support systems available for a pair of students are different
• ·         The learning style and behaviour are different
• ·         There is a greater exposure to one child as against the other
• ·         The love and care for a particular child is unavailable to the other child
• ·         The parents of one child come from an educated background while other is not
• ·         The child believes another to have greater personal attention in the classroom or a preferred status
• ·         The health status of one child could be superior to another child
• ·         The child feels insecure in the company of the other due to bullying or other reasons
• ·         There is an inferiority in one because of the food items brought and consumed by another
• ·         A particular child has an extrovert personality while the other is an introvert

There could be several other reasons for the prejudices. While it may not be possible for the teacher and the school to seek remedies for all the above, nevertheless it is very important that teachers tend to observe and locate the causes of such issues so that they can be appropriately responded either by the teacher or through any other intervention.

G.Balasubramanian 

Learning Steps     - A Learning community                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Volume 2

Schooling the Kid                                                         Step-32

1.       The child is unable to establish a rapport with the neighbor in the classroom.

The inability of a child to establish a rapport with the neighbour may be borne out of any of the prejudices listed above. But there could be several other reasons for the inability of one child to establish rapport with the other.

Some of the broad considerations for such a situation are:

• ·      The understanding and competency of the languages of both the students are different.
• ·         The vocabulary and style of speech of one learner is not compatible to another learner
• ·         A child exhibits withdrawal symptoms because of any of the above issues
• ·         A child is stammering and hence would like to have a few contacts only
• ·         The aggressive nature of one child is not liked by the othere
• ·         A mental model or belief about another child is set in the mind of one child and he/she is unable to change that mental model
• ·         A child doesn’t want to expose one’s own inadequacies 

2.       The child is unable to establish a rapport with the teacher.

• ·         The profile of the teacher is unimpressive to the child
• ·         The child feels the teacher is highly authoritative and hence keeps away
• ·         The child believes that teacher has certain preferences and hence is disillusioned with the teacher.
• ·        The language used by the teacher is not understood by the child adequately and hence there is an intellectual barrier
• ·         The teacher appears haughty and spreading negative vibrations and hence there is an emotional barrier
• ·         The teacher threatens of taking the child to task by informing the parents and hence the child fears of being  misjudged and misinformed to the parents
• ·         The body language and the posture of the teacher are child-friendly
• ·         The teacher is always conceived as a judging or evaluating persona and hence the child wants to keep a distance

There could be several other reasons too. Therefore it is important that teachers do carry with them a positive disposition and a friendly aura so that they are always liked by the students in the classroom.

  

3.       The child is being abused and is unable to understand or communicate.

There are some cases where the child is being abused at home.

• ·         Physical abuse of the child by engaging him/her in hard labour,
• ·         Snatching away their time of study for employment in domestic chorus, baby sitting etc., for meeting economic needs,
• ·         Engaging a child into wedlock at early years or discussion involving the marriage of a girl or a boy at a later period within the chosen members of the family,
• ·         Ill-treatment of a child against their own brother or sister or any other member of the family,
• ·         Denial of basic rights to one child as against another
• ·         Discrimination due to gender
• ·         Discrimination due to poor health or physical stature
• ·         Discrimination due to physical handicap or emotional inadequacies
•  

are some of the generally known reasons. In these circumstances, the child feels abused, humiliated, exploited and marginalized. The child is unable to communicate the feelings with any one else, as in many cases it is the closest family members who are the people involved in such abuses.  

Such children need adequate care and attention, counseling and help to get back to normalcy. These might have an impact on the learning process, performance profile and development of attitudes.

