Changing student attitudes towards agression?

Question

Recent events have shown my wife that most of the students in one of her 7th grade classes feel that beating a person up for sitting in your seat is an appropriate (and commendable - they were applauding the attacker when he came back from suspension) way to behave.

Has anyone had any success in changing this kind of attitude, and if so - how?

Answer 1

There appears to be a lack of "initial" communication to lay the groundwork for "relationships" and basis for association between everyone in the school and in the classroom. That is something the school at the administrative level in a school assemby when the school firsts started and again reinforced and reminded in the classroom, should have established.

Even if there were such a communication, the situation indicates that the students were NOT given a meaningful reason "why" there were rules for "behavior" that were acceptable and that were not acceptable. In otherwords, the classes started without the proper "orientation" and "guidance."

It is still not too late... but may require much more extensive explaining of: "Why it was "allowed" to go on for so long?" and "Why start explaining and enforcing now?" Besides the explaining of what certain behaviors are desired from the students. (And it should be "desired" action which is "expected" of the students and not something they are not to do. Negative brings negative results... and it continues.... Worst, no one will want to take "ownership" of something negative.)

At the same time, teachers must define their limits and be able to live within those limits themselves. Without that, the "fairness" disappears, and no one will respect any form of behavior.

Attiitude is nothing more than feelings put into to "action" in the most meaningful and effective way by students (as they understand the situation and circumstance call for) in response to what ever is being presented to them at that particular instance. It will be inappropriate and inaccurate for anyone outside that particular instance to evaluate and respond.

It can be an attempt to gain popularity. It may be an attempt to just fit in with the rest. It may be.... and there is too many may be's.

Regardless, "attitude" is in individual and "internal" thing which unless you are on a one-to-one basis and with a lot more facts to work with, we cannot generalize and "label" a person with. Even a psychiatrist will have a lot of testing to do and even then, may not be accurate at all.

Answer 2

I have seen behaviors like this. And really, any such changes are going to have to begin at home, with the PARENTS teaching their kids how to behave. Of course, it would be a lot easier if parents didn't have to watch over their shoulders for Uncle Sam and 'child abuse' laws.

Not that child abuse doesn't happen. But the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction.

I do have suggestions.

1) Involve the parents. If the kids aren't telling their parents the truth of what's going on- and some, at least, aren't- bring the parents into the school and tell them.
2) There are groups of former gang members who have turned their lives around. If there are any such groups near your school, you might want to talk with them about coming to the class and giving them a good hard reality check. Being a bully is not 'cool'.
3)If all else fails, you might even want to try 'Boot Camp', if you can find one with reliable adults rather than the rabid idiots like those that killed that boy not too long ago.

In any case, the kids are going to have to learn that they are NOT the biggest dogs on the block so they had better behave, or else.

Good luck to your wife!