Few weeks ago, my sister called me to share some of her worries with me.
Apparently her son has been finding school hard and he is showing some aggressive behaviour at school which was now a concern to her and the school.
So now, her son’s school is threatening to EXCLUDE him, if he continues to behave badly at school (my nephew is only a 7 years old boy!)
I know I am a teacher, so what I’m about to share today may seem biased and insensitive to my profession, but It is important. I’m all about children and their well-being!
I see this play out in schools a lot!
❗️Truly bad teachers are unusual, but they do exist. They know their subject matter. What they may not know, however, are classroom management skills!
🎯There is a saying in my language that (eni tio ni erueni, ko le mo iyi eni) please can anyone translate this for me?
————————————
Anyway, back to today’s topic, I remember when my son was in primary school, I usually get a call from his school because of his behaviour. My son was so lucky he went to a good school and had good teachers.
In his school they had different sorts of behaviour management strategies that helped him. He was never threatened with exclusion.
However, some children are not so lucky! .
🎯Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of good teachers out there, but I’m here to shine the light on some teachers that need help with their own emotional baggage.
❗️Some teachers need to be trained and retrained when it comes to teaching our black children and how to manage behaviour in the classroom.
❗️Some of these kids are misunderstood and what they need is compassion most times.
👉From all the studies we have seen, we know that all behaviour has meaning.
👉We also know that what happens early in life lasts for a lifetime.
👉When your children come home and complain to you about their teachers, don’t take it lightly and report to the Headteacher /principal. Do something about it! You know your children!
👉 Also, watch out for some clues when you attend parent meeting at your children school. Toxic teachers’ input is almost always negative, they won’t offer you any solutions but rather point out your child’s problems. For example, they might complain about your child’s poor performance, citing “laziness” or “lack of focus.”
👉Dealing with a problematic teacher or confronting them is never pleasant. However, it is vital to fix the situation as soon as possible because your child’s wellbeing is at stake.
👉Being yelled at, blamed, belittled, bullied, or made a scapegoat by a teacher can do a lot of damage for kids in the long run. Even if other parents and school officials are OK with this type of teacher, it doesn’t mean it’s OK.
👉Sometimes when one parent says something, others will join. So don’t be afraid to be the first one to raise concern. SPEAK UP!!
✅ So that’s the main reason why I’m sharing this today
Our children deserve to have good and patient adults around them from early on.
WHAT TEACHERS NEED TO KNOW 👇
- Teachers must understand the emotional development of the children in their classroom (teachers also need to understand who they are, understand their biased that they bring into the classroom, the baggage they bring into the classroom, what’s the emotional baggage they bring into the classroom, what are they seeing, what are they seeing through their lense.
- They must understand the temperament of children and their own temperament. Is that child fearful, is that child fiercest in front of them only (why is that triggering them)
- Schools need to think about what’s happening in the child’s family and work with the family
- Children need and deserve teachers who can connect with them and show compassion.
- Teachers need to start teaching children with compassion and they should try to connect before they correct!
- School need to be a safe place for our kids, not a scary place
My final thought 👇
❤️EARLY TRAUMA HAS A DIRECT IMPACT ON A CHILD’S LONG TERM HEALTH OUTCOME
❤️WE ALSO KNOW THAT THE BRAIN RESEARCHER FOUND OUT THAT
👉THE FIRST 5 YEARS OF A CHILD’S LIFE IS THE MOST CRITICAL TIME OF BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
I would like you to read the above statement again and try to understand what that meant!👆
👉What that statement meant was that we can influence a generation in 5 years!
If we want to change society we must change the way we teach our youngest children/ our preschoolers.
We need to start investing time and be more intentional about how we teach and raise our younger children
✅I also think, one key way to tackle the issue is to promote more black staff to senior positions in school, so staff teams can increase their cultural awareness and sensitivity.
❗️A positive classroom environment is a primary reason why kids want to go to school and enjoy learning.
👉Please dear teachers/parents; – We need to give our children the hope they need for a better day!
Thanks
Olu ❤️❤️❤️
#everychildmatter
#earlychildhood
#teachers
#beintentional
#africanamenricaboys
#blackbritishboys
#boysareawesome
#bekind
Positive Parenting With Olu 