4. The child is unhappy with the quality or the quantity of the food being given and cannot help eating.

Malnutrition and under-nutrition are two vital causes which have impact on the learning process and growth. Staple food, fast food, food without nutrients, lead to lack of energy, lack of attention, grasp and concentration of the child. Schools and teachers need to take note of such cases and bring them to the attention of parents for appropriate remedies. It is important that parents should be advised to give children

• -          fresh food
• -          combination of vegetables
• -          fruits
• -          easily digestible food
• -          less oily/spicy food
• -          balanced food

       Sometimes the food is not tasty or less digestible to the children. Parents need to be  Counseled

G.Balasubramanian

Learning Steps     - A Learning community                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Volume 2

Schooling the Kid                                                         Step-33

Some problems faced by the kids … contd.,

5.       The child is haunted by some fantasy or fear of the unknown.

Sometimes the children have some fantasies or fear in their mind.
Stories of ghosts, angels, adventures, travelogues, suspense stories etc, create sometimes fantasies in the minds of the children. They try to identify with the characters, events, dreams and places. Sometimes this leads to development of some mental models and resultant behavioural patterns. Similarly the fear of the unknown environment, people, events etc., could possibly haunt the minds of the children. These have impact on the learning process of the children. Teachers need to handle the specific cases of such students and handle them with care.

6.       The child is having a learning difficulty and is unable to understand or communicate.

Some students in the primary classes might have certain types of learning difficulties. The child may not be in a position to understand the cause of the learning difficulties and communicate it appropriately.

        The reasons for the learning difficulties could be many.        

• There is a fixed mental model for learning in the child, which does not facilitate learning.
• There is a psychological block that inhibits learning
• The child has no aptitude for a particular subject
• The child is unable to negotiate with the curriculum
• There is a physiological co-ordination difficulty.
• There is an external input which causes a mental conflict while initiating to do a work.
• There is a physiological problem which is not evident
• The child has a preference for certain other methods of learning than what is prescribed
• The child is unable to cope with the speed of inputs
• The child feels negated, marginalized in a group of learners and hence exhibits withdrawal symptoms.

There could be several other reasons including Dyslexia, ADHD and other problems which need a psychological or clinical attention. Teachers would do well to understand, appreciate these problems and suggest appropriate remedies in consultation with the school counselor, principal and the parents.

A teacher who expresses displeasure, anger, disappointment, disgust, indifference or any such negative feeling would do a great damage not only to the learning profile of the learner, but the emotional profile.

Daniel Goleman explains based on extensive research “When someone dumps their toxic feelings on us- explodes in anger or threats, shows disgust or contempt – they activate in us circuitry for those very same distressing emotions. Their act has potent neurological consequences: emotions are contagious. We “catch” strong emotions much as we do a rhinovirus- and so can come down with the emotional equivalent of a cold”

I recall fondly my visit to one of the upcoming schools in a small town run by a couple of retired women committed to the cause of education. The school had a computer print out pasted at the entrance. ”This is a positive zone. Please do not bring negative vibrations inside.”

Can we learn something from such invisible educators?

G.Balasubramanian 

Learning Steps     - A Learning community                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Volume 2

Schooling the Kid                                                         Step-34

Effective communication with the child is important for enhancement of the quality of learning. Teachers need to adopt appropriate strategies to ensure effective communication. The strategy has to be holistic and multi-faceted. Some of the methods they could follow are as under:

1. Develop appropriate body language:

The disposition of the teacher is critical in the classroom environment at the formative level. The following non-verbal communication of the teacher has a retrograde effect on the development of rapport with the child.

·         A frowning face,

·         A grin

·         A taunting posture

·         An aggressive look

·         A sarcasm on face

·         A slapping or hitting posture

·         An unkind touch

·         An indifferent outlook 

The children tend to closely watch the expressions of the teacher and respond psychologically either through positive relationship or through symptoms of withdrawal. The teachers should train themselves to understand the implications of their non-verbal communication and then resort to such modes of non-verbal communication that would help in positive relationships and reassurance.

“An emotion can pass from person to person silently, without any one consciously noticing, because the circuitry for this contagion lies in the low road.” says, Daniel Goleman. Hence the children not only watch the facial expressions of the teacher but do take over their emotions in a silent mode and process them in their own frame of mind. The teachers should therefore take special care of how they look at the children, how they use their facial expressions and words, their finger and hand movements and the other domains of their body language.

