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Chaos in Classrooms

We see more and more articles and social media posts from teachers and administrators, citing stress and burnout. Many educators state the job has become too overwhelming, and it’s time to walk away. The reasons for walking away include blaming student behavior, too much paperwork, too many directives, and unsupportive colleagues and administrators. We hardly read about how some educators are contributing to the chaos in classrooms. This post is not to place blame but to drive self-reflection among educators. As we look inward, let’s take a look at these areas: behavior management, teacher-student relationships, classroom systems, and routines, learning styles, and emotional intelligence. 

Teachers say that they want to perform the duties they trained to do. Unfortunately, some college and university teacher training programs do not adequately prepare future educators for what takes place in K-12 schools. Whether it’s an elementary, middle, or high school, students come with a variety of social-emotional issues or traumatic experiences. In the trenches, things get real, and theory heads out of the window. A new, inexperienced teacher may become weary and begin to wonder if he or she should remain in the profession.

Also, experienced educators are overwhelmed by the same issues. All teachers have a bag of tricks for an array of situations. However, the skills that worked five to ten years ago may not work now. It’s time to learn different methods for a different generation of children. Certain actions and misbehaviors lead to more frustration and chaos in the classrooms. Then, the chaos pushes out the wisdom and experience that is needed to mentor the newer teachers. Soon there is no one left to blame for failing schools.