In his book “The New Leaders” the same author depicts the role of a leader, which I think is totally contextual to the role of the teacher in a primary classroom. Let’s hear what he has to say:

“The affiliate style represents the collaborative competence in action. Such leaders are most concerned in promoting harmony and fostering friendly interactions, nurturing personal relationships that expand the connective tissue with the people they lead. Accordingly, affiliate leaders value downtime in the organizational cycle, which allows more time to build emotional capital that can be drawn from when the pressure is on.

When leaders are being affiliative, they focus on the emotional needs of the employees even over work goals. The focus makes empathy – the ability to sense the feelings, needs and perspectives of others – anchor fundamental competence there. Empathy allows a leader to keep people happy by caring for the whole person – not just the work tasks for which someone is responsible. A leader’s empathy makes the affiliative approach a booster of morale par excellence, lifting the spirits of employees as they trudge through mundane or repetitive needs.”

This wonderful relationship between the leader and the follower(employee) is very much true even in the case of the relationship between the teacher and the taught. In primary classes especially the relationship between the teacher and child not only reassures trust, confidence, possibilities and achievements but does create a wonderful climate for effective learning.

Can our school heads initiate some programs that will bestow the above qualities with our teachers in the primary classrooms?

G. Balasubramanian

Learning Steps     - A Learning community                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Volume 2

Schooling the Kid                                                         Step-35

The functional space of any individual is normally classified into four different zones:

• Intimate zone
• Personal zone
• Public zone
• Social zone

It has been observed that in the process of growth and development an individual normally expands his zone of function. He or she normally goes on expanding the functional space with age, learning and types of functions and work. At the primary level, when the children are young, as they tend to be dependant largely, as they are in the process of expanding their functional domain, as they have a greater fear for the unknown than the aged, they tend to enjoy relationships in the intimate zone. This infuses a sense of confidence and recognition, ensures a reassurance to their moods and mental models.

Teachers should understand the significance of Intimate Zone

What can they do?

• A gentle touch
• A kind pat
• Holding the palms
• A kind finger touch on the cheek
• A loving hug when called for
• Kneeling or leaning towards their place or position
• Allowing proximity

Teachers can think of a large number of ways depending upon the situation. It is equally important that such actions are universal to all the students and not selective and biased. Any overemphasis or prejudiced action would lead to negative results or create a disharmony in the classroom.

Experiments and Research has shown that operating in the intimate zone among the primary students has yielded the following results: 

• Children who are slow learners improve their performance because of reassurance
• Children with learning disabilities find an anchor and hence improve their confidence levels and thus their performance
• Children with emotional hangovers enhance their comfort levels and are more happy
• Children who feel rejected at home find a pathway to become inclusive
• Children with poor communication skills improve their levels of communication
• Children who are introverts and withdrawn for various reasons tend to open up
• Children with talents and gifted learning competencies find an acknowledgement to parade their skills
• Visual children get empowered with the proximity of their teacher
• Auditory children hear their teacher in proximity and hence are comfortable
• Kinesthetic children enjoy the intimacy of the teacher and become proactive.

What more is required in a classroom?

But please do remember, operating in the intimate zone with negative feelings, emotional tantrums and prejudiced emotions has a totally negative impact.

Read the following words carefully:

“As Swedish researchers found, merely seeing a picture of a happy face elicits fleeting activity in the muscles that pull the mouth into a smile. Indeed, whenever we gaze at a photograph of someone whose face displays a strong emotion, like sadness, disgust or joy our facial muscles automatically start to mirror e other’s facial expression.

This reflective emotion opens us to subtle emotional influences from those around us, adding one lane in what amounts to a brain-to-brain bridge between people. Particularly sensitive people pick up this contagion more readily than most, though the impervious may sail through even the most toxic encounter” (social intelligence: Daniel Goleman)

While teachers should focus on building brain-to-brain bridge, they should avoid toxic encounters. Shouldn’t they?

G.Balasubramanian